Dr Poonam Desai, a US-based emergency room physician who specialises in preventative health, has outlined 11 everyday supermarket foods that she incorporates into her family's diet to support healthy ageing and longevity.
The doctor highlighted affordable pantry staples, including frozen peas, garlic, and tomato paste, alongside traditional ingredients such as amla, moringa, and ivy gourd that are available in Asian and Indian grocers. She noted that several of the most beneficial items cost only a few dollars.
Preventative health focuses on lifestyle habits, nutrition, and early interventions to prevent chronic disease before it develops. While no single food guarantees a longer life, medical consensus and dietary research show that plant-rich diets high in fibre and minimally processed foods consistently support cardiovascular and metabolic health. Dr Desai explained that supporting long-term health does not require expensive powders or elaborate dietary supplements.
Antioxidant and fibre staples
Dr Desai regularly purchases tomato paste because it is a concentrated source of lycopene, the plant pigment and antioxidant responsible for giving tomatoes their red colour. Processing and cooking tomatoes breaks down plant cell walls, making lycopene more bioavailable so the human body can absorb it more easily. She includes tomato paste in her family's diet for its potential benefits to skin, heart, and prostate health, adding that it easily integrates into soups, pasta sauces, curries, and stews.
The humble pea is another trolley essential for Dr Desai, who revealed that her children eat them frequently. One cup of peas delivers approximately 9g of fibre and 8g of protein, providing both plant protein and dietary fibre that help make meals filling while supporting digestive health. She also recommended frozen peas as an inexpensive and nutritionally useful option that keeps in the freezer for months.
To increase daily fibre intake, Dr Desai recommends basil seeds. A single tablespoon of basil seeds provides about 7g of dietary fibre, which supports healthy cholesterol levels, aids digestion, and helps regulate blood sugar. Similar to chia seeds, basil seeds swell and form a gel when soaked in liquid, making them easy to stir into puddings, yoghurt, and drinks.
Vegetables for cholesterol and blood sugar
Okra is another fibre-dense vegetable Dr Desai incorporates into her regular diet, noting that a single cup contains around 4g of fibre. She said that okra "grabs cholesterol and takes it out" of the body during digestion. Though its distinctive texture can divide opinions at the dinner table, okra can be roasted, grilled, or cooked in stews and curries.
Amla, also known as Indian gooseberry, is prized for its extraordinarily high concentration of vitamin C. Dr Desai described amla as containing "more vitamin C than any fruit." The small green fruit has been used for centuries in Indian cooking and Ayurvedic traditions, the ancient traditional Indian system of holistic medicine. Vitamin C functions as a powerful antioxidant and is essential for immune function, iron absorption, and collagen synthesis, which maintains skin and tissue health. Amla can be eaten fresh or purchased in dried, frozen, or powdered form.
Ivy gourd is a small green vegetable widely consumed across parts of Asia that Dr Desai identified as one of the more unusual items on her shopping list. She dubbed the vegetable "nature's metformin" because of its potential effects on blood glucose, stating that it can lower fasting glucose levels.
Metformin is a standard prescription medication used worldwide to manage high blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. While scientific research has investigated ivy gourd for potential glucose-lowering properties, experts emphasise that food should not be treated as a substitute for prescribed diabetes medication, and individuals managing blood sugar conditions should continue following professional medical advice.
Seeds, spices and preparation techniques
Dr Desai also recommends black sesame seeds as a rich source of calcium, healthy fats, protein, and minerals. However, she emphasized that preparation is key to unlocking their nutritional content. Rather than swallowing the seeds whole, she advises grinding them first so the body can absorb their nutrients before sprinkling them over breakfast bowls, stir-fries, or salad dressings.
Garlic is another budget kitchen staple on Dr Desai's list due to its potential benefits for blood pressure and cholesterol levels. To maximize its health properties, she recommends crushing or chopping garlic before cooking it. Crushing triggers an enzymatic chemical reaction that produces allicin, the active sulfur compound responsible for many of the medicinal and health effects associated with fresh garlic.
Cumin is another pantry staple Dr Desai keeps for its antioxidant properties and potential benefits for blood sugar and blood lipids. A traditional spice across Indian, Middle Eastern, and North African cuisines, cumin is used to flavour rice, legumes, curries, and vegetables. Dr Desai noted that she cooks cumin in oil or ghee rather than adding it raw, which helps release its fat-soluble aromatic compounds and nutrients.
Fermented foods and plant nutrients
Aged cheese is one of the few animal-derived products on Dr Desai's shopping list. She selects aged cheeses such as cheddar as a practical source of vitamin K2, a nutrient found in certain fermented foods that plays a key role in bone and cardiovascular health. She described aged cheese as an accessible way to obtain vitamin K2 without having to eat natto, the traditional Japanese dish of fermented soybeans known for its sticky texture, powerful aroma, and exceptionally high vitamin K2 content. She noted, however, that portion control remains important due to the saturated fat and sodium in cheese.
Finally, Dr Desai highlights moringa, a plant widely cultivated and consumed across tropical regions and South Asia. Rich in plant protein and iron, moringa leaves can be eaten fresh, while dried moringa leaf powder is increasingly available in health food stores and mainstream supermarkets.
Rather than relying on expensive commercial superfoods, Dr Desai's diet combines everyday budget staples like peas, garlic, and tomato paste with traditional global ingredients. She emphasized that the fundamental key to healthy ageing is dietary variety, combining fibre-rich vegetables, seeds, herbs, and spices with essential protein and micronutrients, rather than searching for a single miracle ingredient.
