Dr Chintal Patel shares her healthy tips for the new year
At the start of a new year, many of us may try to be a bit healthier. Dr Chintal Patel shares her achievable tips, including reaching your 30 plant points
Dr Chintal Patel, a practising GP and passionate home cook, is on a mission to show us that health and enjoyment in food can coexist beautifully. In her new book, Dr Chintal’s Kitchen, she shares easy, balanced recipes that cater to everyone from busy parents to curious foodies. Here, we chat to Chintal about healthy eating, her approach to balance and why variety really is the spice of life. Discover her app-only Healthy Diet Plan for 2025.
Listen to the full episode of the Good Food podcast then delve into the podcast archive for more culinary adventures.
A simple approach to healthy eating
Chintal’s approach to health is refreshingly simple and inclusive. “There is no secret to healthy eating,” she says. “It is very individual for every person. What might mean healthy eating to one person may not to another.” However, she believes a key principle for everyone is diversity and variety: “As much diversity and as much inclusion into your diet as possible.”
She advocates for a method known as the the 30 plant points concept, which encourages people to consume a wide range of plant-based foods weekly. “If you had around 30 plant points in your diet within a one-week period, you would have better health outcomes than somebody that had less,” she explains.
What counts as a plant point? Essentially, anything that comes from a plant – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, spices and even coffee. She highlights the ease of integrating this system into everyday life: “If you’re able to incorporate four spices into your meal, that’s one additional plant point.”
Practical tips for busy lives
For those daunted by the idea of overhauling their eating habits, Chintal suggests starting small. “Strip it back to basics and make small sustainable changes,” she advises. Instead of aiming for the full 30 plant points in a week, she recommends building up gradually: “If you’re used to five, aim for six next week, then seven. Try something new, even if it’s a seasonal vegetable on sale.”
In her book, Chintal provides clear guidance for busy individuals. She breaks down recipes into easy-to-navigate chapters: quick 15-minute meals, hands-off tray bakes and indulgent Friday night feasts. “It’s all about making it easy for people to fit healthy cooking into their lives,” she says.
For those who struggle with confidence in the kitchen, Chintal’s advice is encouraging. “The process of cooking and eating should be fun. Start slow and don’t focus too much on the minutiae. Just add one or two new ingredients to your meals and let the variety grow naturally.”
The role of sweet treats and balance
Health, as Chintal sees it, isn’t just about physical wellbeing but mental and emotional health, too. That’s why her book includes indulgent recipes alongside the healthier options. “Sweet treats are the little optional extra,” she says. “Health is about balance – food is for enjoyment, too.”
She admits that maintaining this balance isn’t always easy, even for her. “I have a sweet tooth,” she confesses. “The guidelines recommend no more than 60 grams of free sugar a day for adults, but I love desserts.”
To help satisfy her cravings, she includes recipes for healthier indulgences, like her mascarpone and dark chocolate truffles: “They’re delicious, easy to make and just one or two squares after a meal can be so satisfying.”
The power of vitamin D and supplements
While Chintal encourages a balanced diet as the primary source of nutrition, she acknowledges there’s one supplement everyone in the UK should consider. “Vitamin D is really difficult to get because we just don’t have enough sunshine,” she explains. “From October to March, we recommend everyone take a vitamin D supplement.”
For those tempted to stock up on an array of other supplements, she offers a word of caution. “A varied, balanced diet can provide almost everything you need,” she says. However, certain situations – like recovering from antibiotics or specific health conditions – might warrant short-term or individualised supplementation.
Chintal’s advice for the new year
At the start of the new year, many people set resolutions around health and weight loss. Chintal suggests focusing on quality over calories. “Calories have their role, especially for weight loss, but it’s more important to focus on the quality of what you’re eating,” she says. “An avocado might have more calories than a packet of crisps, but we all know which one is healthier.”
Her advice for making lasting changes is to take a long-term view. “In January, everyone feels the pressure to be perfect, but it’s about making sustainable changes,” she says. “Focus on adding more variety to your diet, not restricting it. You’ve got the whole year to improve, so take it step by step.”
For those ready to kickstart their journey, Chintal has created a meal plan for Good Food that ticks off all the essential boxes: quick, easy and packed with nutrition. “It’s guided, so it’s less daunting, and you’ll see how achievable the 30 plant points concept really is.”
Why good food matters
For Chintal, food is about much more than nutrition. “Good food is about enjoyment, connection and culture,” she says. “It’s about cooking, eating and sharing meals with others. That’s what makes it so special.”
Her ultimate comfort food? A Gujarati thali. “It’s a big plate with lots of little dishes – dhals, curries, rotis and salads. It’s like having all your favourites on one plate.”
Chintal shares her best piece of healthy eating advice: “Focus on what you can add to your diet, not what you’re excluding. Add more variety, more plants, more colour. Everything else will fall into place.”
