183: The Relaxback UK Show with Mike Dilke - Episode 183
183: The Relaxback UK Show with Mike Dilke - Episode 183

UK Health Radio Podcast

Emma White discusses how busy women often push their own nutrition to the bottom of the list and suggests practical ways to regain balance. Dentist Sheena Tanner explains why brushing before breakfast matters and shares straightforward tips for protecting teeth day to day.

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35:59•22 Sept 2026

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Putting Yourself Back on the List: Food, Teeth and Busy Lives with Emma White and Sheena Tanner

Episode Overview

Many women aged 35–50 regularly prioritise their family's meals over their own and often feel guilty investing in their own health.
Occasional skipped meals or convenience foods are fine, but daily habits that ignore balanced nutrition can affect energy and wellbeing.
Simple strategies like planning weekly meals and batch cooking help "look after future you" and reduce last-minute poor food choices.
Brushing teeth before breakfast, and not immediately after eating, protects enamel weakened by overnight plaque and food-related acids.
Consistent routines using fluoride toothpaste, floss or interdental brushes, and careful mouthwash use can significantly improve oral health.

“"101% brush before breakfast."”

What drives someone to seek a life where their own health matters as much as everyone else's? This instalment of The Relaxback UK Show zooms in on two everyday issues that quietly shape long-term wellbeing: rushed nutrition and rushed tooth care. First up, nutritionist Emma White talks about how many women aged 35–50 are "increasingly sort of deprioritising their own health needs" while juggling work, children and even ageing parents.

Her research found just over half regularly prioritise their family's meals over their own, and a quarter feel guilty spending time or money on their own health. Emma shares practical, no-nonsense tips: planning meals in advance, batch cooking "to look after future you", and using simple tools like food tracking to spot habits such as daily biscuit raids or forgotten fruit and veg.

Her message is clear: skipping a meal or eating kids' leftovers isn't a disaster once in a while, but when it becomes a pattern, energy, nutrition and mood can all suffer. Then dentist Sheena Tanner answers the surprisingly controversial question: should you brush your teeth before or after breakfast?

Her verdict is emphatic: "101% brush before breakfast." She explains how saliva drops at night, letting plaque build up, and why coating teeth with fluoride before that morning bowl of cereal helps protect them from acid attacks. Sheena also tackles mouthwash mishaps, tongue cleaning ("you'd be amazed" how much bacteria it holds), flossing order, and why brushing straight after food can erode softened enamel.

This episode mixes relatable parenting and workload pressures with clear, evidence-focused guidance on food and oral care. If you're constantly "at the bottom of the pecking order" or wondering why your teeth struggle despite good habits, this one might prompt you to rethink your daily routine. Could a bit of planning and a pre-breakfast brush be what future you has been waiting for?

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