When nutritionist Eva Humphries worked with an early client who had received diagnoses of high blood pressure and high cholesterol while being on the brink of type 2 diabetes, the individual broke down in tears for 45 minutes. Unsure of how to navigate the overwhelming situation, Humphries offered a basic piece of advice during the final minutes of their session: “When you look at a plate of food, can you just make half of it veg for me?” Returning two months later, the client showed noticeable physical improvement, noting that “the colour was back in his cheeks” and that adding the extra vegetables had “started to [make him] feel really good.” Leaving Humphries with “no idea of what to do”, she says, the man broke down and cried for 45 minutes. Scrambling for a quick but helpful message, she finally said: “When you look at a plate of food, can you just make half of it veg for me?”, in the final 15 minutes of the session.
This straightforward advice reflects a growing necessity in light of changing food quality.
A report published earlier this month by Deep Science Ventures alongside the charity Mark Leonard Trust revealed that declining soil health has caused crops like carrots, apples, and peas to lose 20% to 50% of their nutrient content compared to the 1960s. Even prior to these findings, academic research had recommended consuming up to 10 portions of fruit and vegetables daily rather than the standard five, with some health professionals advocating for 30 different plant varieties per week. William Summers, a senior associate at Deep Science Ventures, hopes the research encourages agricultural policymakers to prioritize nutrient density. He highlights that genetics play a role in nutrient concentration, noting, “Broadly, it’s leafy greens. So I’d say the more leafy greens you can get in your diet, the better.” Across cereals, fruit and veg, have definitely got less nutrient dense, his research has shown that “whole foods. Way better than eating ultra-processed foods, that’s a fact – but they’re still way. This is great news if you’ve got the time and capacity to think ahead and prep your beans in advance – but the reality is that most of us buy beans in cans or jars.
Despite these health recommendations, meeting basic targets remains a challenge for many. Data from last year’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey indicates that only 17% of UK adults manage to achieve five daily portions of produce, which includes fruits, vegetables, beans, and pulses. To increase consumption without major friction, experts suggest simple meal swaps. Dr. Shireen Kassam, a visiting professor of plant-based nutrition at the University of Winchester and executive director of Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, suggests exchanging meat for legumes or tofu in standard dishes, such as substituting chicken in a curry or swapping beef for lentils in pasta dishes. For those hesitant to eliminate meat entirely, preparing a half-meat, half-lentil sauce offers a practical compromise that preserves traditional flavors while adding extra nutritional value.
Culinary professional Matt Beardmore, executive chef at the Italian restaurant Legare, utilizes sauce preparations and soups to maximize plant content. In his home kitchen, he frequently doubles or triples the amount of soffritto—a foundation made of onions, celery, and carrots—used in pasta dishes. Beardmore also highlights minestrone as an ideal vehicle, noting that “you can just absolutely fill it with veg.” Both he and Humphries advocate for a simple rule of thumb: ensuring that half of every plate is covered with vegetables, focusing on visual proportions rather than strict measurement. Sooner rather than later, it’s a simple approach to eating more plants – and one we might all need to start emulating. He doesn’t want people to imagine that there is no point in eating plants, in the meantime. The focus is on taste, but at home, to get the maximum nutrition, he will double or triple the amount of sofrito (an onion, celery and carrot base for sauces) that he normally puts into a recipe, at his restaurant. As the weather gets colder, Kassam and Beardmore both recommend soups as a way to use up any sad-looking leftovers in your vegetable drawer. So eating a bit of sushi, which often features a dried version called nori, will give you your fill. “I typically tend to use it in seasonings becau, you also don’t need a lot of seaweed in your diet to reap the benefits. We use nutrients to detox it” – so there is actually a case for pesticide-free produce a, but she wants people to be aware that “when we metabolise pesticides or any kind of artificial chemicals that are left on our food. The idea is to get people thinking about easy ways to add new vegetables and other plants to the diet they already have.
Expanding the variety of plants eaten is another crucial strategy for broadening mineral and vitamin intake. Humphries notes that people often rely on a narrow selection of staples like broccoli, peppers, and peas, and challenges individuals to regularly try unfamiliar produce. She specifically highlights seaweed as an underutilized food source in the UK, pointing out its high concentrations of iron, calcium, magnesium, and particularly iodine—a mineral specifically identified by Deep Science Ventures as being depleted in modern soils.
Preparation methods also influence the ultimate nutritional value delivered by food. Humphries explains that water-soluble and heat-sensitive nutrients, such as vitamins C and B, tend to leach out or break down when vegetables are boiled. Conversely, certain vegetables become more nutritious when cooked through boiling. Despite these differences, neither Humphries nor Kassam recommends overthinking cooking techniques, agreeing that consuming a larger volume of vegetables remains the top priority. Kassam emphasizes that five daily portions should be viewed as a baseline minimum.
To get the most out of existing diets, Kassam recommends substituting refined grains with wholegrain options like brown rice and brown pasta. Additionally, both experts highlight proper preparation techniques for legumes. Beans contain phytates—compounds that function as natural defenses for seeds but act as anti-nutrients in the human digestive system, hindering the absorption of key minerals such as selenium and zinc. Soaking beans for extended periods or cooking them slowly helps break down these phytates, making the essential nutrients significantly easier for the body to absorb.
Adopting higher plant consumption does not require expensive fresh produce. Frozen vegetables represent a cost-effective alternative that retains—and in some cases exceeds—the nutritional content of fresh store-bought items due to rapid freezing techniques applied immediately after harvest. Humphries maintains a regular freezer stock of three to four vegetable types, such as spinach and peas, to easily incorporate into daily meals. Storing shelf-stable staples like canned beans and whole grains ensures that nutritious plant-based ingredients are readily available at low cost. According to the most nutritious option does often come with a cost,, Humphries, who says that she can’t afford to eat 100% organic produce, even though she would like to.
Ultimately, experts emphasize that incremental improvements matter more than achieving perfect eating habits. Homegrown produce offers a slight nutritional advantage regarding reduced chemical exposure, as processing pesticide residues requires the body to expend internal nutrients during metabolism. However, research shows no dramatic nutritional difference between shop-bought and homegrown items overall. Nutritionists agree that any effort to incrementally increase daily plant intake yields positive health outcomes without requiring drastic lifestyle overhauls.
