Nutritional scientist Tim Spector has explained what he has for breakfast every day – and it has just four ingredients. Appearing on the Doctor’s Kitchen podcast, the professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and founder of the Zoe health app was asked what he likes to start the day with.
Prof Spector explained that he has a healthy mix to kick the day off. He said: ” My go-to breakfast is a mixture of full-fat yoghurt, kefir, topped with some berries which might come from the freezer, and some nut granola or my nut and seed diversity jar mix.”
A daily serving (essentially a small 150g pot or a large dollop) of yoghurt was shown to lower blood pressure in people with hypertension by a study in the International Dairy Journal. Researchers who conducted the trial suggested that bacteria in yoghurt helps to promote the release of proteins that lower blood pressure. Rhiannon Lambert, author of The Science of Nutrition said: “Other nutrients in yoghurt, such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, are important for blood-pressure control. Make sure you opt for plain, natural varieties for the health benefits — they don’t contain sugar and unnecessary additives.”
Professor Spector has said the benefits of fermented food like kefir are many: “In particular, they seem to support your immune system, which is so vital to fighting allergies, infections, cancer and ageing, thanks to their interaction with your resident gut bacteria.”
Dr Federica Amati, the author of Every Body Should Know This and head nutritionist at Zoe, has said on blueberries: “Blueberries are touted as some superfood that we should be consuming every day. I have to say that evidence is really good, that blueberries are a great fruit to add to your daily diet.” Blueberries are a great sources of vitamin K – important for heart health and healthy blood clotting, and helps with blood pressure.
Also on the podcast, Prof Spector gave suggestions on improving your diet: “My tips to increase diversity in your in your diet are certainly start the day with a breakfast where you can put lots of nuts and seeds on there. You might buy the Zoe Daily 30 to get 30 plants. Freeze-dried, and you can add that to salads. So adding things that are very easy and nuts and seeds are probably the quickest way to do that.”
Some people have switched from sugar – but Prof Spector said: “Artificial sweeteners are chemicals that are bad for your gut. Increase your sensitivity to eat foods and should be avoided as much as possible.” On having a drink he added: “Alcohol consumption is generally bad for your health, but I must confess to having a glass or two of wine most days, which I find do improve my enjoyment of a meal. But if you are a drinker, do try having a few weeks without it and see how you feel.”