Health podcasts are definitely having a moment and have been for a while now. Ever since the first season of Serial captivated us in 2014, we’ve been listening to entertaining and/or educational podcasts whether we’re doing the dishes or commuting to work on the subway. What did we ever do to pass the time before we discovered podcasts? We don’t even want to know. The thought is way too scary.
Now that it’s fall (even though in some parts, it’s still super hot), it’s time to get serious about our goals — especially as the new year draws even closer. Whether we want to eat more green vegetables or get more sleep or just learn more about health — podcasts are a great way to do that… and here are 17 that will get you inspired.
1. Balanced Bites
Nutritionists Diane Sanfilippo and Liz Wolfe have been hosting this hilarious banter-laden podcast since 2011. They answer listener questions on health topics ranging from what carbs to eat and balancing blood sugar to making the leap to getting healthier. It’s totally like hanging out with two of your BFFs. You’ll also love the many pop culture references: while Diane and Liz make a few that confuse the other (which is part of the fun), they agree on the most important movies, like Mean Girls and Clueless. And they quote them often.
You can find this one on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify.
2. The Paleo View
Another Paleo podcast, hosts Stacey Toth and Sarah Ballantyne will have you laughing as well. While they talk raising kids in a healthy way, don’t worry, you don’t have to be a mom to like this one. Sarah is a trained scientist who talks about technical topics in a super interesting, accessible way, and she and Stacey are honest about their own health journeys.
Some sample episode titles: “Can’t Stand The Smell Of Burning Flesh!” (about being vegetarian and cooking meat) and “When Do I Start When Life Won’t Stop?!” (about staying healthy when life is crazy busy).
Check it out on iTunes or Stitcher.
3. The Jillian Michaels Show
Fans of Jillian Michaels love her harsh, bold commentary, and that’s what she brings to this podcast, which is available on both iTunes and Sticher. With Jillian, what we see is what we get, or in this case, what we hear. The episodes are each just under one hour and feature Jillian’s no B.S. approach to health and fitness.
Just check out these episode titles: “Cut the excess” and “Bust the roadblocks” and “If you did it, own it.” It’s like we’re listening to that one friend who always tells us exactly what we don’t want to hear… but know that we need to hear.
4. One Part Podcast
Jessica Murnane’s story is super inspiring and her podcast is, too. She healed the worst symptoms of her endometriosis by adopting a plant-based diet. These days, she shares her own experiences and helps others through her cookbook and brand, One Part Plant, and her podcast. She interviews super cool people including wellness and food bloggers but she has also featured a medium, a jewelry designer, an actor, and a musician.
She has “micro podcasts” called “The Things That Freaked My Week” that are between 20 and 30 minutes long and focus on what food and pop culture things the guests are obsessed with that week — perfect for a walk around the neighborhood. This is one to download on our phones from iTunes and binge listen for sure.
5. Colorful Eats
Nutritionists Caroline Potter (and the owner of the most gorgeous Instagram account ever @caroline___potter) and Justine Campbell have been chatting about how to live a healthy, happy life since summer 2016. Their lovely podcast is basically straight-up girl talk.
They talk about how slowing down is better than hustling like crazy, what protein powders to buy, and the problem with cheat days. There have been about 50 episodes on iTunes so far, so there’s definitely enough to listen to and get inspired by. Just in time for a new season.
6. The Lively Show with Jess Lively
Jess Lively hosts this incredibly popular podcast, available on Stitchers and iTunes, and the topics are seriously wide-ranging. She has talked about everything from green smoothies to friendship, and she really wants to motivate listeners to live a more inspired life. Think Eat Pray Love-type stuff. The podcast tagline is “add a little extra intention to your every day.” She helps others live the way that they truly want to via her podcast and some digital courses that she has also created. That’s literally her job. How cool is that?!
7. Let It Out With Katie Dalebout
This girl’s podcast and brand both used to be called The Wellness Wonderland, which gives us a glimpse at how whimsical and lovely she is. Katie Dalebout interviews high-profile wellness figures like the super spiritual, Gabby Bernstein and yogi Tara Stiles.
Like the others on this list, the podcast can be found on iTunes and Stitcher, but some episodes can also be listened to on her website or YouTube. This is not a place for superficial chit-chat or pretending that things are 100 percent perfect all the time, and that’s what makes it such an amazing podcast. We’re totally going to turn to this pod when we need some motivation to follow our dreams and to stop listening to the voice within telling us that we can’t.
8. Chasing Joy
Georgie Morley is the twentysomething girl behind In It 4 The Long Run, a wellness blog, and her podcast is her space to interview women about the subjects that matter the most to us. She shares her recent decision to follow her gut more often, how to be a grown-up, and how to practice mindfulness around food. It’s like hearing your best friend tell us the things that we really care about and want to know more about. It’s so great when someone tells it like it is, and that’s totally Georgie.
Her IG account is pretty awesome, as well. Find this one on Stitchers or iTunes.
9. That’s So Maven
It seems like it’s a real trend for food bloggers to branch out into the podcast world. While that’s true, Davida Kugelman from The Healthy Maven definitely deserves some props for her amazing podcast. She interviews women from the health and wellness world on subjects like how to be healthy based on your zodiac sign, how to find out the weight that your body wants to be at, and how to follow your dreams. Yup, it’s exactly as inspiring as it sounds, and you’ll be listening to this one 24/7 as soon as you begin.
Also, let’s be real: it’s an awesome name.
The best place to find this one is definitely iTunes.
10. Soul On Fire
Did you hear about the vegan blogger who (gasp!) started eating meat again and everyone freaked out? That’s Jordan Younger, now of the blog and brand The Balanced Blonde. These days, Jordan is a super happy and motivating figure. She’s a yogi who wants to live a life that sets her soul on fire, as the podcast name suggests, and she wants to talk about it.
This one’s for all the spiritual women out there since Jordan gets pretty deep in that realm. She has interviewed people who practice Reiki and use crystals, but she chats about healthy eating as well.
Find this one on iTunes and get inspired ASAP.
11. Fed and Fit
Food blogger, cookbook author and nutritionist Cassy Joy is exactly what her last name suggests: seriously in a good mood. Like all the time. Her happy approach to health and food will cheer us up on our morning commutes or during stressful days. She talks to health figures and even listeners of the podcast about food, fitness, and approaching health topics from a calm perspective. She doesn’t get preachy or annoying. She understands that everyone eats differently and has different food intolerances and wants people to still live their lives.
iTunes is the place to find this smart, sassy podcast.
12. Yoga Crush
Calling all yogis: this podcast is for fans of the calm AF practice. Host Suzanne Moscovitch interviews yoga teachers on different topics like career advice and healthy living advice. This is the place to go if we’ve ever wondered things like how a yoga teacher teaches students of various levels. This podcast, which can be downloaded from iTunes, will be interesting to non-yogis, though, since the interviews focus on how to be successful when starting a business, how to get clients/students, and how to get rid of feeling like an imposter once and for all. We can all relate to that, right?
13. Happier
Gretchen Rubin is basically The Queen Of Happiness. After her bestselling memoir “The Happiness Podcast” put her on the map, she became known for talking about the habits and personality traits that make us act the way that we do. She and her TV writer sister, Elizabeth Craft, host this awesome podcast. They’re super relatable, funny and smart — talking about healthy and happy living.
Some stand-out moments: when Liz shared that she couldn’t help but inhale a bag of potato chips in her car once (like we all have) and when Gretchen cleaned out her messy sister’s closet. Check this out on Spotify or iTunes.
14. The Nourished Podcast
A popular podcast format is two nutritionists answering questions from listeners, and this one doesn’t disappoint or seem stale at all. Meg Doll and Shawn Mynar are real life friends and their podcast is total girly indulgence with a healthy twist.
These days, they’re both following a high-fat, low-carb diet, so they talk about the keto diet often, but *literally* no subject is off limits. They chat periods, hormones, sleep, and food allergies — and that’s just a handful of episodes.
Downloading even just one episode from iTunes will make you feel healthier almost instantly.
15. Blissful Bites
Host Nicole Culver wears many hats: she’s a blogger who helps other bloggers make money and be successful, she’s the founder of a Paleo food company called Blissful Bites, and she hosts this podcast. She interviews women on their health and wellness careers and finds out how they got to where they are.
We could all use more advice on work/life balance and how to get the career that we’re dreaming of without sacrificing everything else. And that’s exactly what we get if we listen to even just one of these interviews.
There are countless episodes on iTunes so it’s enough to keep us happily busy for a while.
16. Healthy At Any Size
It may be 2017, but we still feel like all the images that we see tell us that we have to be a size zero in order to be pretty. Ugh. We’re so not into that. Thankfully, we have a podcast like this one to help us get more body positive.
Melinda Parrish hosts this one and she’s the perfect person to inspire. She not only started the social media movement #healthyatanysize but is also a figure in the so-called “plus-size” modeling industry.
One episode is called “You Don’t Have to Lose Weight to Have a Body and a Life You Love!” and we’re definitely on board with that it. Check it out in iTunes.
17. The Ultimate Health Wellness Podcast
This podcast is hosted by nutritionist Marni Wasserman and Dr. Jesse Chappus and as the name suggests, they really run the gamut of health and nutrition topics. While they talk about familiar subjects like eating fat and thyroid health, they also interview experts about more in-depth topics like which probiotic is the best one to take and why chewing food properly is super important for health. iTunes is the best place to find this one-stop shop kind of health podcast that will give us some real ~food for thought~.
In the busy and always moving world of health, there is always more to learn, and this podcast will help us on that journey.