Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

CAUTION: This episode contains references to skipping meals and may be triggering for those with eating disorders. Today’s guest believes that the decisions we make every day about what we eat have a huge influence on our health. Dr William Li is a medical doctor and the author of the international bestseller, Eat to Beat Disease: The Body's Five Defense Systems and the Foods That Could Save Your Life. He works in a field of research called Food as Medicine and having been involved with the development of many different drugs over the past few decades, he is passionate about using scientific rigour to analyse the specific benefits of food. We discuss the five health defence systems that exist within our bodies: angiogenesis (growing of new blood vessels), stem cell regeneration, the gut microbiome, DNA protection and the immune system. These systems maintain our health and help us heal when disease damages our body. Dr Li explains how specific foods can strengthen these natural defence systems. We talk about cancer, how tumours grow, and where food can play a role in terms of prevention as well as part of the treatment. Dr Li shares the research about the amazing benefits of green tea for cancer prevention. We also talk about the impact that fasting has on various health systems within our body. Dr. Li’s ground-breaking work is really changing the way we look at how food impacts our health and I think that by the end of this conversation, you will look at food through a different lens. And I'm pretty sure that it's going to inspire you to make a few changes next time you go to the supermarket - it certainly did for me. I hope you enjoy listening.  Thanks to our sponsors: https://www.vivobarefoot.com/livemore https://www.calm.com/livemore   http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Order Dr Chatterjee's new book Happy Mind, Happy Life: UK version and US & Canada version   Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/234   Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

2 Feb 20221h 35min

Being kind to ourselves is so important for our health and our happiness, but often the negative voice in our head can start to overwhelm our thoughts. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart.  Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.   Today’s clip is from episode 163 of the podcast with one of the world’s leading experts on self-compassion Dr Kristin Neff. In this clip, she explains why self-compassion is so important for our wellbeing and our physical and mental health. She also gives some great tips to help us silence our inner critic. Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Order Dr Chatterjee's new book Happy Mind, Happy Life: UK version: https://amzn.to/304opgJ, US & Canada version: https://amzn.to/3DRxjgp Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.   Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/163 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

28 Jan 202212min

CAUTION: Please be aware that this podcast contains reference to suicide. Today I’m pleased to welcome back Dr Ayan Panja, who’s a close friend and now a regular podcast guest – as well as an accomplished podcaster himself. He’s a busy NHS GP, brilliant health communicator, and my partner in delivering our RCGP-accredited Prescribing Lifestyle Medicine course to fellow clinicians. We start off the conversation talking about the current challenges that exist for NHS GPs. We talk about the desperate need for more mental health care, and how and why the pandemic has lowered resilience levels in all of us.   Ayan takes us through the Symptom Web which we developed as part of our Prescribing Lifestyle Medicine course, but it’s also a tool we could all start using. It’s about looking at the eight key lifestyle factors that influence health, to help us identify and then address potential issues.   We discuss the bias that exists in modern medicine towards treating acute illnesses, while chronic conditions that build with time go overlooked. But there is so much we can all do to take control of our health and reduce the likelihood of getting sick. We also chat about the recent death of Ayan’s father and share our experiences of grief. We discuss how other people’s reactions can often be surprising, and what they can teach us about how best to help when someone is bereaved. Compassionate listening, we agree, is key – something that’s as important among friends as it is in the doctor-patient relationship.   Ayan also tells me about his own health podcast (called Saving Lives In Slow Motion, which I highly recommend) and the book he’s writing, to empower more people to understand their own health. It’s not published until 2023 but I know it’s going to be a must-read. I really enjoyed chatting with one of my closest friends face-to-face while the mics were running – I hope you enjoyed listening. Thanks to our sponsors:   https://www.leafyard.com/livemore   https://www.blublox.com/livemore   http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore RCGP Prescribing Lifestyle Medicine course https://www.prescribinglifestylemedicine.org Order Dr Chatterjee's new book Happy Mind, Happy Life: UK version and US & Canada version   Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/232 DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified health care provider with any questions you have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

26 Jan 20221h 20min

One of the key ways to keep ourselves healthy is to stay physically active.   Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart.  Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.   Today’s clip is from episode 128 of the podcast with paleoanthropologist and Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, Dr Daniel Lieberman   In this clip he explains why movement is so important for our immune system and our health, and how we can work with our biology to incorporate more movement into our life. Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Order Dr Chatterjee's new book Happy Mind, Happy Life: UK version: https://amzn.to/304opgJ, US & Canada version: https://amzn.to/3DRxjgp Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.   Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/128 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

21 Jan 202213min

CAUTION: Contains swearing and themes of an adult nature. It is my absolute pleasure to be able to share today’s conversation with you. I’m speaking with fellow podcaster and author Fearne Cotton, someone I count as a good friend and kindred spirit. Fearne has been a talented and high-profile star on UK TV and radio since the age of 15. But these days she’s found her ‘happy place’ out of the public glare, living with intention and sharing her experiences with a like-minded audience. Fearne’s latest book, Bigger Than Us, is a beautiful exploration of spirituality, connection, and a judgement-free look at our ideas of wellness. As this episode begins, Fearne shares her very recent heartbreak at losing a cherished companion of 20 years, her rescue cat Lula. We talk about her bereavement, the experience of grief and how it can open us up to spiritual thinking and finding meaning. Fearne is a big believer that self-compassion is the key to living an authentic life, although she freely admits this is something she struggles with. We discuss honouring the good and bad in our lives, and how letting go of the past and limiting beliefs doesn’t mean blocking them out – just refusing to carry them around with us. What I love about Fearne’s approach is that she doesn’t claim to be an expert in self-help – she’s just super-keen to share what’s worked for her and might interest others. Perhaps the best example of this is Fearne’s Happy Place Festival, which brings people together for the sorts of communal experiences we agree can be life-changing. I so enjoyed talking to Fearne. She’s honest, relatable and she helps so many people through her work. I’m honoured that she felt able to come on the podcast at what was a difficult time for her. But as you’ll hear, there’s much light and laughter in this conversation too. It’s a very special one – I think you’ll enjoy it. Thanks to our sponsors:   https://calm.com/livemore   http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore https://vivobarefoot.com/livemore Order Dr Chatterjee's new book Happy Mind, Happy Life: UK version and US & Canada version   Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/230   Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

19 Jan 20221h 59min

The start of a new year is the time many of us look to make changes in our lives, incorporating healthy habits and removing unhelpful ones.   Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.   Today’s clip is from episode 145 of the podcast with James Clear – an entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author of the book ‘Atomic Habits’.   In this clip, James explains why our daily habits are so important and gives some great tips for creating healthy habits that can last a lifetime. Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Order Dr Chatterjee's new book Happy Mind, Happy Life: UK version: https://amzn.to/304opgJ, US & Canada version: https://amzn.to/3DRxjgp Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.   Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/145   Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk   DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

14 Jan 202218min

CAUTION: Contains swearing and themes of an adult nature.   Why have we lost our ability to focus? What are the causes? And, most importantly, how do we get it back? Today’s guest and author of the brilliant new book, Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention, went on a three-year journey to uncover the reasons why our teenagers now focus on one task for only 65 seconds, and why office workers on average manage only three minutes. Johann Hari interviewed more than 200 leading experts in the world on attention, and learned that everything we think about this subject is wrong.  We think our inability to focus is a personal failing – a flaw in each one of us. It is not. Johann argues that this has been done to all of us by powerful external forces. Our focus has been stolen. He discovered there are twelve causes of our modern-day attention crisis, all of which have robbed some of our attention. In this conversation, Johann explains some of those key causes and importantly he shares the steps that we need to take, both individually but also collectively as a society, to get our attention back.   This is such an important topic. Our ability to focus and pay attention plays a crucial role in every aspect of our life: reaching our goals, maintaining close relationships, thinking deeply, as well as our ability to be kind, compassionate and empathetic. Our ability to pay attention is at the very heart of living a happy and meaningful life.   This is a thoroughly engaging conversation and Johann has a unique gift for storytelling. I think you will really enjoy listening. Thanks to our sponsors:   https://www.leafyard.com/livemore   https://www.blublox.com/livemore   http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Order Dr Chatterjee's new book Happy Mind, Happy Life: UK version and US & Canada version   Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/227   Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

12 Jan 20222h 37min

CAUTION: Contains themes of an adult nature. If I told you there was a simple, free habit you could take up to optimise your health in just five to 10 minutes a day, would you be up for trying it? If the answer’s yes, then you’re going to love today’s guest, a brilliant science communicator who reveals what the habit is – and shares ground-breaking insights from his research.   Dr. Andrew Huberman is a professor of neuroscience at Stanford University School of Medicine in the US and he has made numerous contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neuroplasticity. His lab’s most recent work focuses on the influence of vision and breathing on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage. His work has been published in top scientific journals including Nature, Science, and Cell and has been featured in global media outlets such as TIME magazine, BBC, and Scientific American.   We begin this conversation discussing why exposure to morning light is key to optimum human functioning. Our visual system is about more than just seeing. The light that enters our eyes, even in blind people, gives knowledge to the nervous system. Getting the right light, at the right time, sets the clock in all of your body’s cells, which in turn will affect many different functions in the body. It stimulates the cortisol you need for energy and focus. And it has positive effects on everything from sleep, energy and immunity to appetite, mood and so much more.    We also discuss what exactly is going on in the brain when we feel fearful and how something as simple as getting outside and looking at the horizon can completely change our physiology and powerfully inhibit anxiety.   Finally, we talk about the role that technology is having on our attention and Andrew shares a variety of simple exercises that we can all do to train our brains to improve our focus, health and performance.   Andrew is a special human being and someone who I have been wanting to speak to for a long, long time. I really enjoyed speaking to him - I hope you enjoy listening. Thanks to our sponsors:   https://vivobarefoot.com/livemore   https://calm.com/livemore   http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Order Dr Chatterjee's new book Happy Mind, Happy Life: UK version and US & Canada version   Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/227   Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

7 Jan 20221h 56min