Our July newsletter is out now – A tribute to Dr Michael Mosely

The Project Food team were saddened by the news of the passing of the much loved radio and TV doctor, Dr Michael Mosely. 

His podcast series ‘Just One Thing’ inspires the work we do to encourage healthy habits by introducing easy routines or simple swaps into daily life to improve health and wellbeing.

This month each member of our team has chosen one episode from the podcast series that resonated with them and provided them with some inspiration to change ‘Just One Thing’.

Tiggy – Project Food CEO

“Just One Thing has been a phenomenal success I think because it gives little things you can do to make a difference to your health.”

“So often we are told you can’t do this; you can’t do; that you must never eat this or you must do more than X number of exercises every day etc. The list can be daunting and the size of the tasks can be seriously off putting so many of us don’t make any changes at all.  Just One Thing is all about small positive changes, not “you mustn’t do this”, but  “just try this” and that’s why I think it is so brilliant.”

I have heard many people interviewed who have said that they always now stand on one leg while cleaning their teeth [see episode “Stand on one leg”]; but if I had to look at one particular episode it would be “Stay Young – Episode 2: Stay Looking Young” in which Michael talked about the amazing benefits to our skin of eating a few different coloured fruits or vegetables, particularly: beetroot, carrots, butternut squash, melon, mango, orange and red fruits and vegetables.  All of these contain carotenoids which help our skin to retain collagen which helps us to look young. The great thing about this episode is that it helps to introduce people to fresh fruit and vegetables not for the normal health or weight related reasons but to make you look younger. We all want to look younger; but of course these fruits and vegetables have huge numbers of other benefits too; so perhaps by wanting to look younger you might also end up reducing your risk of diet related diseases and lose a bit of weight too: it’s a win win.

Thank you Dr Michael Mosley. I think his contribution to public health was enormous and would urge people to listen to all the episodes because I’m sure that everybody will be able to find one small thing that they could do not just once or twice but that they can keep on doing.

Good luck!

Read on to find out which episodes the rest of the Project Team picked!

Hannah  –  Project Manager      

For me it would be ‘Drink Water’

I have always been aware of the health benefits of drinking enough water but have struggled to actually do it!  Michael Moseley’s podcast on water, which I happened to catch on the radio in my the car on the way home from work, really helped me to think about how turning the odd glass into a regular habit by fitting it into my every day schedule.  The best thing for me about drinking more water is that it has helped raise my energy levels without having to drink more coffee!

Drinking a glass of water with every meal, and therefore turning it into a habit, is such a simple yet effective way to boost your hydration levels.

Kerry  –  Communications Officer

I am a huge fan of this podcast series and there were so many to choose from.  I think I would have to say that ‘Enjoy Olive Oil’ is one of my favourites.

The Mediterranean Diet is one of the heathiest diets in the world and a major feature of this diet is it’s use of olive oil.  I am from a generation raised to believe that fats were bad, but I now know that the use of good fats, such as olive oil in your diet is essential for heart and brain health and hormonal balance.

Clive  –  Admin Assistant

I found the episode ‘Try Flax Seeds’ interesting.

Why? Well it mentions being good for cholesterol and I’d never had mine checked until recently, so it was something I wondered if I should do something about. I like the science behind “Just One Thing”, being a cynic I’m very anti-fad and need to see scientific proof of why something helps, and there was a lot of that in this episode.  Flax seeds, also known as Linseeds can help protect your heart, reduce blood sugar levels and even keep your skin looking smooth!

Emma  –  Cookery Coordinator

I’ll choose the ‘Cook Tomatoes’ episode.

My daughter hates tomatoes so am always on the look out for new ideas to try and tempt them into her diet – they’re a cheap, healthy ingredient and a great staple for lots of family meals. In this episode, Michael talks about how cooking tomatoes can reduce your blood fat levels, help you recover from exercise and even protect your skin from damage.

We hope that you enjoy the episodes we have chosen.  There are so many more great episodes covering nutrition, exercise and wellbeing.  Click here to find one that will help you to change ‘Just One Thing’

For the PDF version of our newsletter, click Project Food Newsletter July 2024