Vegetables: Variety Counts

A diet that lacks plant foods and is low in fibre might interfere with the way we digest and use calories, says Tim Spector, Professor of genetic epidemiology at KCL. “It’s been shown that people with a less diverse micro-biome [a lower range of gut bacteria] have higher levels of body fat,” he says. “Ideally you need to fertilise the bugs already residing in your gut with prebiotic and ideally that means consuming 30 different plants a week – studies show that the greater the number of plant foods you eat, the better your range of beneficial gut bacteria.”

That’s not as much effort as it sounds when you when you consider that a bag of mixed nuts and seeds may contain six or seven varieties and a salad four to five. Still if that seems impossible, Spector says to aim for as much plant diversity as you can, to aid digestion and reduce the amount of calories that will end up being stored as fat around your middle.