Tim Spector, a top nutrition scientist, tries to eat 30 different plants a week for his gut health — but they’re not all fresh, as you might expect.
In his cookbook, “Food For Life,” which is due to be published in the US and Canada on May 27, Spector calls jarred, tinned, and frozen foods the “unsung heroes of eating well,” because they are affordable and nutritious.
So Spector not only stocks his fridge with whole foods that make healthy eating easy, but his pantry, freezer, and kitchen counters, too.
Here’s what the epidemiologist at Kings College London and the cofounder of the nutrition company ZOE keeps in his kitchen.
Grains, tinned vegetables, and healthy flavorings in his pantry
Spector’s cupboards always contain a variety of grains, such as buckwheat, spelt, pearl barley, and quinoa, which are great alternatives to rice and pasta, he wrote in the cookbook. But he keeps wholegrain and lentil pasta on hand because he’s a “big pasta fan,” he told Business Insider.
As many varieties of beans and pulses as he can find are also on his grocery list, because they are affordable sources of protein, fiber, and nutrients.
Spector’s recipes often call for tinned and jarred vegetables, such as tomatoes, sweetcorn, olives, and artichokes, which tend to be cheaper than fresh vegetables and have a longer shelf life. But watch out for additives, Spector said, such as salt or preservatives.
Spector also keeps miso and nutritional yeast to hand as alternatives to bouillon cubes, which tend to be highly processed. He previously told BI that he tries to avoid ultra-processed foods to care for his gut health.
Vegetables, fruits, and fermented foods in his fridge
There are always plenty of vegetables, fruits, and leafy greens in Spector’s fridge, as well as a small amount of “traditional cheese,” he wrote, which is fermented. More research is needed to confirm the health benefits of fermented foods, but a 2022 review of studies linked them to a lower risk of type two diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Fermentation “experiments,” such as homemade kefir and pickles, can also be found in his fridge, as well as miso and gochujang: two flavorful fermented pastes that add flavor to dishes.
Spector recommends stocking the “four Ks” in your fridge — kefir, kombucha, kimchi, and ‘kraut (sauerkraut). He previously shared three tips for eating more fermented foods with BI.
Berries, soup, and soffritto in his freezer
There are yet more vegetables in Spector’s freezer, including frozen cubes of spinach, peas, and mushrooms.
He also has a bag of soffritto — which is chopped vegetables (usually onions, carrots, and celery) that can be used as a base for many dishes — and frozen herbs to flavor his home-cooked meals.
Spector keeps mixed berries and fruit in the freezer too, which he uses in his go-to healthy breakfast of yogurt with toppings.
“I always try to make sure I have a nice, thick, Italian-style vegetable soup in the freezer that I can simply defrost and reheat when I’m pressed for time,” he wrote. For example, the Minestrone soup recipe in his book.
Fruit and nuts on the counter
Spector keeps a fruit bowl where he can see it on his kitchen counter, as well as containers of mixed nuts. That way, if he’s tempted to snack, he’s more likely to go for the healthy ones that he can see.
He previously told BI about his “diversity jar” that is full of different nuts and seeds, which he keeps on hand to sprinkle on his meals and help him eat 30 plants a week.
The post A top nutrition scientist shares the foods he always has in his fridge, freezer, and pantry — which make gut-healthy eating easy appeared first on Business Insider.
