🥗 Food, Fibre & Fresh Thinking: What We Learned from Dr. Federica Amati
What if the most powerful medicine for a longer, healthier life isn’t found in a pill —but on your plate? 🎯
In our latest conversation with Dr. Federica Amati—Head Nutritionist at ZOE, Nutrition Topic Lead at Imperial College London, and Sunday Times bestselling author—we uncovered practical, science-backed lessons that anyone can start using today. Here are the biggest insights worth taking to heart (and to your kitchen):
🌾 1. Fibre Is the Forgotten Superfood
96% of UK adults don’t get enough fibre.
Fibre isn’t just about digestion—it improves gut health, reduces inflammation, and lowers risk of chronic diseases.
Easy wins: add beans to salads 🥗, swap white rice for brown 🍚, sprinkle nuts & seeds on breakfast bowls.
👉 Lesson: Don’t overcomplicate supplements until you’ve nailed the basics—start with fibre.
🍷 2. Alcohol: Less Is Always Better
Science is clear: alcohol has zero health benefits.
Even small reductions in weekly intake create non-linear benefits for your liver and brain.
Your body can begin repairing itself quickly once intake drops.
👉 Lesson: Cutting back doesn’t have to mean cutting out—but every glass skipped is a step toward better health.
🍲 3. Cook More From Scratch
Highly processed foods strip away nutrients and overload us with additives.
Aim for at least 75% of your meals cooked from whole ingredients.
Cooking connects you to your food, builds healthier habits, and gives you control over what fuels your body.
👉 Lesson: Cooking isn’t just an act of nourishment—it’s an act of self-care.
📲 4. Tech That Makes Eating Smarter
Dr. Amati and her team at ZOE are pushing nutrition science forward:
A new ZOE app is coming—using predictive AI to tell you how you respond to fats & sugars without blood tests or wearables.
Features include barcode scanning and photo food logging with instant feedback in seconds.
Backed by over 70 peer-reviewed studies, this data-driven approach is already transforming how people eat.
👉 Lesson: The future of nutrition is personalized, not prescriptive.
🧠 5. Build Confidence Through Small Choices
It’s not about following perfect rules—it’s about making consistent, better choices. Every time you keep a promise to yourself (whether that’s swapping crisps for fruit or skipping a midweek glass of wine), you build confidence and trust in your ability to change.
👉 Lesson: Health isn’t just physical—it’s deeply linked to self-worth and mindset.
💡 Final Thought
As Dr. Amati reminded us: the science of nutrition can be complex, but the advice is simple. Eat more fibre, cook from scratch, drink less, and diversify your diet. Add a sprinkle of tech-enabled insights, and you’ve got a recipe for lasting health.
📚 Want to go deeper? Check out Dr. Amati’s books: Recipes for a Better Menopause and Every Body Should Know This (a Sunday Times Bestseller).
