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Many people believe that the crux of a healthy diet is the exclusion of unhealthy foods. However, a good diet should also incorporate an increased intake of nutritious, health-boosting foods. Here are 10 of the best foods for healthy eaters to stock up on.

Although nuts are high in calories and so should be eaten in moderation, the calories in nuts come mainly from their high levels of monounsaturated fats, which are extremely good for health. Eating foods rich in these fats can help reduce bad cholesterol and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. As well as their heart benefits, nuts are also a great source of protein and are packed with fiber, antioxidants, fatty acids and vitamins and minerals. It is worth noting that peanuts are actually legumes and have different nutritional properties from tree nuts, but there are many other good options to pick from including Brazil nuts, cashews, walnuts, pecans and pistachios.

Oily fish – such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and trout – are renowned for their health benefits when eaten in moderation (between two and four portions a week). Not only are they a great source of vitamins and minerals – includingimmune-boosting vitamins A and D – but they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These super healthy unsaturated fatty acids have many health benefits, having been linked to a lowered risk of heart disease, brain damage, stroke, dementia and prostate cancer. Research findings published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology also suggest that omega-3 fatty acids can benefit eye health by halting the progress of age-related macular degeneration.

Beetroot is one of the latest vegetables to be hailed as a ‘superfood’, and looking at its reported health benefits it is easy to see why. Various studies have suggested […]

Wouldn’t it be great if you could lose weight while catching a bit of shuteye? Good news – you can! Here are five handy ways you can burn fat while you’re asleep.

Whilst proteins such as whey are perfect for a post workout boost, their rapid-absorbing nature means they’re not as effective before you hit the hay. Instead, choose casein protein if you want to boost your overnight fat burning. Casein is a gradually digested protein that can take your body around six to eight hours to break down. This means your metabolism will be kept active throughout the night, and you’ll wake up feeling energetic instead of starving.

Casein’s fat burning credentials were confirmed in a Dutch study, which discovered a boost in overnight metabolic rate following consumption of the protein. Similarly, researchers at Maastricht University found that casein enhances overnight protein synthesis, which helps to repair and strengthen muscles. When you consider that every extra pound of muscle burns 30-35 calories every day, this is an added bonus of this super-protein that should not be ignored.

That’s right; one of the most effective ways to shift those pounds while you sleep is to quite simply get more of it. With our hectic schedules nowadays sleep is often neglected, but if you want to lose weight that needs to change. Don’t believe us? A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that overweight people on average got 16 minutes less sleep per day than their regular-weight counterparts. It doesn’t sound like very long, but over time that difference builds up.

So why does sleep help keep you slim? It’s all to do with the hormones leptin and ghrelin. Leptin helps to regulate your […]

Even after analysing food packets, checking out ingredients and swatting up on calorie counts, there are certain things you may not know about your food. Here are seven food facts that may surprise you.

It is one of the most popular treats worldwide (and chocolate has many positive health benefits), so it may come as bad news to many that world chocolate supplies may soon run out. Due to political unrest and dangers to farmers in the Ivory Coast (where a large proportion of the world’s cocoa beans are grown), many fair trade cocoa farmers and trainers have fled the country and chocolate production has hit a low. It has been predicted that supplies of sustainable chocolate are set to run out, and a chocolate drought has been predicted for 2014.

From caviar (fish eggs) to truffles (an edible fungus), it seems that many of the world’s most expensive foods are made of dubious substances, and bird’s nest soup is no exception. The soup, which is an expensive Chinese delicacy, is made from a particular kind of nest that is created by bird saliva. While many of us would be reluctant to shell out for saliva, the bird nests that form this soup are one of the most expensive animal food products around.

Most of us wouldn’t class insects as a component of our diets; however, you may be eating more of them than you think and, worryingly, these may not be the only unpleasant addition to your diet. In the US, the FDA allows for “natural defects” by permitting a certain amount […]

Ever thought about adding ice to your water bottle? If you haven’t and you want to improve the amount of time you can exercise for, it might be worth giving a go. A study conducted by a researcher at Stanford University School of Medicine found that obese female participants held a hand-cooling device they were able to exercise for longer, compared to other obese women who did not hold onto a hand-cooling device.

It has been suggested that those women who held onto the hand-cooling device were able to stick at their workouts for longer because the speed that their internal temperature raised was reduced. This meant that the women did not store as much heat and were therefore more comfortable.

One strange fitness tip that is thought to work is to ditch your shoes and go barefoot. Going barefoot has been a hotly debated topic since the publication of a running book called Born to Run back in 2009. Since then, many people have begun to think that exercising without your shoes on is beneficial to both your training and your health; especially for injury prone runners. Yet the research is limited and the debate ongoing.

Those that support barefoot training, such as the group called Barefoot in Toronto, claim that going barefoot gives you better circulation, stronger bones and can even improve poor posture. Another study that lends support to the benefits of barefoot training found that running barefoot led to a decrease in energy expenditure by four per cent. This suggests that running barefoot could help improve the amount of time you spend running and possibly your race time.

If you’re a coffee fan this fitness tip is for […]

Sadly none of us are perfect and we all make mistakes from time to time, but did you know you could be putting your health in jeopardy right this second? From sitting to slouching and even the simple act of breathing, check out the 5 worst health mistakes you are making right now.

Breathing is something that most of us do without much thought. However, did you know that there is a ‘correct’ way to breathe, and – more importantly – that you are probably not doing it? The fact is, many of us go through life breathing incorrectly, yet experts believe that learning to breathe properly could help prevent many conditions including asthma, high blood pressure and anxiety.

Most of us take shallow breaths and breathe from our chests; however, breathing from the abdomen is considered to be a healthier way to breathe as it provides us with more oxygen with each breath. To help boost your physical and mental health, spend some time each day concentrating on your breathing technique, trying to focus on abdominal breathing. Incorporating regular breathing exercises into your routine is a good way to stay energized, healthy and stress-free.

Did you know that thirst can be a sign that you are already dehydrated? Yet this is something that many of experience on a daily basis, as many people underestimate the importance of drinking enough fluids. However, while feeling thirsty every now and then is unlikely to be a cause for alarm, getting enough fluids is essential for keeping your organs healthy, increasing energy levels, helping to detoxify your body, curbing hunger, improving digestion and […]