It’s no secret that looking after your gut is important – a happy gut can make a big difference to your overall health and wellbeing. And we’re pleased to say conversations about gut health are becoming increasingly common in 2023, including the knock-on effects our gut can have on our mind, skin and body. 

But with so much information out there, it can be tricky to tell fact from fiction. What will truly make a difference to your wellbeing?

In The Gut Life – a new Stylist podcast in partnership with Yakult – Strong Women’s senior writer Lauren Geall sets out to find some answers, including the best gut-friendly foods that will feed your microbiome, the complexities of the gut-brain axis and how we can all learn to trust our gut. 

Each episode will see Lauren sit down with experts from the worlds of skin, sleep, breathwork and beyond to help you feel more empowered on your gut health journey.

You can find the first episode below, and make sure to check in next week for the next instalment.

In episode one, Stylist’s Lauren Geall is joined by Charan Bijlani – a registered associate nutritionist and PhD student who specialises in public health.

To kick off the series, they will be going back to basics, exploring the key components of a gut-friendly diet and how to make time for cooking during a busy schedule.

In this week’s episode, Stylist’s Lauren Geall is chatting with Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a specialist dietitian who is well-versed in creating delicious, gut-friendly dishes for her thousands of followers on social media.

Together, they’ll be talking about what really makes a happy gut, debunking the gut health myths running rampant on social media and discussing if how and when you eat – including how long it takes to finish a meal – can influence your digestion.

In The Gut Life’s third episode, Stylist’s Lauren Geall is joined by Emma Estrela, a certified breathwork coach and level three Wim Hof practitioner who has led retreats across the world since becoming an instructor in 2017.

They will be diving into the link between stress and gut health, and discussing how breathwork can help us all to live a calmer, more gut-friendly life. And you’ll get the opportunity to follow along with a guided breathwork session, too.

In this week’s episode, Stylist’s Lauren Geall sits down with Isabella Weatherby, entrepreneur, Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree and founder of the iconic fashion brand Peachy Den.

In a live recording from The Gut Life Weekend, the pair will be chatting about Isabella’s journey from fashion fan to successful business owner, and how she’s learned to trust her gut along the way.

In this week’s episode, Stylist’s Lauren Geall chats to Kathryn Pinkham, a sleep expert and founder of The Insomnia Clinic.

In a live recording from The Gut Life Weekend, Lauren chats with Kathryn about the factors that play into a good night’s sleep when the Sunday scaries strike, as well as the practical steps to take if lack of sleep becomes an obstacle for you or a loved one.

In this week’s episode, Stylist’s Lauren Geall is joined by Dr Beibei Du-Harpur, a dermatologist, scientist and skin expert.

In a live recording from The Gut Life Weekend, the pair will be discussing what it really means to have ‘healthy skin’ and how our overall health – including what’s going on in our gut – can have a knock-on effect on how our skin looks and feels. They will also be taking a closer look at the skincare ‘myths’ that get thrown about online and debunking some of the harmful trends floating around on social media.

Images: George Ellison/Anna Brooks