Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 15 hours ago
Why is the symbiotic nature of the gut microbiome crucial to our mental health? How are Diet, Inflammation and lifestyle interfering with modern societies wellbeing?
In this episode we learn everything we need about how food relates to our mood and state of mind. We’re going to lay out the fundamentals of how different food groups and qualities of food influence directly our mental and physical health; how the gut species depletion and inflammation are key consequences of the changes we’re seeing in western industrial diet, and we can counter that tendency with some simple tricks.
Alex Laird is a medical herbalist with more than 20 years' clinical experience. Trained in biomedicine and plant pharmacology, she treats patients in the only NHS herbal clinic based in a UK hospital at Whipps Cross, and she is a fellow and council member of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy (CPP). She worked with Breast Cancer Haven UK for 20 years, using nutritional therapies for cancer. Alex has undertaken clinical research, is a visiting lecturer, has published numerous research papers, and is the co-founder of the charity Living Medicine. She is also the author of the new book ‘Root to stem’, which talks about seasonal foods and remedies for strong health and immunity that can be found growing literally in the hedgerow around your house!
What we discuss:
00:00 Intro
05:00 An epiphany with nature
07:00 Nutritional Psychiatry and the Gut microbiome
08:40 Evolution with unrefined foods VS modern refined sugars
17:00 The need for minerals and phytonutrients
13:10 High protein/ lo-carb approaches
17:00 Acidification, Paleo and Ketogenic approaches
18:10 Variety is key, the research says
20:20 Phytotherapy research
21:20 Inflammation explained
26:30 Acidification and pH in the body
33:00 The gut microbiome and biofilms of diversity
38:40 Co-dependence on our environment
40:00 Reciprocity in nature and life: Feeding diversity
41.30 Candida Albicans dominates in the absence of diversity
44:00 Crucial gut and fecal microbes via vaginal birth
46:00 Contact with soil and pets (spores, fecal microbes)
46:30 Immune response load needed regularly to maintain health
48:30 The overuse of antibiotics in humans and animals
50:20 Gut disbiosis explained and solutions
55:50 Immunity evolved alongside bacteria and viruses and needs them
58:30 Supporting Innate and adaptive immunity
1:00:00 Germ theory 2.0? - healthy immune response load
1:04:00 The ‘Root to Stem’ philosophy - Diversity, reciprocity, interconnectivity
06:00 Our relationship to the seasons sustained by seasonal foods
06:55 Reconnecting to nature, ourselves and to community
01:09:10 Plant medicines we might not be aware of
01:10:25 Phytonutrients explained
01:13:00 Getting back to eating the skins and seeds: polyphenols
01:15:30 Dietary fibres and prebiotics
01:18:10 Fermented foods and probiotics
01:21:45 We’re designed to eat during the day: Cicadic rhythms
01:24:00 Connection to nature
01:27:15 Night soil
01:28:00 Sacred = in service to life
References:
Alex Laird’s association 'Living Medicine'
livingmedicine.org
Breast Cancer Haven
breastcancerhaven.org.uk
Graham Rook, Old Friends Hypothesis UCL
ucl.ac.uk/human-evolution/experts/experts-profile/rook-graham
Karin Moelling - ‘Viruses, more friends than foes’
amazon.com/Viruses-More-Friends-Than-Foes/dp/9813147822
Tim Spector british gut microbiome specialist
tim-spector.co.uk
The College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy thecpp.uk
The National Institute of Medical Herbalists nimh.org.uk
European Herbal & Traditional Medicine ehtpa.org
herbalalliance.uk
escop.com European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy
College of Medicine’s Selfcare Toolkit - how to manage common conditions safely selfcaretoolkit.net
Association of Foragers foragers-association.org
The Real Food Campaign realfoodcampaign.org.uk
Why is the symbiotic nature of the gut microbiome crucial to our mental health? How are Diet, Inflammation and lifestyle interfering with modern societies wellbeing?
In this episode we learn everything we need about how food relates to our mood and state of mind. We’re going to lay out the fundamentals of how different food groups and qualities of food influence directly our mental and physical health; how the gut species depletion and inflammation are key consequences of the changes we’re seeing in western industrial diet, and we can counter that tendency with some simple tricks.
Alex Laird is a medical herbalist with more than 20 years' clinical experience. Trained in biomedicine and plant pharmacology, she treats patients in the only NHS herbal clinic based in a UK hospital at Whipps Cross, and she is a fellow and council member of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy (CPP). She worked with Breast Cancer Haven UK for 20 years, using nutritional therapies for cancer. Alex has undertaken clinical research, is a visiting lecturer, has published numerous research papers, and is the co-founder of the charity Living Medicine. She is also the author of the new book ‘Root to stem’, which talks about seasonal foods and remedies for strong health and immunity that can be found growing literally in the hedgerow around your house!
What we discuss:
00:00 Intro
05:00 An epiphany with nature
07:00 Nutritional Psychiatry and the Gut microbiome
08:40 Evolution with unrefined foods VS modern refined sugars
17:00 The need for minerals and phytonutrients
13:10 High protein/ lo-carb approaches
17:00 Acidification, Paleo and Ketogenic approaches
18:10 Variety is key, the research says
20:20 Phytotherapy research
21:20 Inflammation explained
26:30 Acidification and pH in the body
33:00 The gut microbiome and biofilms of diversity
38:40 Co-dependence on our environment
40:00 Reciprocity in nature and life: Feeding diversity
41.30 Candida Albicans dominates in the absence of diversity
44:00 Crucial gut and fecal microbes via vaginal birth
46:00 Contact with soil and pets (spores, fecal microbes)
46:30 Immune response load needed regularly to maintain health
48:30 The overuse of antibiotics in humans and animals
50:20 Gut disbiosis explained and solutions
55:50 Immunity evolved alongside bacteria and viruses and needs them
58:30 Supporting Innate and adaptive immunity
1:00:00 Germ theory 2.0? - healthy immune response load
1:04:00 The ‘Root to Stem’ philosophy - Diversity, reciprocity, interconnectivity
06:00 Our relationship to the seasons sustained by seasonal foods
06:55 Reconnecting to nature, ourselves and to community
01:09:10 Plant medicines we might not be aware of
01:10:25 Phytonutrients explained
01:13:00 Getting back to eating the skins and seeds: polyphenols
01:15:30 Dietary fibres and prebiotics
01:18:10 Fermented foods and probiotics
01:21:45 We’re designed to eat during the day: Cicadic rhythms
01:24:00 Connection to nature
01:27:15 Night soil
01:28:00 Sacred = in service to life
References:
Alex Laird’s association 'Living Medicine'
livingmedicine.org
Breast Cancer Haven
breastcancerhaven.org.uk
Graham Rook, Old Friends Hypothesis UCL
ucl.ac.uk/human-evolution/experts/experts-profile/rook-graham
Karin Moelling - ‘Viruses, more friends than foes’
amazon.com/Viruses-More-Friends-Than-Foes/dp/9813147822
Tim Spector british gut microbiome specialist
tim-spector.co.uk
The College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy thecpp.uk
The National Institute of Medical Herbalists nimh.org.uk
European Herbal & Traditional Medicine ehtpa.org
herbalalliance.uk
escop.com European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy
College of Medicine’s Selfcare Toolkit - how to manage common conditions safely selfcaretoolkit.net
Association of Foragers foragers-association.org
The Real Food Campaign realfoodcampaign.org.uk
