{"id":412692,"date":"2025-09-10T08:38:28","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T08:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/412692\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T08:38:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T08:38:28","slug":"from-marmite-to-tabasco-the-everyday-foods-tim-spector-says-can-improve-your-gut-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/412692\/","title":{"rendered":"From Marmite to Tabasco: the everyday foods Tim Spector says can improve your gut health"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was while munching through a slice of Marmite<\/a> on toast<\/a> and doom-scrolling Instagram that I first stumbled across Tim Spector<\/a>\u2019s latest revelation: this divisive spread, beloved and loathed in equal measure, might actually be good for me. Not just for its salty umami hit, but for my gut<\/a>. Hurrah \u2013 a health win I didn\u2019t even need to try for.<\/p>\n

Because Marmite, Spector explains, is a ferment. Not in the bubbling-kimchi<\/a>-on-your-countertop sense, but because it\u2019s made from yeast leftover from brewing beer. Technically, it\u2019s dead by the time it hits the jar, but it still contains proteins and B vitamins, including high levels of B12, which a recent study showed could help ease anxiety<\/a> and depression<\/a>. \u201cA lot of people have Marmite regularly,\u201d Spector says, \u201cand in people who have it for years on end, it could well be beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before you rush out to stockpile Marmite, the point is less about toast-as-therapy and more about the hidden ferments we overlook every day. According to Spector, the roll call of everyday ferments is longer and stranger than you might think. <\/p>\n

\u201cMost people are surprised at soy sauce and Tabasco,\u201d he says. Even ketchup<\/a>, before Heinz industrialised it, was a fermented food<\/a>. \u201cThen you\u2019ve got the dead fermented foods, like chocolate<\/a> and coffee. Beers are also a good example. Some highly filtered beers have no dead microbes at all, while in other ones you\u2019ll be getting quite a lot of dead yeast in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is where things get interesting. For years, the orthodoxy was that if microbes were dead, they were useless. Spector himself once thought the same. \u201cInitially, I was very down on anything that was killed or pasteurised. I thought they were conning people,\u201d he says, \u201cbut it turns out they may still have some benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now he calls them \u201czombie microbes\u201d \u2013 organisms that, although lifeless, still interact with our bodies. Admittedly, it could do with a marketing overhaul. \u201cIt\u2019s not yet approved by food authorities to call something a post-biotic,\u201d he says, \u201cbut the public will soon know about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Spector, fermentation is less kitchen craft and more molecular sorcery. In layman\u2019s terms, it\u2019s \u201cfood that has been transformed by microbes into something that tastes different and has different health properties, and usually it allows it to be preserved longer,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

If cupboard staples like Marmite are at the lower end of the spectrum with zombie microbes, at the top end are the \u201cPremier League\u201d ferments: kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha. These are the stars of his new book Ferment: The Life-Changing Power of Microbes, which mixes research, recipes and a call to arms for a more microbe-friendly way of eating. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll always try and eat three ferments a day, sometimes more,\u201d he says. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s a Greek yoghurt and milk kefir for breakfast, then at lunch, maybe some sauerkraut and a salad. And in the evening, I\u2019d probably have a glass of kombucha and another kefir. If I have kimchi, it makes five, but I think three is achievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spector isn\u2019t just practising what he preaches \u2013 he\u2019s tested it. For Ferment, he set up a citizen science<\/a> project through Zoe, the personalised nutrition company he co-founded. Ten thousand people were asked to do exactly what he does: eat three fermented foods a day, every day, for two weeks. <\/p>\n

The results, he says, were striking: 56 per cent reported an improvement in mood<\/a>. Many also said they had more energy, felt less hungry and noticed reduced bloating. For Spector, it was proof of concept \u2013 that fermented foods can affect not just our guts but our minds.<\/p>\n

The obvious question is: how does eating sauerkraut or sipping kombucha end up making us feel calmer, happier, healthier? \u201cWe don\u2019t know exactly. We\u2019re filling in some gaps,\u201d he admits.<\/p>\n

\"\u2018Ferment:<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

\u2018Ferment: The Life-Changing Power of Microbes\u2019 \u2013 part recipe book, part manifesto (Jonathan Cape)<\/p>\n

His best guess? When you drink kefir, for example, the microbes interact with the immune cells in your intestines and tell them to \u201ccalm down\u201d. That same message then travels through the vagus nerve (connecting your brain, heart and digestive system) to \u201csend that same signal: \u2018We don\u2019t have inflammation, all is well, you don\u2019t have to go into defence mode! If you\u2019re depressed, don\u2019t be depressed!\u2019 That\u2019s roughly what we think is happening,\u201d he explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sort of setting the thermostat lower while it\u2019s receiving these signals from your kefir drink,\u201d Spector says. \u201cAnd if you stop, it will revert. You can\u2019t just have a kefir binge once a month.\u201d<\/p>\n

The concept of microbes whispering to immune cells and signals travelling up nerves like coded telegrams sounds a little abstract, wishy-washy even, but Spector points to studies that suggest the loop is real. A detailed Stanford trial, for instance, compared people eating fibre supplements to those eating five daily ferments and found the latter showed profound shifts in immune markers. <\/p>\n

Researchers had expected fibre to win; instead, ferments came out on top. \u201cThat was the first moment I thought, \u2018wow, this isn\u2019t just speculation\u2019,\u201d Spector tells me. The team took blood daily and tracked dozens of markers and the changes were striking. What was meant to be a control arm \u2013 fermented foods \u2013 ended up stealing the show. <\/p>\n

Still, the science of the gut-brain axis is in its infancy, and the evidence isn\u2019t without cracks. Ten thousand people signed up to the Zoe trial that inspired the book \u2013 but nearly 30 per cent dropped out, many because of bloating or because they struggled to keep up with three ferments a day. Of those who remained, 56 per cent said their mood improved \u2013 about 4,000 people out of the 10,000. Not nothing, but not the sweeping majority the topline suggests. <\/p>\n

Even on Zoe\u2019s own website, the numbers aren\u2019t overwhelming: just 51 per cent of Daily30+, their wholefood gut supplement, users say they experienced improved energy, and 65 per cent felt more satisfied. Curiously, the total number of participants isn\u2019t shared.<\/p>\n

And what about the fact that it\u2019s all based on self-reported mood, which can be swayed by placebo or expectation? He bristles at the question. \u201cThat\u2019s the whole of psychiatry, it\u2019s based on self-reported symptoms. So it\u2019s like saying psychiatry doesn\u2019t exist. It does, and that\u2019s how they\u2019ve tested antidepressant drugs and things, because there are no other measures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

This is the future. All the trials about these ferments are showing that for many patients, particularly those with milder mental health issues, it works as well as drugs for anxiety and depression, obviously with far fewer side effects<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Tim Spector<\/p>\n

He acknowledges, though, that this is a new and imperfect field. One reason, he says, is that medicine is siloed. \u201cScience generally is not very good at linking up different bits of the body, because you have specialists in all those areas that don\u2019t talk to each other. You\u2019ve got the microbiome<\/a>, which is a new area, so very few specialists in it, and you\u2019re linking gastro, neuro, psychiatry and psychology. So that\u2019s one of the reasons it\u2019s been slow to be taken up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fermented foods themselves have been around for millennia, even marketed as health tonics, but without serious research. \u201cYakult\u2019s been around since the 1920s,\u201d he points out. \u201cPeople took it as a general health tonic. No one ever said, \u2018Well, Yakult\u2019s going to help your depression\u2019. They probably could have done the studies in the last 90 years, but they didn\u2019t \u2013 probably in case it was negative, and they had to withdraw their product.\u201d Insert side-eye emoji here.<\/p>\n

So where does this leave us \u2013 and should diet now be part of how we think about treating mental health? At the moment, Spector says, it isn\u2019t. \u201cPsychiatrists are even less exposed to diet advice than other specialities, and they generally dismiss patients, saying it\u2019s a waste of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he believes this will change. \u201cThis is the future. All the trials about these ferments are showing that for many patients, particularly those with milder mental health issues, it works as well as drugs for anxiety and depression, obviously with far fewer side effects. I\u2019m not saying you should treat all mental illness with diet \u2013 there is definitely a place for the drugs \u2013 but no one\u2019s sitting down and saying, this is because of your diet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, not everyone has the time, money or inclination to fill their fridge with bubbling jars of kimchi.<\/p>\n

One of Spector\u2019s goals is to make fermentation less intimidating. For those less inclined to DIY, supermarket options are fine, he insists, so long as they\u2019re alive. \u201cIf you want to get maximum microbes from your food, go for more traditional foods with the least processing and look at sell-by dates. Generally, shorter ones have more microbes,\u201d he says. \u201cIf it\u2019s got vinegar in it, they\u2019ve definitely killed it. If it\u2019s got a bit of fizz or something that suggests there\u2019s something alive in it, then they\u2019re good.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to ease into the flavours? He suggests \u201cmixing kimchi with cream cheese and spreading it on toast or mixing it in with avocado and cream cheese or scrambled egg. It\u2019s gorgeous with scrambled egg. Put it into soups and stews at the end. Some people put it in mashed potatoes, which sounds a bit weird to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"From<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

From kombucha to kimchi: Spector\u2019s kitchen experiments have even left stains on his ceiling (Handout)<\/p>\n

The only real rule to stick to? \u201cPutting the right amount of salt in and giving it time to work, which is normally two or three days. If you drop below 2 per cent salt, you can be in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

His own family, though, aren\u2019t quite as evangelical. \u201cI\u2019ve got stains on my kitchen ceiling from my experiments,\u201d he laughs. \u201cOccasionally, my wife, when I\u2019m not around, just puts some stuff in the garden and thinks I won\u2019t notice.\u201d He notices. Still, they\u2019ve changed their breakfasts to include kefir and yoghurt, and they\u2019ll happily eat sauerkraut or sip kombucha \u2013 just perhaps not with quite the same zeal.<\/p>\n

Not everyone, in other words, is convinced. Which brings us to the bigger question.<\/p>\n

Spector, like Marmite, divides opinion as sharply as the spread itself. Is he a pioneering scientist quietly building a new field, ready to say \u201cI told you so\u201d two decades from now, or a wellness entrepreneur selling hype to the worried well? <\/p>\n

Zoe, the company he co-founded, is now valued at over a million dollars. Its nutrition programme costs nearly \u00a3300 upfront for at-home tests and up to \u00a360 a month for membership. With Ferment, the science is still young, the studies imperfect\u2026 but the possibilities are tantalising. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s clear is that the microbes \u2013 alive, dead or somewhere in between \u2013 aren\u2019t going away. Spector has once again forced us to look at what\u2019s hiding in our cupboards and wonder: what else have we been missing?<\/p>\n

Simple kimchi <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Spicy,<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Spicy, tangy and fizzing with life \u2013 kimchi is one of Spector\u2019s \u2018Premier League\u2019 ferments (Issy Croker)<\/p>\n

This is a shortcut for those who want a faster recipe, cutting out the traditional two-stage salting process. Try both methods and see if you can tell the difference. You can use any whole cabbage, Chinese\/napa cabbage and\/or daikon (Japanese radish) for this recipe. <\/p>\n

Makes<\/strong>: 1 jar <\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

1 cabbage or Chinese\/napa cabbage <\/p>\n

1 daikon <\/p>\n

Sea salt <\/p>\n

4 garlic cloves <\/p>\n

1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and sliced <\/p>\n

1-2 tbsp Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru) <\/p>\n

1 tbsp soy sauce <\/p>\n

1 tbsp fish sauce (or fermented miso paste for vegans) <\/p>\n

Method<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

1. Trim the cabbage and cut it into 4-5mm thick slices. Trim and peel the daikon and cut into thin half-moons. <\/p>\n

2. Weigh the combined vegetables, tip into a bowl and add 2 per cent salt of the total weight. Using your hands, massage the salt into the vegetables until they are starting to soften, then cover the bowl and set aside at room temperature for about 4 hours. <\/p>\n

3. Combine the garlic, spring onions, chilli flakes, soy sauce and fish sauce in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add to the vegetables and mix well to coat them thoroughly. Pack tightly into a clean jar, ensuring that the vegetables are submerged beneath the brine. If necessary, add a little 2 per cent brine (ie 2g salt for every 100ml water) to cover. Press weights on top and loosely cover with a lid, then leave in a cool, dark place for 5-10 days until fizzy. Transfer to the fridge and eat within 1-2 months. <\/p>\n

Method for leftover kimchi<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

1. Chop any spare vegetables, including peppers, brassicas, carrots and onions (but avoid anything too leafy and too soft) into 4-5mm slices. Finely chop a few garlic cloves, a thumb of ginger and 2-3 chillies and add to the mix. <\/p>\n

2. Weigh the prepared vegetables and add 2 per cent sea salt and a good amount of chilli flakes (Korean or ordinary) and mix to combine. Using your hands, massage the vegetables for a couple of minutes to soften and then leave them in a covered bowl for an hour. Then, tightly pack\/squash forcibly into clean jars, making sure that the vegetables are submerged below the resulting brine. If necessary, you can top up the liquid with 2 per cent brine. <\/p>\n

3. Cover loosely with a lid, sit the jar on a plate and store somewhere dark and cool for a week, burping the resulting gas every day or so. Store in the fridge and eat within 2-4 weeks. <\/p>\n

Ways to enjoy krauts and kimchi<\/strong>:<\/p>\n