ZOE Science & Nutrition

Why are you not losing weight?

Many of us ask this, and the advice on how to lose weight often leaves you feeling hungry. We’ve been told weight loss means eating less, moving more, but for lasting fat loss dieting, calorie counting, and willpower may not be the answer. In today’s episode, Professor Giles Yeo, who has spent his career decoding the biology of appetite and body weight. and Dr Federica Amati explain how to lose weight in a healthier way, and why it’s harder for some people than others.

You’ll learn how more than 1,000 genes shape the way your brain responds to food, and whether there’s really an ‘obesity gene’.

We also explain why a calorie deficit stops working over time and how your gut microbiome affects your weight. We also ask: Can you lose weight without exercise, and are weight loss drugs an easy fix?

The episode provides simple steps for healthy weight loss that lasts. And, by the end, you’ll know which foods to reach for to help keep you fuller for longer.

If you can’t stop snacking, even when you want to diet, this episode will help you lose weight while eating MORE.

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30

🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health Bar

Build healthy habits. Download the ZOE app today 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes

00:00 Intro

01:46 Is losing weight just about willpower?

04:04 Why you can’t stop thinking about food

11:22 Real hunger or just cravings? The 2 types of hunger

13:05 Why does obesity carry so much shame?

18:14 How much of your weight is down to your genes?

19:29 Is there one obesity gene?

21:43 Why fast food "shouts" at some brains

23:25 Why obesity rates have doubled

25:45 Are your genes stopping you from losing weight?

28:14 Gut health and weight loss: the microbes that "eat" 100 calories a day

31:55 Is celery actually a negative calorie food?

33:18 Same calories, more weight loss?

35:29 Why counting calories is NOT the answer

38:27 How you can start losing weight by eating more food

40:02 The simple belly fat test anyone can do

42:26 How fibre boosts your natural GLP-1 and keeps you full

44:47 Does exercise actually work for weight loss?

46:30 Ozempic for weight loss: the easy option?

47:29 How to lose weight: start by looking at your parents

49:05 The breakfast rule behind sustainable weight loss

50:31 Is obesity really a choice?

52:05 Why one meal won’t ruin your week (or your weight loss)

54:05 How fast should you lose weight?

55:47 One-word tip for lasting weight loss

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks

Better Breakfast Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

A Matter of Fat with Rose Stokes & Professor Giles Yeo

Gemini Study

Host-diet-gut microbiome interactions influence human energy balance, Nature Communications⁠ (2023)

⁠Can ZOE help people lose weight?

Episode transcripts are available here.

Kayla Barnes-Lentz follows an intensive, highly structured daily protocol designed by a team of scientists to optimise every aspect of her health. She believes this carefully curated lifestyle could help her live to 150 years or more.

While her routine may not be realistic for everyone, the insights behind it could benefit us all.

Today, Kayla joins Dr Federica Amati to break longevity down into five fundamental pillars.

Together, they explore the science behind each one, how Kayla puts them into practice, and how you can start strengthening your own pillars today.

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30

🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health Bar

Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks

Better Breakfast Guide

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

Why do you catch every cold going, while others rarely get sick?

Many of the cold and flu tips you grew up with are myths, but in today’s episode, world-leading immunity expert Professor Daniel Davis and Professor Tim Spector explain the five everyday habits that can protect your immune system.

You’ll learn why some people get sick more often than others and test common beliefs about how to boost immunity and beat flu season: does getting cold and wet really give you a cold, and can vitamin C or immune-boosting supplements actually help? We explore the five habits that the science links to immune health and share three food tips, so you can learn how to stay well this winter.

If you get sick more often than your friends, this episode will break down why that might be, and give you the tools to help.

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30

🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health Bar

Build healthy habits. Download the ZOE app today 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes

00:00 Intro

05:57 Can you really boost your immune system?

07:51 Is man flu real? The science of who suffers worse colds.

11:55 Why you take a week to shake off a cold your friend beats in 2 days.

14:20 Is catching colds in your genes?

15:54 Why your immune system slows with age, and the inflammation link.

20:16 Why do we actually get more colds and flu in winter?

21:28 Why your snot is magical, and how it fights colds.

22:31 Can wet hair give you a cold?

24:06 Vitamin C, vitamin D or zinc: do any supplements stop a cold?

27:36 The truth about immune-boosting supplements and food labels

29:38 Should you feed a cold and starve a fever?

31:30 Should you avoid crowds to prevent colds?

34:09 Habit 1: What 4 hours’ sleep does to your immune system.

36:48 How to sleep better: Tim Spector's routine

38:56 Habit 2: what the stress hormone cortisol does to your cancer-fighting cells

42:24 How to lower cortisol: do tai chi, walks or laughter work?

45:22 Habit 3: is a glass of wine bad for your immune system?

46:13 Habit 4: why gut health is Tim Spector’s main reason for not getting sick.

48:04 How gut bacteria keep your immune system in balance

49:39 Does diet change how sick you get?

51:57 Habit 5: how exercise changes your immune system, and the truth about 10,000 steps.

54:28 Is it too late to start exercising for immune health?

55:42 Tim Spector’s 3 food rules for your immune system and gut health

57:47 The 5 habits that really protect your immune system.

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks

Better Breakfast Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

⁠Immune Health: A Myth-busting Guide by Prof Daniel Davis

The science behind “man flu”, BMJ (2017)

Sleep and food choices, ZOE (2025)

Childhood adversity and inflammatory processes, Psychoneuroendocrinology (2013)

Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Response to Immunization, JAMA (2002)

Increased concordance of severe respiratory infection in identical twins, Pediatrics (2008)

Longitudinal dynamics of gene expression and metabolomics in an aging population cohort, Science (2026)

The nonlinear association between sleep duration, cognition and mental health, Nat Aging 2 (2022)

Effects of odors on sleep quality, Scientific Reports (2022)Diet quality and risk and severity of COVID-19, Gut (2021)

Episode transcripts are available ⁠here⁠.

Microplastics are everywhere. Tiny fragments we can’t see, taste, or smell and yet they’ve been found in our water, our food, and even our brains.

Emerging research has linked microplastic exposure to hormone disruption, chronic inflammation, and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. But with plastics embedded in almost every aspect of modern life, is there anything we can realistically do to reduce our exposure?

Today, Dr Sabine Donnai and Dr Federica Amati separate the fear from the facts. They explain where our biggest sources of microplastics come from, which everyday habits may be increasing our risk, and the simple, practical swaps that can meaningfully reduce the amount entering our bodies.

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30

🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health Bar

Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra  

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

What does a healthy daily routine really look like?

In this episode, world-leading nutritionist Dr Federica Amati shares what she eats in a day, from breakfast to dinner, and her six everyday habits that may lower your risk of cancer, dementia and help you live longer. No 4am alarms, cryotherapy chambers, or other protocols - you’ll learn simple tips and trends you can skip.

Federica walks us through a normal day, from waking up to bedtime, and gives you six pillars of a healthy lifestyle to focus on to reduce your risk of chronic disease.

Learn how Federica builds a healthy morning routine that cuts your chronic disease risk by 80%, how to put together a quick lunch, pick snacks that keep you full, and slip oily fish into meals you already love. Plus, her simple wind-down rules for better sleep.

Which big habits are you missing while you chase the small ones?

🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily30

🌿Let your gut microbes snack on the ZOE Gut Health Bar

Build healthy habits. Download the ZOE app today 👉 Join ZOE

Follow ZOE on Instagram.

Timecodes

00:00 Intro

04:45 Circadian rhythms: what your hormones expect every 24 hours

06:50 The 6 lifestyle habits that prevent 80% of chronic disease

10:10 Why sleep scientists want to scrap the clock change

13:14 Coffee on an empty stomach: science vs. social media myths

14:46 Is eating the exact same breakfast every day bad for you?

16:57 The high-protein, high-fibre breakfast you can make in seconds

19:05 The no-cook lunch for busy workdays

20:35 Are pre-cooked grain pouches healthy?

23:10 Does microwaving fermented foods destroy their benefits?

25:26 The science of beans: how fibre shuts down hunger for hours

28:23 Why sandwiches cause an afternoon energy crash

32:17 Is pasta actually bad for you?

36:04 The real reason you feel starving at 3 pm

38:14 Nutritionist-approved snacks: sweet & savoury ideas that work

40:22 The clinical evidence on red meat & cancer risk

41:15 SMASH: the 5 oily fish to eat for omega-3

44:38 Tinned tuna: mercury risk & missing healthy fats

46:52 Which cooking oil should you use?

49:19 Do gut microbes control your food cravings?

50:45 The overnight fast: should you eat dinner earlier?

52:50 The 1 screen habit that beats any sleep routine

54:29 The healthy habit wellness influencers get wrong about longevity

58:16 The single most overlooked life skill that makes healthy food cheaper

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks

Better Breakfast Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

Daylight-saving Time & Health Identifying Beneficial & Adverse Effects, Eur J Epidemiol (2026)

The Interplay between Early Mealtime, Circadian Rhythms, Gene Expression, Circadian Hormones, and Metabolism⁠, Clocks & sleep (2023)

Episode transcripts are available here.