In a new era of healthy eating, George Foreman grills and vile milk shakes reveal what many of us are doing to maintain ourselves and keep our bodies healthy.

A new generation of proud, young and fit healthy men and women are leading the way. With this in mind I set out on a food discovery mission. Why do we rate certain foods so highly and what are they really doing for us? All I can say is they’d better be good if I am stuffing my face with these products.

Spinach is a person favourite of mine (mainly because I heard it provides you with a natural tan glow). Spinach is excellent for a number of reasons. It is high in iron for your blood and includes a large range of natural vitamins to help support your body. The rumours are also true that spinach is in fact a key food to help provide that summer glow so many of us aspire to without the streaks and FakeBake dilemmas.

Kale is everywhere. Another leafy green vegetable and there is no denying its rather blinking good for you. Research has shown a number of things including the fact that kale can help to reduce cholesterol and provides detoxing ‘agents’ for the body. It has even been suggested that Kale can help work as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Chocolate is another one that regularly appears in the magazines. We are all desperately looking to find ways to take away the guilt of our rapid Easter egg consumption. Well good news and bad news. The bad news is that even one Easter egg was probably a step too far as chocolate is packed with calories. Good news chocolate contains anti-oxidants and in small doses has been suggested to lower cholesterol. Yey!

My research also led me to lemons. I was strangely surprised by this as my thoughts automatically went to its acidic quality and minimal use in cooking but I take it all back. A single lemon is said to contain all the vitamin C a person needs in a day. Research is also working on the idea that lemons, like Kale, have anti-inflammatory properties and could potentially reduce the development of cancer cells.

Last but not least is the benefits of salmon, and in fact many fish. Salmon has a high level of healthy omega 3 fatty acids. Research on omega-3 seems to be incredibly hit-and-miss. While one place tells you Omega-3 supplements can help reduce cancer, heart disease, alzheimer’s… the list goes on, another will state research actually provides little solid evidence of these. Fish such as salmon provide the body with features of a balanced diet and the latest research has moved away from Omega and onto Salmons amino acid content. It is believed that these molecules can provide support for joint cartilage and inflammation in the digestive tract.

I personally will not be investing in supplements until there is much stronger evidence towards the benefits of Omega-3 however the benefits of Salmon are still clear and I will be popping it into my shopping basket regularly.

By Sophie