Top 10 Healthy Foods of 2021

Every year a handful of ingredients move from the specialist shelf to the weekly shop, and 2021 belonged to fermented dairy, pulses and the less glamorous end of the vegetable aisle. What unites them is density: a lot of nutrition for very little on the plate.

Kefir led the list. A single glass carries a broader range of live cultures than most yoghurts, and its mild sourness works as easily in a marinade as it does over granola. Edamame followed close behind: a complete protein that cooks in four minutes from frozen.

Also on the list: tinned sardines, whole oats, beetroot, walnuts, red cabbage, lentils, sweet potatoes and eggs. None of them are new, and that is rather the point. The foods that survive a decade of scrutiny tend to be the ones already sitting in the cupboard.

Our advice is to add rather than subtract. Fold a handful of lentils into a bolognese, swap half the rice for barley, and let the rest of dinner stay exactly as it is.