It’s a new year and chances are you may be taking steps to improve your health and wellness. You may be on the hunt for reliable information and inspiration to help keep you motivated in the months to come, no matter how big or small your goal or intention may be for 2025.

With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of seven podcasts to add into your audio rotation, covering healthy living, Indigenous health, nutrition, and brain and mental health.

Keep in mind that a podcast does not replace having a conversation with your family doctor or other primary health-care provider about your medical situation. Always consult them before making a big change or starting something new with your health. They know you best and can help steer you in the right direction.

The Healthcare Divide
Hosted by Dr. Alika Lafontaine, the first Indigenous physician to have led the Canadian Medical Association, The Healthcare Divide uncovers “uncomfortable truths, troubling realties and innovative efforts to overcome systemic racism in Canada’s health-care system.” Racial inequities in Canada have created a deeply divided “system of the haves and have-nots,” says Dr. Lafontaine. In a recent episode, he interviews Indigenous doctors working on the front lines to make Canada’s health-care system better for Indigenous patients. Dr. LaFontaine says the future of Western and traditional medicine lies in “an acknowledgement and mitigation of harm, with a recognition that we can build up something better together.”

On Drugs
On Drugs explores how drugs have shaped our lives, digging into the history and significance of everything from caffeine and ibuprofen to recreational drugs, using “the lens of history, pop culture and personal experience.” In the latest season, host Geoff Turner explores his own relationship with alcohol and chats with experts about what’s behind the increase in people embracing a sober or sober-curious lifestyle, and how there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to changing the role alcohol plays in your life.

Maintenance Phase
Maintenance Phase prides itself in “debunking the junk science beyond health fads, wellness scams and nonsensical nutrition advice.” The podcast explores controversial topics in a thoughtful, funny and accessible way. Co-hosts Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes unpack the latest trends in wellness and diet culture, including the legacy of fitness guru Richard Simmons, using the drug Ozempic for weight loss, and much more.

The Dose
Should you worry about fluorinated water? What’s the best exercise to keep depression at bay in the winter? What do you need to know about norovirus? This weekly CBC podcast delivers evidence-based advice on a range of timely health topics, presenting the information in a zippy, easy-to-understand format.

Defy Dementia
The podcast for “anyone with a brain,” Defy Dementia offers tips and advice on how to cut your risk of dementia and safeguard brain health as you age. In a recent episode, learn how to keep your brain healthy if you experience a traumatic brain injury like a concussion, with insights from people with lived experience, like Jane Enright, who took a blow to the head watching a volleyball game and later experienced significant difficulties with her speech and memory.

Senior Fitness with Meredith
Host Meredith Chen covers a range of topics relating to fitness, mental health and overall well-being to help older people stay fit, healthy and on-the-go. Recent podcasts cover how to get back to fitness after an extended break or illness, and how having good grip strength is a key sign of health that can help you prevent injury from falls.

Nutrition Conversations
Created by the Canadian Nutrition Society, Nutrition Conversations shares the latest research on health and nutrition, and the role food plays in our lives. Guest experts from Canada discuss a range of topics, including dietary patterns, sports nutrition, food insecurity and food sustainability. In a recent episode, hear from JoAnne Arcand, a nutritionist whose research has found that consuming too much sodium doesn’t just harm your heart but can also put you at risk for osteoporosis, diabetes and stomach cancer.

Want more information on healthy living and health-care delivery sent directly to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter to get all of our content first!