An expert has urged people to eat more plants – and said he’ll be adding three to his own plate this year. Professor Tim Spector says to boost the nutritional value of your food you need to make the most of the diversity of plants you eat.
Amongst the three foods Spector has prophesied there will be an “explosion” of this year is the humble mushroom. Spector expects the fungi to soar in popularity and emerge as a must-have health food.
Speaking on the Zoe podcast Spector said mushrooms are an “incredible food and have all kinds of links with helping people fight cancer.” Spector, who says your gut microbiome is “the centre of the universe” also added Kimchi to his list of top foods for 2025.
Kimchi is a well known Korean dish of spicy fermented cabbage which Tim Spector will be adding to his diet
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He said Indian and Chinese doctors have known about the importance of gut health for “thousands of years” but “we’re just discovering it”. Kimchi, which is a Korean sauerkraut, is a known probiotic which improves gut health and the maintenance of the digestive system. Spector said Kimchi can be mixed in with “all your foods” and is a “fantastic fermented food.”
Lastly, he will be adding Rye bread to his weekly meals. Spector said it is “probably the healthiest bread you can have and suits me and my particular blood sugar profile.” Rye bread is easy to keep in your cupboard or freezer and can be easily folded into your diet as a breakfast food.
Appearing alongside Spector on the podcast was Professor Sarah Berry, who said her first must-have is nuts. She said: “They are a powerhouse of nutrition. They’re packed full of heart-healthy oils, loads of fibre, loads of polyphenols. They keep us full for long, they reduce our risk of so many different diseases. They’re a great snack.”
Sarah Berry says nuts are one of her go-to foods
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Her next must-have is virgin olive oil. She added: “I know this is one of Tim’s favourites as well. It’s packed full of heart-healthy oils. It’s packed full of polyphenols.”
Berry’s final must-have may be a welcome treat to those wanting to make a healthy change. She added: “The third thing is a little bit of what you enjoy. And so that’s up to the audience. And it’s about the fact that there are so many healthy foods that can still be really, really pleasurable for us. So dark chocolate is a great example. If it’s a good quality dark chocolate, it can actually be quite healthy for us and yummy.”