Broccoli is the latest vegetable being hailed as a “super food”, as scientists have announced it contains substantial amounts of the chemical sulforaphane, which helps the body keep the arteries clear so that a healthy flow of blood is maintained.

Although researchers have yet to prove whether simply eating larger amounts of broccoli is enough to make a difference, their findings add to the notion that fresh vegetables form an essential part of our daily diet if we are to maintain and improve our health, which is the principle behind the Government’s “Five a Day” campaign.

The research into the use of sulforaphane was funded by the British Heart Foundation, and it is hoped that it will lead to further breakthroughs in reducing or preventing heart disease.

Green vegetables, and in particular broccoli, have long been recognised for their health benefits. Being rich in antioxidants, they are beneficial for the skin and may even reduce the risk of certain cancers. The chlorophyll in green vegetables promotes healthy red blood cells, and nutritionists claim that eating greens can help maintain healthy blood pressure, prevent strokes and have a positive impact on the eyes and brain.

From an early age most people are trained to enjoy bland, processed food that is high in salt and sugar. When you look at the hundreds of ready meals on our supermarket shelves, it’s no wonder that people often complain that they can’t tolerate the natural flavours of certain fruit and vegetables. Often broccoli is criticised for being bitter tasting or too “strong” but we’re constantly bombarded with scientific support for the benefits of fruit and vegetables, so perhaps it’s time to re-train our palates and make some positive changes.

One approach is to change the proportion of meat and vegetables we have on our plates. Piling the plate with two thirds vegetables to one third meat is an easy principle to follow that will probably increase your intake of vegetables.

Taking care to present food attractively and to use a variety of cooking methods, including sometimes serving up raw vegetables, will maintain your family’s interest as well as avert boredom with what’s on the plate. Using vegetables to create a simple soup starter is also useful strategy, and you can hide less popular veggies easily in soups or sauces that are dominated by the delicious flavours of herbs and spices.

Planning and preparation are key in ditching convenience foods and eating a fresh, healthy diet. Freezing is not detrimental to the nutritional value of food, and therefore making and storing extra portions for use at busy times is a wise move that can help stop you reaching for the take-away menu or filling up on junk food.

See also Broccoli – the unloved superfood.

Rhian Gibbings

With autumn round the corner, it’s time to shed that dull looking, dried-out summer skin.

During the sunnier weather it’s not necessary to wear as much makeup and it’s not great to clog the skin with thick foundations, so it’s time to give the skin some TLC before winter sets in.

Beauty starts from the inside, so a good diet will help produce healthy looking skin. Increase your vegetable and fruit intake and reduce the amount of salt you eat to deal with puffiness and minimise the risk of spots and blemishes.

Health food stores often sell supplements to pep up the skin, but use discernment as it can sometimes be trial and error when finding out what’s right for you.

Start by tightening up your daily facial routine. Invest in good, natural cleansers, toners and moisturisers and start doing those toning facial exercises you promised yourself you’d try out. You’ll be surprised what a difference this makes.

Next, ensure that you’re using a good exfoliant on a regular basis. A gentle facial scrub will slough off dead skin cells that make the skin look dry or dull and leave you with fresh, new, glowing skin underneath. The massaging action that you use will also help stimulate the blood and lymph flow in the facial area, getting the circulation going and eliminating toxins.

Deal with those puffy eyes and dark circles – there are plenty of beauty products on the market that promise to soothe the eye area and draw out toxins. Using green tea bags as a poultice will really make a difference too – they’re full of antioxidants and much cheaper than chemical based cosmetic products that have just come out of the lab.

If you still want to reach for the foundation, try a lighter, moisturising product with a high SPF that will protect your skin from increased sun exposure. Experiment with colours for the eyes and lips and go for shimmer all the way – think light and bright and you’ll step into the new season looking fresh and vibrant.

Rhian Gibbings

In the current economic downturn, employers are more wary of sickness rates than ever and even school effectiveness is, in part, measured by the rates of absence amongst pupils.

With the current swine flu scare, which has been heightened by media reports that the disease cannot be treated with antibiotics, and with coughs, colds and winter bugs appearing more severe year on year, it seems increasingly important for us to take good care of our immune systems. We really need the natural defences necessary to avoid getting sick.

Research shows that a healthy diet helps maintain and boost the immune system. But even fruit and vegetables are not as good for us as they used to be! A revealing study by the University of Texas showed a marked decline in the nutrient content in fruit and vegetables over a period from 1950 to 1999.

Modern farming methods are thought to be to blame, with nutrient content being sacrificed for the faster growth rate of newer varieties of fruits and vegetables.

While the Government can claim the credit for investing in the “Five a Day” campaign to promote the consumption of five portions of fruit and vegetables daily for the associated health benefits, there is still the issue of the large list of artificial additives that are present in most of our everyday foodstuffs.

Many of these additives, known as E numbers, are present in the products we purchase from our local supermarkets as a matter of routine. Scientific research has shown artificial additives are allergens and toxins which can potentially weaken the immune system. As a result a great many of them are banned in other countries while they are still allowed in the UK.

Furthermore, we mustn’t forget about the real risk that officials will clamp down on the sales of natural remedies and supplements, perhaps forcing the public into a corner where choice is limited. Perhaps they think we will turn to the controversial solution of mass vaccination in an effort to safeguard our health.

If you look beyond the media hype, swine flu possibly poses less of a risk to the whole population than we’ve been led to believe. It could be more useful to turn our concerns to what’s in our food, where it comes from and who says it’s safe to eat.

It amounts to what sensible people have been saying for years: if we really want to keep ourselves out of the doctor’s surgery with minor ailments, there is a strong case for eating locally produced, seasonal, organic food, brushing up on our cooking skills rather than relying on pre-packed convenience foods, whatever the latest publicly-funded report has to say.

A study by Harvard Medical School suggests that eating peanuts or peanut butter at least five days a week can nearly halve the risk of a heart attack.

Peanuts appear to lower bad cholesterol, reduce inflammation in the body and boost the health of blood vessels around the heart.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School analysed the diets of more than 6,000 women who had type 2 diabetes, which can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

They found that those regularly eating peanuts had the greatest protection against heart attack and stroke. A report published in the Journal of Nutrition, claimed the risk was reduced by up to 44pc.

“Consumption of at least five servings a week of one ounce of nuts or one tablespoon of peanut butter was significantly associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.”

In Britain, it’s well known that poor diet and lifestyle has led to a surge in cases of type 2 diabetes, from 1.5 million five years ago to 2.2 5million now.

Ellen Mason of the British Heart Foundation said, “It is beneficial to include nuts in our diets as they are low in the saturated fats that raise our cholesterol. However peanut products can be full of added sugar or salt so check the label first. Also don’t forget that nuts are high in overall calories. Eating more of one food in isolation will not make a dramatic difference to your health if you are inactive and don’t have a balanced diet.”

Of course, peanuts are not really nuts but part of the legume family, which includes peas and beans. But it seems they have similar properties to nuts in general.

It would be interesting to compare these findings with results from other types of nut.