What Yotam Ottolenghi thinks about health and fitness
Israeli-British chef, restaurateur and food writer; co-owner with Sami Tamimi of the Ottolenghi delis and restaurants in London, and author of Plenty (2010), Jerusalem (2012) and Simple (2018).
Yotam Ottolenghi did not write this page.
We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.
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8 dated positions, 2025, in their own words. Our reading of what Yotam Ottolenghi has said — not written or endorsed by them.
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Their wordsEating regimes foster self-doubt where there is no need for it.
↗Yotam Ottolenghi: I tried intermittent fasting, and hated it. This is why we need to ditch the diets and go back to basicstheguardian.com 1st of 8 in this piece
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Their wordsThe world of diets is a trap that locks you in by messing with your head.
↗Yotam Ottolenghi: I tried intermittent fasting, and hated it. This is why we need to ditch the diets and go back to basicstheguardian.com 2nd of 8 in this piece
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Their wordsNutrients alone don’t make you healthy, but food can make you healthy
↗Yotam Ottolenghi: I tried intermittent fasting, and hated it. This is why we need to ditch the diets and go back to basicstheguardian.com 3rd of 8 in this piece
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Their wordsReplacing one “bad” nutrient (fat) with another “good” one (starch) has, most likely, been a major culprit in making us fatter and less healthy.
↗Yotam Ottolenghi: I tried intermittent fasting, and hated it. This is why we need to ditch the diets and go back to basicstheguardian.com 4th of 8 in this piece
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Their wordsThe trouble with the Mediterranean diet is that most of us don’t live in Crete, and we don’t necessarily have access to all the fresh ingredients that are cultivated there.
↗Yotam Ottolenghi: I tried intermittent fasting, and hated it. This is why we need to ditch the diets and go back to basicstheguardian.com 5th of 8 in this piece
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Our readingThere are no simple solutions in diet.
Their wordsThe idea that we can transform our diet in a radical way to make things simple – nutrients, Mediterranean, healthy, happy, satisfied – is an illusion. There aren’t simple solutions.
↗Yotam Ottolenghi: I tried intermittent fasting, and hated it. This is why we need to ditch the diets and go back to basicstheguardian.com 6th of 8 in this piece
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Their wordsWhat we eat and when needs to be removed from most conversations about health.
↗Yotam Ottolenghi: I tried intermittent fasting, and hated it. This is why we need to ditch the diets and go back to basicstheguardian.com 7th of 8 in this piece
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Their wordsWe know best what we need to eat – and when. The food our parents cooked for us, the meals we made together, the things that come naturally, instinctively, as we walk into the kitchen.
↗Yotam Ottolenghi: I tried intermittent fasting, and hated it. This is why we need to ditch the diets and go back to basicstheguardian.com 8th of 8 in this piece