Sarah Berry: Exactly. It’s not just about living longer, it’s about living better, feeling better, and being able to enjoy life to the fullest. And that’s really what we want for everyone.
So with that in mind, let’s dive into the seven essential strategies that Tim and I have put together to help you eat healthily in 2025. These tips are based on the latest science that’s come out over the last year, and they aim to bust common food myths, highlight the importance of quality over quantity, and show how the joy of eating can go hand in hand with good health.
1. Choose whole, minimally processed foods: One of the key messages we want to emphasize is the importance of choosing whole, minimally processed foods over ultra-processed foods. Whole foods are those that are as close to their natural state as possible, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. These foods are rich in nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants, and are essential for promoting good health.
2. Prioritize plant-based foods: Research has shown that a plant-based diet can have numerous health benefits, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Aim to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes in your diet to reap the benefits of a plant-based eating pattern.
3. Focus on quality over quantity: Instead of counting calories or restricting food intake, focus on the quality of the foods you eat. Choose nutrient-dense foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and aim to eat a variety of foods to ensure you’re getting a wide range of nutrients.
4. Practice time-restricted eating: Time-restricted eating is a popular eating pattern that involves limiting the hours in which you consume food each day. Research has shown that time-restricted eating can have numerous health benefits, including weight loss, improved metabolic health, and reduced inflammation. Experiment with different eating windows to find a pattern that works best for you.
5. Enjoy your food: Eating should be a pleasurable experience, so take the time to savor and enjoy your meals. Pay attention to the taste, texture, and aroma of your food, and listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. By eating mindfully, you can improve your relationship with food and enhance your overall eating experience.
6. Stay hydrated: Drinking enough water is essential for good health, as it helps to regulate body temperature, aid digestion, and flush out toxins. Aim to drink at least eight glasses of water per day, and consider incorporating other hydrating beverages such as herbal tea, sparkling water, or infused water.
7. Listen to your body: Your body is incredibly intelligent and can provide valuable feedback about what it needs. Pay attention to how different foods make you feel, and adjust your diet accordingly. If you’re feeling sluggish or bloated after a meal, consider making some changes to your eating habits to see if it improves your overall well-being.
By following these seven essential strategies, you can make smarter food choices, improve your health, and truly enjoy the food you eat. Remember, it’s not about following a crash diet or depriving yourself of the foods you love – it’s about nourishing your body with nutrient-rich foods and finding joy in the eating experience.
If you’re looking for more guidance on how to eat well and improve your health, consider becoming a member at ZOE. Use code PODCAST to receive 10% off your membership and gain access to exclusive content from some of the world’s top scientists.
Join the ZOE community today and start your journey towards better health and well-being. Follow us on Instagram for more tips, recipes, and inspiration to help you eat well and live your best life in 2025. Cheers to a healthier, happier you! The conversation between Professors Sarah Berry and Tim Spector on the ZOE Science Nutrition podcast is not only informative but also incredibly motivating. They discuss the importance of diet in improving overall health and well-being, emphasizing that changing your diet can have immediate effects on your mood, energy levels, and overall health.
One key point that both professors stress is that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring or restrictive. They debunk the myth that switching to a healthier diet means giving up all your favorite foods and living on a diet of bland, tasteless meals. Instead, they encourage people to explore a wide variety of healthy and delicious foods that can still bring pleasure and satisfaction.
Prof. Spector highlights the fact that healthy eating is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to improving health. Sleep, stress, and physical activity are also important factors that contribute to overall well-being. However, he emphasizes that diet is often the most achievable and controllable aspect of health for many people.
Both professors emphasize the interconnectedness of these four pillars of health and stress that making positive changes in one area can have a ripple effect on the others. By starting with diet, individuals can begin to see immediate improvements in their overall health and well-being.
Prof. Berry shares her own research findings, which show that making changes to your diet can lead to significant improvements in energy levels, mood, and overall health in a matter of weeks. These immediate benefits can be a powerful motivator for sticking to a healthier eating plan in the long term.
As the conversation continues, Prof. Spector brings up the importance of the gut microbiome in relation to diet and overall health. He explains how the seven tips discussed in the podcast all play a role in supporting a healthy gut microbiome, which in turn can have a positive impact on overall health.
Overall, the conversation between Professors Sarah Berry and Tim Spector serves as a powerful reminder of the impact that healthy eating can have on our health and well-being. By making simple changes to our diet and focusing on nourishing our bodies with nutrient-rich foods, we can improve our mood, energy levels, and long-term health. It’s never too late to start making positive changes to your diet and transform your health, one recipe at a time. Indian and Chinese doctors have known for thousands of years that the key to good health lies in the gut. They understood that the microbiome, the collection of microbes that live in our intestines, plays a crucial role in our overall well-being. Now, modern scientific research is confirming what these ancient healers have known all along.
Recent studies conducted by ZOE have shown that within a few weeks of making dietary changes, individuals can see significant improvements in their gut microbiome. This means that by changing what we eat, we can actually change the composition of our gut bacteria, leading to positive effects on our brain chemistry and immune system.
According to Prof. Tim Spector, reducing ultra-processed foods is one of the most important steps we can take to improve our gut health. Ultra-processed foods are pre-packaged products that are loaded with additives, preservatives, and other chemicals. These foods bear little resemblance to their original form and are typically high in sugar, fat, and salt.
Examples of ultra-processed foods include chocolate spreads, cookies, cakes, snack bars, frozen pizzas, and fast food. These foods are associated with a range of health issues, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, dementia, and poor mental health. They are also linked to changes in the gut microbiome, which can have negative effects on our overall well-being.
In addition to their unhealthy nutrient profile, ultra-processed foods also contain additives and emulsifiers that can disrupt the balance of our gut bacteria. These additives may negatively impact our health by altering the composition of our microbiome and affecting our brain chemistry. Furthermore, the soft texture and structure of ultra-processed foods can lead to overeating, as we tend to consume them more quickly than whole, unprocessed foods.
By reducing our intake of ultra-processed foods and focusing on whole, unprocessed foods, we can promote a healthy gut microbiome and improve our overall health. Making simple dietary changes, such as cooking meals from scratch, choosing whole foods over processed options, and paying attention to food labels, can have a significant impact on our well-being. As we continue to uncover the connection between our gut health and our overall health, it becomes increasingly clear that the key to a healthy body and mind lies in the gut. However, more recent research has shown that even just shortening your eating window by a couple of hours can still have significant health benefits. For example, eating within a 10-12 hour window has been shown to improve metabolic health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
One of the key mechanisms behind this is the concept of circadian rhythms. Our bodies have internal clocks that regulate various physiological processes, including metabolism. Eating late into the night disrupts these rhythms and can lead to a host of health problems.
By giving yourself a smaller eating window, you allow your body more time to rest and repair during the fasting period. This can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and promote weight loss.
So how can you implement this in your own life? One simple strategy is to avoid eating late into the night. Try to have your last meal at least 2-3 hours before bedtime to give your body time to digest before sleep.
Another approach is to practice intermittent fasting, where you eat within a specific time window each day. For example, you could have your first meal at 8am and your last meal at 6pm, giving you a 10-hour eating window.
Overall, the key takeaway is to be mindful of when you’re eating and try to give yourself a smaller eating window to improve your health. It may take some time to adjust, but the benefits are well worth it. So next time you sit down for a meal, remember to give yourself a time limit and watch as your health improves. Intermittent fasting has been a hot topic in the health and wellness world for quite some time now. Many people have jumped on the bandwagon, touting the numerous benefits of restricting your eating window to a specific time frame each day. However, new research is emerging that suggests you don’t need to go to extreme measures to reap the rewards of intermittent fasting.
In a recent study conducted by Professor Tim Spector and Professor Sarah Berry, it was found that simply reducing your eating window to 10 hours can have a significant impact on your health. Not only can it improve your energy levels and mood, but it can also help you feel less hungry and aid in weight loss. This is because when you limit your eating window, you are more conscious of what you are consuming and are less likely to mindlessly snack on high-calorie foods late at night.
One of the key benefits of intermittent fasting is the impact it has on your gut microbes. When you give your body a break from eating overnight, a different team of microbes comes out to clean up your gut lining and improve its barrier function. This can help keep harmful microbes from entering your bloodstream and boost your immune system.
It’s important to note that intermittent fasting is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Some people may find it easier to stick to a 10-hour eating window, while others may prefer a 12-hour window. The key is to find what works best for you and stick to it consistently. It’s okay to have the occasional slip-up, especially during social occasions or vacations, but the goal is to make intermittent fasting a sustainable lifestyle change.
Another interesting finding from recent research is the importance of consistency in your eating habits. Whether you choose a time-restricted eating approach or opt for a more structured intermittent fasting plan like the 5-2 diet, it’s crucial to be consistent in how you eat. This consistency can help regulate your metabolism and optimize the benefits of intermittent fasting.
In conclusion, intermittent fasting can be a powerful tool for improving your overall health and well-being. By simply reducing your eating window to 10 or 12 hours a day, you can experience a wide range of benefits, from better energy levels to weight loss. The key is to find what works best for you, be consistent in your eating habits, and remember that it’s okay to have the occasional indulgence. Intermittent fasting is not about perfection, but rather about making sustainable lifestyle changes for long-term health. Intermittent fasting has become a popular trend in recent years, with many people touting its benefits for weight loss and overall health. However, not all types of intermittent fasting are created equal. Time-restricted eating, where individuals eat consistently within a specific window of time each day, is often more beneficial than other types of intermittent fasting that involve extreme periods of fasting followed by eating.
Our bodies are designed to thrive on consistency, and this extends to our eating habits. For example, someone who tends to snack throughout the day may find success with a 12-hour eating window that allows for grazing. On the other hand, someone who prefers longer fast periods and smaller meals may not respond well to sudden changes in their eating schedule.
Professor Sarah Berry explains that studies have increasingly shown the benefits of time-restricted eating, prompting even skeptics like herself to consider reducing their eating window to around ten hours. While there may be conflicting information out there, it’s important to rely on solid evidence when making decisions about your health.
Calorie counting, once thought to be the key to weight loss, has been debunked as an ineffective strategy for long-term success. Professor Tim Spector emphasizes that the body has ways of adjusting metabolism and appetite signals in response to calorie restriction, making it difficult to sustain weight loss over time. Instead, he advocates for focusing on the brain’s satiety centers and new drugs like GLP-1 agonists that can help regulate appetite and promote weight loss.
GLP-1 agonist drugs, such as Ozempic, target receptors in the brain that control hunger and fullness, revolutionizing the weight loss industry. By stimulating these receptors, these drugs can help individuals feel fuller quicker and reduce cravings, leading to more sustainable weight loss outcomes. This approach has proven to be more effective than traditional calorie-restricted diets and has the potential to help millions of people struggling with obesity.
In conclusion, when it comes to intermittent fasting and weight loss, consistency is key. Finding a eating schedule that works for your lifestyle and preferences, along with incorporating healthy food choices and potentially new drugs like GLP-1 agonists, can lead to long-lasting results. It’s important to stay informed and seek evidence-based solutions for better health and well-being. Obesity rates have been on the rise for decades, leading to a myriad of health issues such as mental health problems, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. The financial cost of this epidemic is staggering, with estimates in the UK alone exceeding 200 billion pounds annually. This issue is exacerbated by our modern food landscape, which is filled with ultra-processed foods designed to hijack our brain’s normal fullness signals.
One potential solution to combat obesity is the use of GLP-1 agonists, a medication that reduces cravings for unhealthy foods and promotes weight loss. While there are risks associated with taking these drugs, the benefits far outweigh them for individuals living with obesity or mild diabetes. However, it is important to note that GLP-1 agonists should not be seen as a quick fix, but rather as a tool to aid in making healthier food choices.
Dr. Tim Spector emphasizes the importance of pairing GLP-1 agonists with a balanced and nutritious diet. By reducing ultra-processed foods and incorporating more plant-based options, individuals can experience greater health benefits and reduce the risk of nutritional deficiencies. Additionally, focusing on feeding the gut microbiome and consuming adequate vitamins and minerals is crucial for overall well-being.
Dr. Sarah Berry echoes the sentiment that healthy food choices are essential, even when taking GLP-1 agonists. It is not enough to simply restrict calorie intake; individuals must ensure they are getting the necessary nutrients to support their health. By combining medication with mindful eating habits, individuals can maximize the benefits of treatment and potentially add healthy years to their life.
In conclusion, the use of GLP-1 agonists presents a valuable opportunity for individuals struggling with obesity to make positive changes in their diet and lifestyle. By taking a holistic approach to health, including medication, healthy food choices, and mindful eating habits, individuals can work towards achieving long-term weight loss and improving their overall well-being. Drinks play a significant role in our daily calorie intake, contributing to 18% of our energy intake in the U.S. alone. This includes not just alcoholic beverages, but all types of drinks we consume on a regular basis. It’s important to be mindful of the drinks we consume as they can have a significant impact on our overall health.
One of the key issues with drinks is the added sugar content. In the U.S., 54% of added sugar in our diet comes from drinks. This excessive sugar intake can lead to a variety of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. By simply modifying the drinks we consume, we can reduce our added sugar intake and improve our overall health.
Many people may think that by switching from sugary drinks to options like coffee or tea, they are making a healthier choice. While plain coffee and tea have been shown to have health benefits, it’s important to be mindful of what you’re adding to them. Specialty drinks from coffee chains can be loaded with sugar and calories, negating any potential health benefits. Opting for a simple coffee or tea without added sugars and creams can be a better choice for overall health.
Recent research has shown that coffee drinkers have a unique gut microbiome profile, with specific microbes that thrive on coffee consumption. This highlights the connection between our diet and our gut health, and how certain foods can influence the composition of our gut microbiota. This further emphasizes the importance of making mindful choices when it comes to our drink consumption.
There are also a variety of fermented drinks, such as kombucha, water kefir, and milk kefir, that can be beneficial for gut health. These drinks are good alternatives to sugary beverages and can help support a healthy gut microbiome. As we look towards 2025, making intelligent and mindful choices about the drinks we consume can have a significant impact on our overall health and well-being. By paying attention to the drinks we consume and choosing healthier options, we can take a simple yet effective step towards improving our health in the long run. Tim Spector: Exactly, and when we talk about eating more plants, we’re not just talking about vegetables and fruits. We’re talking about nuts, seeds, whole grains, herbs, and spices. The more variety you can get in your diet, the better it is for your gut health. And like Sarah mentioned, fiber is a key component of plants that feed our gut microbes and promote overall health.
So, when it comes to eating more plants, it doesn’t mean you have to give up meat entirely. It’s about finding a balance that works for you. Small amounts of high-quality, unprocessed meat can still be part of a healthy diet. But the focus should be on incorporating a wide variety of plant-based foods to support your gut health and overall well-being.
In a recent study conducted by our colleagues, it was found that vegans had healthier-looking gut microbes, while meat eaters had the highest diversity in their gut microbiome. This highlights the importance of finding a balance between plant-based foods and meat consumption for optimal gut health.
The 30 plants a week concept stems from research that shows a diverse diet rich in plant-based foods can support a healthy gut microbiome. Plants are the main source of food for our gut microbes, and the more variety we have in our diet, the more diverse our gut microbiome will be. This diversity leads to better overall health and supports a wide range of beneficial microbes that can have positive effects on our body.
So, the next time you’re planning your meals, think about how you can incorporate more plants into your diet. Whether it’s adding nuts and seeds to your breakfast, including a variety of vegetables in your lunch, or experimenting with different herbs and spices in your dinner, every plant-based food you eat contributes to a healthier gut microbiome.
In conclusion, eating more plants doesn’t mean you have to give up meat entirely. It’s about finding a balance that works for you and focusing on incorporating a wide variety of plant-based foods to support your gut health and overall well-being. So, aim to eat 30 different plants a week and watch as your gut health and overall health improve. I think a lot of us do. But the key is to snack smarter. Instead of reaching for processed snacks that are high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, we should be focusing on nutrient-dense options that will fuel our bodies in between meals.
One great option for a healthy snack is nuts. Nuts are packed with protein, healthy fats, and fiber, making them a satisfying and nutritious choice. You can also try snacking on fruits and vegetables, which are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Another great snack option is yogurt. Yogurt is rich in probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria that can help improve your gut health. Just make sure to choose plain yogurt without added sugars, and you can add your own toppings like fresh fruit or nuts for extra flavor and nutrients.
If you’re craving something savory, try air-popped popcorn or whole grain crackers with hummus. These options are lower in calories and provide a good source of fiber to keep you full until your next meal.
Overall, the key to snacking smarter is to choose whole, minimally processed foods that are rich in nutrients and will keep you feeling satisfied. By making these simple swaps, you can improve your overall health and well-being while still enjoying delicious snacks throughout the day. It’s a key component of the Mediterranean diet, which is known for its numerous health benefits. Extra virgin olive oil is rich in antioxidants and monounsaturated fats, which can help reduce inflammation and lower the risk of chronic diseases.
My third choice is leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, and Swiss chard. These vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are essential for overall health. They can help improve digestion, boost immunity, and protect against heart disease and cancer.
Incorporating these foods into your diet can have a significant impact on your health and well-being. By making small changes to your snacking habits and choosing nutrient-dense foods, you can improve your overall health and reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases. So next time you reach for a snack, consider reaching for a handful of nuts, a serving of vegetables, or a drizzle of olive oil instead of reaching for unhealthy options. Your body will thank you for it in the long run. Incorporating Heart-Healthy Oils and Polyphenols Into Your Diet
When it comes to eating healthy, there are a few key principles to keep in mind. At ZOE, we are all about embracing healthy fats, like those found in heart-healthy oils. These oils are packed full of polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants that can help protect your cells from damage. Plus, there is mounting evidence to support the health benefits of including these fats in your diet.
One of our favorite ways to incorporate healthy fats into our meals is by adding a little bit of what you enjoy. Whether it’s drizzling olive oil over a salad or cooking with coconut oil, there are plenty of delicious options to choose from. And the best part is that many of these healthy foods can still be incredibly pleasurable to eat. Take dark chocolate, for example. When enjoyed in moderation, high-quality dark chocolate can actually be quite good for you and satisfying to your taste buds.
Another essential component of a healthy diet is Daily 30, ZOE’s plant-based supplement. This supplement is packed with plant diversity, providing you with added confidence in your nutrition. Not only does it taste great, but it has also been proven effective through a randomized clinical trial, making it a reliable choice for daily supplementation.
In addition to incorporating heart-healthy oils and polyphenols into your diet, there are a few other tips to keep in mind. First, reducing ultra-processed foods can significantly lower your risk of death and improve your overall health. Giving yourself an eating window, practicing mindful drinking, and snacking smarter are also important habits to adopt.
When it comes to protein intake, many of us are getting more than enough in our diets, so there’s no need to worry about meeting daily requirements. And while it’s beneficial to eat more plants and reduce meat consumption, you don’t have to give up meat entirely if it’s something you enjoy.
By following these simple guidelines and making small changes to your eating habits, you can improve your health and well-being in the long run. So why not start incorporating more heart-healthy oils and polyphenols into your diet today? Your body will thank you for it.
