8 ways to eat better in 2026 | Prof. Tim Spector and Prof. Sarah Berry

What if small changes to how you eat in 2026 could help you feel more energetic, less hungry, and more in control of your health? In this episode, we ask Professor Tim Spector and Professor Sarah Berry a simple question: which everyday food habits make the biggest difference to how we feel?

Tim and Sarah outline the eight key principles that inform their approach to eating well and share clear, practical science in a way that’s easy to follow.

You’ll hear simple tips you can try at home, like how to build a balanced breakfast, add more plants to your meals, and choose small habits that are easier to stick to over time.

What is one easy change you could try in 2026 to feel a little better?

Unwrap the truth about your food 👉 ⁠Get the ZOE app (joinzoe.onelink.me/XebC/9r7grdmf)

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+ (zoe.com/daily30?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&utm…)

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Timecodes

00:00 Intro

04:20 How changing your diet at 40 adds a decade of health

07:25 Why mindful eating isn’t a wellness fad

12:40 Why ‘30 plants’ beats five a day

14:10 Feeding your gut like a living ecosystem

16:35 Can adding plants cancel out an unhealthy meal?

17:40 Why 30 plants is the sweet spot

19:30 What makes processed food high risk?

21:40 How processing tricks your brain into overeating

23:45 Why ultra-processed foods make you eat 25% more

25:05 Why diet drinks aren’t as harmless as they seem

26:50 How ZOE measures processed food risk

29:35 How to spot risky processed foods without the app

30:20 Simple food swaps that make a big difference

31:40 Why calorie counting fails long term

33:40 How adding calories can reduce hunger

35:00 Can you lose weight without counting calories?

38:40 What is an eating window?

41:10 Why a 12-hour overnight fast works

42:30 Why consistency matters more than perfection

44:15 What ‘eat the rainbow’ actually means

47:00 How food diversity shapes your gut microbes

52:00 Why protein quality matters more than quantity

59:00 Why fermented foods are so powerful

01:06:20 The eight principles that tie everything together

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook (amzn.to/4amfIMX)

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati (amzn.to/4blJsLg)

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector (amzn.to/4amZinu)

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector (amzn.to/4hU1Df5)

Free resources from ZOE

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health (zoe.com/2026?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&utm_so…)

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition (zoe.com/freeguide?utm_medium=podcast&utm_s…)

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks (zoe.com/gutguide?utm_medium=podcast&utm_so…)

Better Breakfast Guide (zoe.com/breakfastguide?utm_medium=podcast&…)

ZOE’s Holiday Hosting Guide (zoe.com/holidayguide?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&am…)

Mentioned in today's episode

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ZOE’s protein guide (zoe.com/learn/how-much-protein-do-you-need-zoe…)

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Reducing Calorie Intake May Not Help You Lose Body Weight (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5639963), Perspectives on Psychological Science (2017)

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The ZOE BIG IF Study (mdpi.com/2504-3900/91/1/120), MDPI (2024)

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Fermented Food Consumption Is Associated With Improvements in Bloating, Hunger, Energy and Mood in the General Population (cdn.nutrition.org/article/S2475-2991(25)02608-3/fulltext), CDN (2025)

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Association between ultraprocessed foods consumption, eating disorders, food addiction and body image: a systematic review (bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/12/e091223), BMJ (2024)

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ZOE ferment study (zoe.com/learn/zoe-study-fermented-food?srsltid…)

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New microbiome breakthrough from ZOE, thanks to community science (zoe.com/learn/new-microbiome-breakthrough)

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Butter vs. seed oils: New evidence (zoe.com/learn/butter-vs-seed-oils-new-evidence)

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Are all heavily processed foods bad? What you need to know (zoe.com/learn/not-all-upfs-are-equal-health)

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ZOE’s gut bug clusters (zoe.com/learn/gut-bug-clusters-gut-microbiome)

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us knowhere (gf6hx47iu5g.typeform.com/topicsuggestion).

Episode transcripts are available here (zoe.com/learn/category/podcasts).