I interview nutrition experts for a living – here are the diet tips they all agree on

There is a lot of diet advice on the internet – some good, some not so good, some terrible. As The Independent’ssenior fitness writer, I interview experts weekly in an attempt to cut through this noise and bring readers accessible, effective tips that benefit their health. No matter which expert I’m speaking to, there are several underlying features of a nutritious adult diet that remain largely undisputed: Eat a wide variety of plant-based foods including plenty of vegetablesChoose wholefoods where possible Focus on hitting fibre requirements – at least 30g per day Consume adequate protein from lean sourcesStay hydratedFoods with excessive saturated fat and added sugar should form only a small portion of your dietConsume an appropriate number of calories for your build and activity levelsIf you were to follow this advice consistently, chances are your health would be in a pretty positive place. Add regular exercise into the mix and you’re running in the right direction. But there are other key tips that have stayed with me in 2025 – which I have compiled for you below.Prioritise nutritious foods you can add to your diet “Appetite is finite,” Everything Fat Loss author and experienced trainer Ben Carpenter tells me. “I like focusing on adding nutritious foods into your diet because they tend to displace other foods.”For example, one study Carpenter cites found that children encouraged to eat more apples – a food rich in nutrients and high in fibre – actually lowered their daily caloric intake. The fruit had elbowed other less nutritious, energy-dense food out of the picture. He says most people have a good idea what is meant by nutritious food, but adds that opting for items that “tend to be slightly less processed” is a good rule of thumb to follow. “For example, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins [white fish, white meat, soy, tofu], beans, lentils and wholegrains,” Carpenter lists. “Even things like rice and oats as opposed to donuts, pancakes and waffles.”Read more: How fibremaxxing became the secret to better gut-health and easy recipes to use nowIncorporating more nutritious foods in your diet can displace more energy-dense, less nutritious alternatives (Getty/iStock)Balance wins over ultra-extreme every timeFrom carnivore to keto, extreme diets will continue to grab headlines – yet the definition of diet isn’t something short-term, but rather the foods you habitually eat. By this logic, it makes sense to stick with something sustainable and health-promoting, rather than following an unmanageably restrictive regime for a few weeks before inevitably falling back into old habits.“Rather than being ultra-extreme, focus on balance,” advises NHS GP Dr Radha Modgil. “One of the big things we can all do is look at how many fruits and vegetables we’re eating each day. “They don’t have to be fresh, they can be canned, dried or frozen, but the evidence shows that if we at least eat our five a day, Read More