The blueprint for your life starts much earlier than you realise - long before you took your first breath, before your heart beat its first beat, before your mum and dad even met. 

This is the story of the first 1,000 days of life. From conception to age 2, a window so powerful that scientists now believe it influences our future risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and even how our immune system reacts to the world.

In this episode, the world’s leading expert on how childhood nutrition and metabolism shape our long-term health, Professor Lucilla Poston, explains how early nutrition may influence appetite, metabolism, and future disease risk. 

Lucilla and ZOE’s Head Nutritionist, Dr Federica Amati, break down what science says about pregnancy, early feeding and the food children eat, and questions how lifelong health is shaped before a child even chooses their first meal.

Lucilla offers practical guidance on what matters most and explains key nutrients to consider. They discuss why regular movement may help support healthy blood sugar levels. They also explain what a balanced diet can look like for parents and young children, why babies should try a wide range of whole foods, and why many packaged baby foods may contain far more sugar than parents expect.

What small choices can you make today to help shape a healthier future for you, your children, and your children’s children?

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Timecodes

00:00 Intro

03:47 Why the first 1,000 days can shape your entire life

08:12 What happens in the womb doesn’t stay in the womb

11:16 The tiny window where everything can go wrong

13:35 Why obesity in pregnancy is now a silent epidemic

15:17 Can a father’s health affect a baby before it even exists?

17:50 The missing nutrient most women don’t realise they need

20:35 The simplest way to improve your chances of conceiving

22:31 Should pregnant women worry about getting it wrong?

24:25 The biggest lies about pregnancy you’ve probably heard

26:47 Why pregnancy nutrition isn’t about being perfect

28:13 Why some children are at higher risk before they’re born

30:05 Can a mother’s diet rewire a baby’s brain for life?

31:47 The hormone that could make you crave junk food forever

35:11 When a normal pregnancy change becomes dangerous

39:04 Why pregnancy diabetes doesn’t end after birth

40:07 The one habit that lowers blood sugar during pregnancy

42:11 What pregnant women should actually be eating

45:37 The truth about ‘6 eggs a day’ and other diet myths

47:11 Why breast milk is more powerful than we ever realised

50:14 What babies should eat (and what to avoid)

52:13 The truth about baby food pouches parents aren’t told

55:20 The shocking reality of childhood obesity today

60:19 Is it too late to undo what happened before birth?

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food (preorder) by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

Paternal body mass index and offspring obesity, Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism (2023)

Lifestyle intervention in obese pregnancy, Nature (2022)

Exercise during pregnancy, BMJ (2026)

The long-term impact of obesity in pregnancy on offspring hypothalamic feeding pathways, Royal Society Open Science (2025)

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.