This week on the Nutshell , Daisy and Clare discuss whether paying more for organic produce pays off in terms of health benefits. There are lots of things to think about from pesticide burden to the nutrient values in the foods themselves. But with ever rising food bills, should you prioritise organic, or can we afford not to?

Smith-Spangler C, Bravata DM, Hunter-Goren A, et al.

“Are organic foods safer or healthier than conventional alternatives? A systematic review.”

Annals of Internal Medicine, 2012; 157(5):348–366.

DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-157-5-201209040-00007

Baranski M, Średnicka-Tober D, Volakakis N, et al.Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses.British Journal of Nutrition. 2014;111(5):794–811.doi: 10.1017/S000711451300284X

Baudry, J., Assmann, K. E., Touvier, M., Allès, B., Seconda, L., Latino-Martel, P., Hercberg, S. (2018). Association of frequency of organic food consumption with cancer risk: Findings from the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort study.mJAMA Internal Medicine, 178(12), 1597–1606.

https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4357

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

https://www.pan-europe.info/

https://www.pan-uk.org/

https://hodmedods.co.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.

From fears around hormone disruption, thyroid health, breast cancer, fertility, and even feminising effects in men, soy has been surrounded by controversy for many years.

Yet at the same time, populations consuming soy regularly tend to have lower rates of chronic disease and longer life expectancy. So what does the totality of the scientific evidence actually say?

To answer that question we’re joined by Dr Mark Messina, one of the world’s leading researchers on soya foods and health.

Dr Messina is Director of Nutrition Science and Research at the Soy Nutrition Institute (SNI) Global. He has dedicated his career to studying the health effects of soya foods and has published over 125 articles and book chapters over his three decades of work in the field.

In this deep dive we will distinguish the scientific evidence from pervasive online misconceptions and examine what the current research indicates about soya's effects on cardiovascular health, cancer risk, endocrine function, and well being.

To contact Dr Messina:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-messina-985ba642/

To read more about Dr Messina's research papers:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Messina-Mark-2

And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today.

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.

Discover evidence-based approaches to transform hospital meals in our upcoming Global Healthy Hospital Network webinar.

Join us on 4 March 2026, 16:00 GMT to explore practical strategies to make hospital meals healthier for patients and staff while reducing environmental impact.

This session is designed for healthcare professionals seeking actionable, evidence-based ways to transform hospital food environments.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/-rnYGLwqQ9-ZQPh-P1cfPw

The Global Healthy Hospital Food Network is a collaborative initiative led by PAN International, Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, ProVeg International, and Greener by Default.

In this week's nugget, Plant-Based Health Professionals' founder, Dr Shireen Kassam takes us through two recently published papers exploring what oncologists may and may not know about diet and cancer, the reasons for this, and what they tell their patients.

Kassam S, Kassam Z, Nemirovsky D, et al. Oncologists Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Providing Dietary Guidance to Patients With Cancer. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2026;0(0). doi:10.1177/15598276251414349

Patel A, Kassam S, Shah UA. Food for Thought: Addressing a Research Gap for Dietary Trials in Hematologic Malignancies. Blood Cancer Discov. 2025 Sep 3;6(5):406-411. doi: 10.1158/2643-3230.BCD-25-0141. PMID: 40778663; PMCID: PMC12405862.

And please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast, and share this episode with one other person today.

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.