Health expert Tim Spector has shared seven scientifically-backed food tips that could “dramatically add years to your life and your health span.” The founder of Zoe Health, highlighted the foods that are “slowly killing us” on the Zoe podcast.
He was joined by nutrition researcher Sarah Berry who stated: “There’s some great research showing that if you go from the kind of diet that many of us currently eat …that if we change from that diet, even at the age of 40, will add 10 extra years to our life.”
He warned about the dangers of widespread ultra-processed foods, saying: “Just by making the right food choices, you can dramatically add years to your life and your health span. We’re surrounded by an environment that’s trying to do the opposite.” The doctor and geneticist added that around 60 per cent of Brits’ diets are ultra-processed food “designed to trick us and trick our brains into eating it”.
Tim Spector warns against ultra-processed food
Reduce ultra-processed food
These foods not only harm cardiovascular health, reduce insulin sensitivity and lead to weight gain, but they can also negatively affect mental health and energy levels. He stressed that much of our food is essentially “baby food” and “pap that we can consume so quickly that we don’t need to chew”, meaning the signals that tell our brains we are full are not sent.
He suggested that the easiest way to spot ultra-processed food is to “look in your fridge.”, reports the Mirror. He continued: “The real food doesn’t come with a health claim or a label, interestingly.”
Sarah Berry encouraged people to “put the crunch back in your lunch.” She explained: “Having food that has a hard texture, the original texture from which the food comes from, I think is a really key thing for people to think about in 2025 as well.”
Even a minor reduction can have quick, positive effects. Prof Spector noted: “You may very rapidly see a change in your mood and energy, and that will be the first thing you see once you cut down these foods.”
Give yourself an eating window
In America, the average eating window spans 16 hours. However, increasing evidence suggests that eating within a smaller timeframe is healthier. Consuming food within a six-hour window can lower cholesterol and aid weight loss. But, the nutritionist acknowledges this isn’t feasible for many.
The professor agreed saying “even a 12-hour window” would be beneficial. Apart from lowering your overall calorie intake, he said this method also has excellent benefits for the microbiome.
He explained: “Gut microbes get a real kick out of having a rest overnight. Andthey need time to recover and repair. So, when you’re not eating, a different team comes out, it’s like an offence-defence team, and a new team comes out and they’re the ones that will tidy up your gut lining.
“They actually nibble away at the little bits of sugar on the mucus lining of your gut, and that improves the barrier keeping your microbes from your blood and your immune system is in tip-top shape.”
Counting calories might not help with weight loss
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Stop calorie counting
Dieters will often see a change in the first instance, but he warned “most people” will lose weight initially when they go on a calorie-restricted diet. Prof Spector said the body has ways of altering metabolism, so we burn less energy, which means we compensate.
He said: “So you need to keep reducing even more of your intake to stay the same, but also it ramps up our appetite signals in the brain so that it gets increasingly difficult to keep losing weight.” This means ultimately, in many cases, people will return to their original weight as they cannot keep up with their new diet.
Drink mindfully
This doesn’t just apply to alcohol. Drinks account for 18 per cent of Americans calorie intake – so it’s something to exercise control in if possible.
Green tea, matcha, black tea and regular coffee have all been shown to have positive impacts on the gut microbiome. The professor said: “You can tell if someone’s a coffee drinker or not just from their gut microbes.
“And there’s this one microbe that is so fussy it only eats coffee, and it’s called Lawsonibacter. So you don’t drink coffee, but it’s waiting there in tiny amounts just for you to have that one cup of coffee, then it’s gonna go and explode. It’s incredibly exciting, and this is the first time anyone’s really linked a single microbe to a single food type.”
He added that kombucha, if its lower in sugar, and kefir are excellent additions to your diet. Adding that “milk should be avoided” unless in small amounts, He warned oat milk is not the healthy alternative we think it is.
He said: “All the evidence suggests it’s not a healthy swap” and this is “especially if you’re sugar sensitive.”
Eat more plants
Swap out your five-a-day rule and opt for eating 30 plants if you can, as this encourages the most diverse gut microbiome possible. This includes all plants, nuts, herbs, legumes, and vegetables the professor recommended.
He added that “small amounts of non-processed meat are shown to have no negative effects. There’s a middle ground for people who want to be healthier in 2025 – you can just reduce the amount you’re having.”
He said: “I think the lesson here is that if you can eat a small amount of meat and lots of plants, you’re going to get the best possible picture in terms of not only a good diversity of microbes across the board, but you’ll get a good ratio of the good guys to the bad guys.”
Protein worries
He said: “Currently, there’s huge marketing saying that we’re deficient in protein and that we can’t be healthy without extra protein snack bars, protein added to nearly all kinds of ultra-processed foods and that we’re in a protein crisis. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
He added: “Normal food contains protein. Things like pasta, whole grains, bulgur wheats, really high protein levels in many foods.”
Snacking choices
Nutritionist Sarah Berry said many people are “undoing” the healthy meals we’re having with “poor quality snacks.” She said: “We are a nation of snackers in the UK.” But it’s not if you’re snacking its how you’re snacking. Stick to nuts, fruits and plant based snacks.
She added: “Now, if you’re not a snacker, I wouldn’t suggest you go and start snacking. But if you are a snacker, and that’s how you like to eat, our research shows that the snacking itself isn’t the problem, it’s what you’re snacking on.”
She said people should avoid snacking after 8 or 9pm. She said anyone considering a snack needs to ask themselves: “Are you hungry or is it the habit of going to the cupboard because you have a minute between meetings?”