5 Tips for a Healthy 2026, Anti-Cancer Jabs & Botox Risks

0:00Ugh. You said you were over him, but his hoodie is still in your rotation. It's time. Grab your phone, snap a few pics, and sell it on Depop. List it in minutes, with no selling fees. And just like that, a guy 500 miles away just paid full price for your closure. And right on cue. Hey, still got my hoodie? Nope. But I've got tonight's dinner paid for. Start selling on Depop, where taste recognizes taste. List now with no selling fees. Payment processing fees and boosting fees still apply. See website for details. Spring is here and the shopping list is long. Time to make a Lowe's run. Buy three bags, get three free of stay green one cubic foot garden soil.

0:40Plus, right now members can earn four times the points on an eligible purchase. Start spring off strong with these deals and more. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's. Valid through 325. While supplies last. Soil offer excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Loyalty program subject to terms and conditions. See Lowe's.com slash terms for details. Subject to change. Point boosters subject to exclusions and more terms apply. One time only offer. Welcome to the Wellness Scoop, our first episode of 2026. This is your weekly dose of health and wellness inspiration. And as always, we will be here all year as your hosts.

1:13I'm Ella Mills. And I'm Rhianna Lambert. We are so thrilled to be back. I cannot even tell you how excited we are. And after a decade in this wellness industry, we know this time of year can be so overwhelming and confusing. and that's why this podcast is here to cut through the noise and make healthier living simple fun and very personal exactly we're here to empower you and inspire you with your little habit changes nothing overwhelming and as re said you probably feel it in the energy oh my goodness me i am thrilled to be back this morning escaped my feral children who i love dearly but like over the last two weeks over Christmas we've had flu and strep at the same time I basically spent my whole Christmas watching Bluey on repeat I feel a desperate need to get out of the house and just put some real clothes on and it's just absolutely thrilled to have a bit of structure back in life oh bless you that's the worst the sickness bugs I think we forget as well sometimes that this time of year does yeah throw it all at us lots of different curveballs and mine has been major sleep deprivation.

2:20I feel like it's been two months since I had uninterrupted sleep and I don't really know what to do about it. So today is a refreshing, wonderful start to get us all motivated. And Ella, what do we have coming up in today's show? Okay, we're going to talk about the calm habits that could quietly transform your health in 2026. I think we all need a bit of that energy today to inspire us. The cancer vaccines giving scientists real hope for prevention. This is a very exciting update. Why meditation, Tai Chi and natural medicine are back in the medical spotlight. The nutrition rules worth keeping this year and the ones that we're going to leave behind and the Botox boom and the safety gaps.

3:01So what you actually need to know there. So a nice all round of everything.

3:09Rhi, how are you? We've got to talk about New Year's resolutions as we go into this year. how we feeling any goals aims big health milestones we do but first I just want to celebrate you a little bit Ella again because quick wins is out in the world officially you've had book events whilst I went on holiday I remember seeing so many people messaging I've received my copy and I absolutely love it and I just wanted to ask you how you feel about it first of all and any other big news because this time of year for us both is pretty huge yeah January is always busy in the world of health and wellness isn't it and we're almost exactly a year since we started the wellness scoop but we'll do a little birthday episode maybe I think it's in two weeks time but very proud of that no quick wins has been lovely the feedback's been amazing I think if anyone is needing that inspiration for just easy day-to-day meals and meal planning the book is out there in the world as Rhi said and it is all about healthy cooking for busy lives and it's definitely helping me at the moment I love that like rough structure of a meal plan And then our plants brand that merged with all plants last year, we have been working super hard on.

4:19I mean, I think it goes without saying that taking a startup and trying to scale it is so difficult. And, you know, I'm so proud of what we did at Delicious Yellow. And I guess in lots of ways, we're trying to repeat the same thing with all plants. And we've been working so hard. You know this, like I've been off to Tesco's HQ so many times saying, wish me luck, wish me luck, wish me luck. We've been talking to them for almost 18 months trying to get the listing. And we've got the listing as of today. Our All Plants Protein Veggie Burgers are now in Tesco's. They're also in Waitrose and Ocado and Sainsbury's.

4:55So this is a huge thing in terms of getting this brand to the next level. And we've also launched a new product. So we launched some veggie tempeh, which is made of legumes and veggies, as opposed to soy, which is super exciting. so that's now in market and also which my kids are obsessed with these tofu goujons they are delicious mine would love that ella my kids would love that that's what i need to try next yeah they are absolutely fantastic they're just great for those yeah those easy meals when you need something quick with sweet potato wedges some peas so yes all there for those busy week nights so yeah all plants veggie burgers into tesco and then brand new veggie tempeh and tofu Gougeon.

5:33So yeah, big start, new book, new products, podcast year olds. I feel like this is all the unspo I need for a good year. I'm just laughing to myself because it's just a light way to start the year, Ella. Just a few humongous milestones. We love to start with a bang. We do love to start with a bang. Oh, I'm delighted for you. It's incredible. And I do feel like we've just needed this podcast. I know that Ella and I have missed recording this so much over the Christmas break. And it is really lovely to stop and switch off, but it's reminded me, Ella, how much I love routine, actually. And I don't realise it when I'm in the routine, I feel like I need a break.

6:12But I'm quite happy with like a 24, 48 hour break of routine. Me too. I love work. We're lucky to say that, aren't we, I guess, that we love work. Rhi, have you got any New Year's resolutions? So, do you know what's interesting? I posted a little thing about resolutions on Instagram, because I've never really made them. And last year I made the resolution to get strong. And I think what really helped was just committing to one session a week rather than two or four or five, because one, I know there's lots of personal trainers listening that might say, oh, that's making no difference, but it has made a difference to me.

6:47And I do feel like it's something that I could stick at. So this year, my personal resolution is definitely just to be more present and take my own advice a little bit more because I feel like on the Wellness Coop, we discuss everything from fibre and plants. And I just want to really live and breathe everything I'm talking about much more. I love that. And I also love what you said about getting strong. And I think it's so relevant at this time of year where it's so easy. And I don't know how our listeners are feeling, but I think after a few weeks of, you know, the kind of odd time of year, it's lovely but it's lack of structure and routine etc i think lots of us are like i'm ready for a change i'm ready for something new i want to make a shift in my life and it's so easy to kind of go full pelt at that but the reality is life then becomes suddenly so busy and it's really difficult emotionally speaking kind of or from a time perspective to fit in those huge resolutions whereas if you set yourself this goal of over the next 365 days i would like to get stronger but I know I only got X amount of time, but I can continue with that.

7:57I think it's so amazing to see where you can get in a year. It's that idea of 1 % better every single day or 1 % closer to your goal every single day. It sounds like nothing, but when you do it consistently and it adds up, actually a year later, it's a fundamental shift. And I always just think we so overestimate what we're going to achieve in a week, in a month. And I think that's very true with kind of resolution moment and we underestimate what we can achieve in a year and I think if your goal is to get healthier this year I would really think where do I want to be 365 days from today and what are the little tweaks I can make consistently on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis that mean over 12 months over 52 weeks I will actually start to move closer as opposed to creating something that's just you're going to feel like you have no willpower because you just can't commit to it and you then feel like you're failing and what's the point which isn't helpful for our genuine long-term health goals.

8:54I completely agree you summed that up perfectly and I feel for a lot of our listeners it's best sometimes not to make resolutions but to just try and think of that 365 days later I just want to feel better and be healthier yeah and if it is a tiny goal talk about them as goals rather than resolutions that can be broken it's just a goal to achieve a bit more and I love goals yeah goal is is really impactful it's interesting because when everyone starts talking about manifestation I'd always done that my whole life anyway it was just creating a you know a mood board or visualizing where you want to be but I do really really think there's something in it and for me that one session a week I didn't make it all the time Ella as you know there was there was several times where I couldn't but it did make a difference I can now do press ups on a TRX and things that I just couldn't have even imagined.

9:46My goal is a pull up, but I just think I've got really long arms and I'm not built for it. I've got lever arms, I've got long arms, lanky on the top half and all my muscles like in my thighs. So I can do really good squats, but when it comes to a pull up, I'm not there yet. I absolutely love that. My goal is also to be more present this year. I'm actually, I think I might do some meditation, some breath work teacher training to add to my yoga teacher training and sort of slightly ease back into that facet of wellness because I think we all collectively struggle so much with stress and I know for me I just I can be somewhere and I can just not present I'm always worrying the smallest thing happens and I've like gone down this rabbit hole of spiral concern and I just need to be able to be like no this is where I am today and it's all good right now and I don't know what's the future holds.

10:36I'm just going to enjoy it right now. You know what I saw this morning that might be relevant to that point you just made as well, is I saw a clip for another podcast and they had a scientist on there that was saying in three generations time ahead, we sadly probably won't be remembered or a lot of us wouldn't be remembered. So we stress so much about the day to day today instead of actually enjoying it. And I thought that was a really helpful way to look at it. or let's just make the most of what we have now because there really is no stress to it but we can't help but perceive that stress it's very valid in the time when you're feeling it but it can be helpful to remember we're on this earth for a certain period of time it was very very deep this early in the morning to see but it's relevant but it's true okay so those are our goals you guys can keep us accountable being more present and more mindful if anyone else is working on anything in terms of their 2026 health goals and things that we can help with, please do let us know.

11:37I think that probably leads us in very nicely to the health headlines that matter, which if you're new to the show, welcome, welcome, welcome. This is the section we break down the biggest health stories that are making news. And on the agenda this week, we have such a fun one to kick it off. This was in the times between Christmas and New Year, and it was how to live well in 2026. And it was basically their trend predictions as to what we're going to be focusing on to live well this year. And often I think when we see these things, they're very focused on quite niche specific or kind of gadgets, tools, et cetera.

12:10But this one actually I thought was really nice because it was much more optimistic and genuinely kind of how you live on a day-to-day basis. And so their predictions for our big wellness shifts in 2026 are the first one was get a cultural workout. We talked about this a few episodes ago, but the new research that's showing that engaging with art, with music, with theater, with really kind of experiential cultural experiences is recognized now as a tool for mental and physical health, not just fun, can reduce your cortisol level, your stress hormone. So that helps reduce stress, supports your immune health.

12:46And it's genuinely comparable to other well-researched stress reducing activities. That makes me so happy. I cannot tell you. I immerse myself with so much musical theatre, as you know, and performances. That makes me feel great. I love it. So you don't just have to go and do like a normal workout. Get a cultural workout as one of our things this year. Fantastic. Let's really focus on that this year a bit more. Different things we can try. Ella's always really good with the book recs as well. So that must be included there in terms of different books and inspiration and imagination. I think it's really tapping into a part of our brain that we just don't get to use day to day with imagination and different emotional responses to music.

13:25It's fascinating. It is. And actually, two of the other ones that they had in here focused on more time offline. So one of them was moving dating offline and one of them was called choosing paper over pixels, exactly as you just said, Rui. And basically the prediction that with wellness, we're going to have this big focus on getting off our phones, off our screens, into real life. and really that growing recognition that constant digital interaction is draining our attention, it's draining our emotional energy. And so wellbeing in 2026 is going to be much more meeting people in real life, reading physical books, reading physical newspapers, having those firm boundaries with technology, not rejecting technology because it's a key part of our life, but actually having boundaries.

14:05So I think these are very nice goals. You mentioned dating, bringing dating offline. What do they mean? Not the apps. oh so how do people meet oh gosh do you know what this generation of dating it must be really really difficult because if you're working from home how often do you go out where do you meet people that I mean more cultural experiences Ella for dating exactly okay and then the other three predictions for 2026 health and wellness circadian rhythms are going to get you which this one was their prediction being the body clock becoming a big trend, which I think you know so much about, but I think it is quite interesting, the circadian rhythm.

14:48So your internal body clock, it's a big subject of research at the moment. And disruption to it is linked to poor sleep, but it's also linked to metabolic health issues and mood disorders, which I think is so relevant. So they're predicting that 2022 foot six, we're going to shift our focus towards working with our internal rhythms with consistent sleep and wake up times daylight exposure i see so much of that get daylight first thing in the morning regular meals and the thing that you also get at regular evening wind down routine so not about perfection but just kind of how good rhythm predictability is for our nervous system for our bodies for our sleep patterns and therefore for our health and our gut bugs so our gut microbiota or the the bacteria that live within our gut that help us create these amazing short chain fatty acids it trains our immune system it's linked to so much more than we ever thought before has its own circadian rhythm and yeah i've been writing about that a lot in the fiber formula because there's a huge disruption with our diets today and our circadian rhythms and they're all interlinked aren't they nicely in a little wheel of cogs they really are okay and two more to inspire your goals this year the first one they had which i'm really inspired by they had is the future is existential which is basically again it's coming back to technology.

16:05So as technology accelerates, I think so many more of us, I'm certainly in this bracket, questioning how do we want to live and not just about optimizing our lives, but this kind of desire for a bit more critical thinking, a bit more depth, a bit more knowledge. And that existential philosophy is offering that language for the tension lots of people feel between seeking meaning and living in this very fast moving, uncertain feeling world. And it was also saying that Gen Z are treating long, difficult reading as a form of mental self-care, which is quite interesting. It's so interesting. One of my dieticians, she's younger than I, she's trained in yoga and moved to Ibiza.

16:42And she just had a complete cultural life shift. And I'm seeing a lot of it, Ella. I'm seeing a lot of people just take control of their lives and want to follow their dreams, essentially. I guess this is almost like following your dreams. Yeah, I love it. This consistency, as I said, it's this move away from having New Year's resolutions that are like, I'm going to lose X amount of weight. I'm going to get up at four o 'clock in the morning. I'm going to exercise every day, which all just feel too much, not realistic. And instead this shift towards, let's spend more time offline. Let's connect with people more.

17:16Let's, you know, see going to an art gallery as wellness. Let's move away from our screens. Let's read more. Let's learn more, which is definitely something I want to do. What makes us happy? Be happy. Exactly. Anyway, and that was the final one is the new F word friction, which is basically the way that tech has come in and the way that we see people's lives online, it's all just so perfect, but sometimes it doesn't feel very meaningful. And so this idea of creating this more messy in a way life, but it's just healthier. It's more human as, you know, actually stop trying to remove all friction because it's not real life.

17:49It's this, again, it's this desire for perfection, which just doesn't exist. And anyway, I loved this reframing for 2026 wellness that's stop. It doesn't need to be gadgets. It doesn't need to be gizmos or powders or expensive of things. It can be art, it can be reading, it's time offline, it's connection, it's a messy human existence. I completely agree. And on that front, I've got five top tips that I would give as a nutritionist for 2026. Because like Ella's just said, I feel like this year feels less drastic. I was trying to think how to describe it when we were writing the brief the other night.

18:22It's really measured. And I feel we finally, I mean, not every corner of the internet has grasped onto this, of course. But I do feel like the majority of us or us wellness scoopers anyway, are very aware that it doesn't have to be extreme. I love that. Measured. Measured health for 2026. That's how I felt. It kind of slots nicely into what I would recommend. So I think the first realistic nutrition goal is just fiber. We have the fiber gap. We've discussed this so many times on the podcast. We're not hitting five a day. 96 % of us don't get enough fiber. We know that on average, that's probably around like 18 grams we're not hitting every day.

19:00And that is linked to every aspect of that wheel of cogs we discussed when we were just talking about the wellness trends, Ella, for this year. And it really does support our immune system, our gut health. So my fiber formula, the book's obviously coming in March, but I really think this year, I mean, I actually can't believe it, Ella. I was writing the fiber formula when I was writing the ultra processed food book, The Unprocessed Plate, because they're so intrinsically interlinked, the two subjects. And I didn't think it was going to become this big. No, and you're so right. And I think one thing with our measured, empowering, positive approach to health this year, I think there is so much demonization of ultra-processed food.

19:37And I think the one nugget I would take in to the year is, yes, we don't want to live of ultra-processed food, but don't be terrified of all of it. One of the fundamental issues of ultra-processed food isn't the food itself, although some of it can be challenging. It's the fact that we're not eating nutritious whole food and fiber as a result it's the gap reese talking about which is why you've got your 30 30 30 30 formula i mean my book is full of 30 formulas so what is it reese so it's 30 grams 30 plants yeah 30 grams 30 plants 30 chews so really aspire to have yeah i know as many chews a mouthful as possible and it goes all the way back to when i wrote my first book renourish i was talking a lot about mindful eating principles because it's really important to not eat, looking at screen technology for your gut to register what you're eating.

20:27If you just look at an apple, your mouth's very clever. It will create the enzymes that get ready to help break down the apple. Eating is not just a physiological process, it's visual. And I think with my 30 formula, this fiber formula, I've actually used it in clinic for years, but never had a name. I've never actually put a methodical plan or name to a book before. And now it just makes sense that if we remember that magic number 30 everything becomes a lot easier with the diversity of plants the chews there are obviously meals they can make in 30 minutes because i thought it fit quite nicely into a theme that's realistic for us all but like you said about ultra processed foods that's definitely my tip number two is just focus on adding more in again and just try and reduce those upfs as and when you can it's not that they're bad like ella said really nicely there.

21:14It's just that you need to be focusing on more whole foods. And then I'm going to say gut health is now no longer a trend, Ella. I feel like everybody knows it's a core pillar of health. And before people would have just said the pillars of health are exercise, diet, movement, right? And maybe sleep if you're lucky. But I feel like gut health has become a core pillar. And it makes so much sense to me as a nutritionist because everything starts there, how we absorb the nutrition we eat, how our immune system is trained, how our bowel habits are formed, our reduced risk of chronic diseases, heart disease, cancers, all sorts of things, the short chain fatty acid production.

21:55So the gut microbes, they don't like to eat all of the fiber, they can't digest it. So it kind of is like roughage that goes through. And then what they do like to take is little bits of the food that we eat, and they give off byproducts. Sometimes that's gas, obviously, as we know, when we get bloated, you have a lot of fiber. But other times there are these amazing components like butyrate, which influence our metabolic health, our mental health, our well-being. So I really think that food first is an approach for 2026. And then my next point is women, Ella. Finally, I feel like women's health is now at the forefront of research.

22:32And it's big because for us, we may not have a full body of research yet. But I do feel like wellness in 2026 isn't about extreme fasting anymore. And we're acknowledging that we can't be treating men like small women like small men. You know, every trend for the past 10 years hasn't differentiated between genders or, you know, whatever gender you choose to be. But for women particularly, our hormones are different. We have a lot more flooding our system. They fluctuate every single month. We're not as steady as the male body physiologically. and it makes so much sense that as a nutrition we look at nutrition in a female first way to help navigate 2026.

23:13I love that it's actually eating to support your body and your hormones and your blood sugar regulation your digestion your general well-being it's not about removing everything it's about really nourishing yourself and thinking about what you add in it's really positive nutrition. It's so positive finally we know that we deserve it as women we deserve to understand our cycle and what's going on, be it menopause, be it menstruation or wherever we're at in our lives. And then supplements, also so positive, knowing that they don't replace food. I feel like that message is slowly getting out there.

23:46I think so too. I think there's been a lot of headlines. There was one actually, we shouted out to my mum at the end of last year, Camilla sent me ready for this year. She's back. She's back, Camilla's back. But an oncologist who was on this morning and things like that. And he's been talking about the risk that he's seeing in terms of potentially actually the consistent over supplementation being kind of a concern when it comes to cancer, which is interesting. Anyway, I'll bring that headline to the show soon. But there is, I think, increased support out there for people saying, stop just buying supplements for the sake of buying supplements.

24:24Honestly, when I started my career, it was just like banging my head on a brick wall. People would come to clinic with a list that was so long of supplements. And it's really difficult to explain when you're on your own as a health professional, and there's not lots of people shouting about it in the media. And the marketing is against you saying these supplements are miracles, that they're not. And it's very difficult because we're vulnerable. We want quick fixes. So that's a very positive thing that supplements don't replace food. And then my final tip, which Ella is just going to love, is just beans, beans, more beans.

24:57And they're cheaper, They're full of protein, fiber, great for our gut health. And we know the UK has a target to double our intake by 2028. And we discuss this all the time, Ella and I, because we know that there's no magic miracle. But just by introducing some really basic, wholesome, I would almost use the word peasant food is how these items of food are described. They can really, really help our health. And they're delish. I love that, Rhi. Okay, so our top nutritionist top tips for healthy 2026 are 30 grams of fiber a day, 30 plants a week. In doing that, you're naturally going to reduce your UPFs because you're getting more nourishing whole food in.

25:35But be mindful of just trying to get that balance better. You're going to chew more as well. Chew more. Because if you've got more fiber, you chew a lot more. So you've got the fiber formula. Exactly. You've got to remember how important your gut health is and really look after it. And in that, get your beans in. So many delicious recipes out there. And I think that really important focus on look at what you're adding in, not what you're taking out. It's that positive nutrition, whole foods, look after yourself. This is a complete marathon. This is about your health span for decades to come. This isn't a sprint.

26:06This isn't about losing half a stone in January. This is how do I be well for the rest of my life? And remember, unfortunately, there are no shortcuts. Supplements can't reduce food. No matter how compelling a marketing claim is, it is not the same as cooking nourishing food. So I love that. I feel like we can all be inspired with these easy tips for a healthy year. And before we go on to headline number two or headline number three, I've lost track of where we're at. But Ella, could you give us five 2026 kitchen must have ingredients? You know, the ones that you always have in your cupboard, because Ella's always very modest to say it, but you are such a humongous inspiration to myself and so many people listening with your, I mean, you've written so many books with so many different recipes.

26:49Your kitchen must just be like the gold standard. I love cooking. I really do. Like I love taking a few simple ingredients and making something with it. But honestly, my must-haves are things that mean when you get home from a long day, you feel you can cook something that's delicious, that's simple, that's easy, that's nutritious in no time at all. And if you always feel you've got to do a full shop on your way home. I just think that's a huge barrier. So I would always have tins or jars of beans, chickpeas, lentils, tinned tomatoes, coconut milk. It just means you could do like a very easy curry, for example, or stew or soup with those as your base ingredients.

27:30And I think within that, you just want to have your basic spices. You don't need every herb and spice known to man, but I think you just want some mixed herbs and paprika, some cumin, some turmeric, some chili, even that will take you a long way you saute those with onion and garlic you add in a tin of chickpeas a tin of coconut milk some tinned tomatoes maybe a little bit of miso and whatever veggies you've got left over and you've got a delicious dinner so I think that makes the world of difference in that you want to have grains in the cupboard again they've got such a long shelf life so it just means you've always got that base your rice your quinoa pastas and then also the freezer frozen peas, frozen edamame, frozen berries.