In a Nutshell: The Plant-Based Health Professionals UK Podcast

High blood pressure is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke. On this episode of In A Nutshell, we’re joined by Dr Emma Copsey, Consultant Cardiologist, to discuss what role nutrition and other non-pharmacological lifestyle approaches can play in preventing and managing hypertension.
We discuss what causes high blood pressure and how factors including diet, physical activity, weight, sleep and stress can influence risk.
Whether you’re a healthcare professional or simply interested in cardiovascular prevention and lifestyle medicine, this episode explores ways to broaden our approach to preventing and managing blood pressure for better health outcomes.
Blood pressure monitors discussed:https://bihs.org.uk/blood_pressure_technology/find_a_professional_bp_monitor.aspxStudies discussed:https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1511939https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01028-6/abstracthttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40592949/https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2026/05/04/bmjnph-2025-001449
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/nut-consumption-and-the-risk-of-hypertension-a-systematic-review-and-dose-response-metaanalysis-of-prospective-studies/F598AFD9FD35B00A41A428C9D65F2C14
Previous nugget episode on whole grains:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-grains-no-gains-the-whole-story-on-cutting/id1694154034?i=1000728175430
PBHP Resources:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Hypertension-FS-240703.pdfhttps://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/plant-based-diets-for-the-prevention-and-treatment-of-cardiovascular-diseaseshttps://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/plant-power-soy-and-legumes-connected-to-lower-hypertension-risk
To buy tickets for NLMC Live:https://nlmc.org.uk/nlmc-2026/nlmc26-live/
Marry me chickpeas!https://www.noracooks.com/marry-me-chickpeas/

In this week's nugget two of our PBHP members, LJ Smith and Amy Roach, reflect on the highs and lows of trekking up Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp, and importantly, on how to optimise your enjoyment with plant-based fuelling.
If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below: 
⁠⁠https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership⁠⁠ You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health;  with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

In this episode, we’re joined by Emily Angus R.D. to explore the science behind bone health and plant-based diets. Emily has a background in NHS clinical and renal dietetics and joined The Vegan Society in 2024, where she focuses on providing evidence-based nutrition information about plant based diets.
We discuss the nutrients that matter for maintaining healthy bones, as well as the important role of physical activity among other lifestyle factors.
We also tackle one of the biggest questions surrounding dietary patterns and bone health: could eating a vegan diet alter your fracture risk? We discuss the findings from the EPIC-Oxford study, why they attracted attention, and why interpreting the evidence requires a degree of nuance.
Finally, Emily shares some practical advice on what a bone-friendly plant-based diet actually looks like, and what she likes to eat for lunch!
So have a listen today - we are available on all the usual podcast platforms, and don't forget to share the episode with a friend.
Resources :
https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/plant-based-diets-and-bone-health
https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/is-dairy-necessary-for-good-health
https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/getting-calcium-on-a-plant-based-diet-everything-you-need-to-know
https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/a-guide-to-plant-based-milks-alternative-milks
https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/bone-health
https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/nutrients/calcium
To get NLMC tickets:
https://nlmc.org.uk/

If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below:https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membershipYou don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health;  with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.

In this week's nugget, Daisy and Clare highlight that it is possible to eat a low carb diet as a plant-based eater. That is, should you want to.
If you'd like to support our work and be part of a growing community of like-minded people working towards creating a healthier and more sustainable future please join the Plant-Based Health Professionals UK following the link below: 
⁠https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/membership⁠ You don't have to be a health care professional to join, but by doing so you’re not only supporting our work, you'll be improving your own health;  with membership starting from as little as £15 a year, join us now and be part of the change you want to see.
References:
Jenkins DJ, Wong JM, Kendall CW, Esfahani A, Ng VW, Leong TC, Faulkner DA, Vidgen E, Greaves KA, Paul G, Singer W. The effect of a plant-based low-carbohydrate ("Eco-Atkins") diet on body weight and blood lipid concentrations in hyperlipidemic subjects. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Jun 8;169(11):1046-54. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.115. Erratum in: Arch Intern Med. 2009 Sep 14;169(16):1490. PMID: 19506174.https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/low-carb-plant-based-diet-what-to-eat

In A Nutshell is back! We are delighted to bring you season seven of the podcast, starting with a truly inspiring guest, Drew Harrisberg, an exercise physiologist, sports scientist and diabetes educator who has lived with type one diabetes since the age of twenty-one.
So who better to help us make sense of the science behind carbohydrates, and their place in a healthy diet?
For people living with type one diabetes, carbohydrates can sometimes feel like the enemy. And with the explosion of low-carb and ketogenic diets, glucose monitoring and social-media advice around 'controlling' blood sugar, it's easy to come away with the impression that the fewer carbohydrates you eat, the healthier you are. But is that really the case?
Drew has taken a fascinating personal journey through different approaches to nutrition, including paleo, keto and ultimately a whole-food, plant-based diet. He shares what he learned from each approach, how his diet affected his blood glucose and insulin requirements, and why he ultimately moved away from keto towards plant-based eating.
But this conversation isn't simply about diabetes - it's about our relationship with carbohydrates more broadly. We explore why carbohydrates aren't inherently unhealthy, why a rise in blood glucose after eating isn't necessarily something to fear, and whether the current obsession with flattening glucose curves is distracting us from the bigger picture of dietary quality.

To find out more about Drew:https://drewsdailydose.com/To get your tickets for The Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine Conference:https://nlmc.org.uk/To sign up to the online plant-based nutrition course and the cancer course from The University of Winchester:https://www.winchester.ac.uk/study/short-courses/courses/Plant-based-Nutrition/https://www.winchester.ac.uk/study/Short-courses/Courses/Lifestyle-medicine-for-cancer-prevention-and-survivorship/Further reading:
https://plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com/low-carb-plant-based-diet-what-to-eat\