Eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, pulses and soy products. Eat foods in their natural and unrefined state, and make them organic if possible.

Omega-3 fats

Eat omega-3 fats, found in oily fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel, walnuts, flaxseed and green leafy vegetables every day. Avoid unhealthy fats. These include saturated animal fats and transfats and hydrogenated fat found in baked and deep-fried foods.

Eat good carbs

Replace refined carbohydrates (white bread, sugar, pastries, white rice) with unrefined carbohydrates such as wholewheat pasta, brown rice, fruit, vegetables and nuts.

Spice it up

Herbs and spices are like superfoods. Bursting with antioxidants, it’s likely they strengthen gene expression. Use a wide range – garlic, mustard, turmeric, rosemary, thyme – in your cooking.

Reduce inflammatory foods

Reduce foods such as refined wheat and sugar, dairy, coffee, fizzy drinks and red meat.

Nutrient-dense foods

Choose foods with the most nutrients per calorie, such as fruit and veg (dark berries, green leafy veg, avocados), oily fish, nuts and wholegrains.

Drink more tea

Tea contains a variety of antioxidants called polyphenols that reduce the risk of most chronic diseases. Drinking green tea each day is linked to a 25 per cent lower risk of death from almost all diseases.

Moderate alcohol

Enjoy alcohol but keep consumption down to one to two units a day. Low levels of alcohol combat stress and white and red wine are rich in plant chemicals that protect the arteries.

Avoid caffeine

Found in colas, energy drinks, coffee and black tea, caffeine boosts stress levels which, when chronic, has an adverse effect on genetic expression.

(The above recommendations are taken from guidelines issued by the Preventive Medicine Research Institute and have been found to offer protection from other chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease – it’s likely that they strengthen overall gene expression. The more you follow the healthy diet rules, the more regularly you exercise and combat stress, the stronger your genetic make-up will become.)