There are plenty of reasons out there why children and adults shouldn?t be eating fast food regularly, including an increased risk of heart disease and a high level of obesity. Now recent research has shown we have another one to add to that list ? intelligence.

Studies have shown that children who eat junk food on a regular basis are less clever than those on a healthy diet. It is the first time a link has been discovered between junk food ? which typically contains a high level of fat and sugar and little nutritional value ? and a child?s academic ability. The finding may well cause many parents to rethink what they feed their children. Parents will need to think how snacks like hamburgers and hot dogs might affect a Childs test scores as well as their weight.

More than 5,500 children between the age of 10 and 11 were tested as part of the study. The children are at an age when many in the UK would be taking tests to determine their future academic life. The results found that there was a significant drop in test scores amongst those who ate fast food regularly, even after taking into account social and economic factors.

The average score in literary tests is 141.52, but children who had been eating junk food three times a day saw their scores drop by nearly 20 points. Those who ate junk food a more casual 4 times a week still found that their scores dropped by nearly 10 points. The study found similar results when looking at average maths scores.
Researchers said that it?s possible that rather than the food affecting scores, unseen factors such as parents attitude to school and involvement in a child?s education could also have been contributing factors.

Kerri Tobin, leader of the research conducted at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee stated: ?Continued investment in school nutrition plans, and curricula designed to make pupils and parents aware of the academic consequences of their food choices, would be one positive step that schools could take.?

Anyone remember when they were told that chewing gum will stay in your stomach for seven years after it was swallowed? That might be widely known as a myth, but there?s general consensus amongst people that gum generally isn?t much good for your body and is usually something that isn?t consider part of a healthy diet.

However, while chewing gum may not be the next new miracle food in terms of making you thin or preventing heart disease, a new study has found that chewing gum that can lead to better academic performance in schools ? an interesting discovery considering the vast majority of schools across the country ban chewing gum from classrooms.

A test performed in Texas, United States took over 100 students and separated them into those allowed to chew gum during homework and tests, and those who were not. The gum chewers did better academically seeing an average 3% rise in math test scores and better final grades. Teachers also believed that students? chewing gum paid more attention in class and were less disruptive.

?Chewing gum is an easy tool students can use for a potential academic edge.? Claimed lead researcher on the study, Craig Johnston PhD.

Don?t be too quick to hand loads of gum over to your children yet though ? the research was funded by Wrigley Science Institute. Wrigley is one the biggest producers of chewing gum in the world. Marion Nestle PhD, Nutritionist at New York University, was quick to find fault in the studies: ?Sponsored studies almost invariably produce results favourable to the economic interests of the sponsor. [They] are always designed in ways that fail to control for alternative explanations for the results?

There is however plenty of non-industry funded research that proves that chewing gum after meals can seriously reduce the threat of tooth decay and that chewing sugar free gum may help you control your weight by providing an alternative to snacking. Even if it doesn?t, you can still lose an impressive 11 calories just chewing gum for an hour.

On a diet? Every week it seems like there?s a new miracle power food will that will make you thin in a matter of minutes, or provide massive health benefits and save you from any number of illnesses. But actually, some of the healthiest foods in the world really are the ones that you are just common, everyday items you can pick up for a good price in your local supermarket. We take a look at the best, explain exactly what makes them healthy and suggest the best ways to prepare them in meals.

Figs
Why they are healthy: Figs have quite a variety of uses; as well as tasting delicious they are a good source of fibre. They are also a source of Vitamin B6 which produces the feel good chemical serotonin. They also contain a lot amount of Calcium ? more than whole milk!

How to eat them: Fresh figs can quickly go off and are delicate to handle, so choose ones which are tender but not mushy, and look for the ones with the darkest colours. You can eat the dried variety alone as a healthy snack or add them to a variety of backed goods, salads and rice dishes.

Spinach

Why it is healthy: Although it may not quite give you the same effect as Popeye, spinach is incredibly nutritious. Calcium content can strengthen bones while Vitamin A and C can help control cancer. It can even protect your arteries? for damage. Even more powerful Lutien and Zeaxanthin can prove to fight off blindness in old age. It?s also been famed for its anti aging properties.

How to eat it: Cooking spinach lightly is your best option if you want to get the most benefits from the vegetable. Spinach goes well in a variety of salads and soup as well as stir fries and curries. You can even have it as a healthy topping on a pizza.

Tomato

Why they are healthy: Tomatoes contain Lycopene which is an antioxidant that has powerful qualities and gives the fruit their red colour. Results show that regular consumption of Tomatoes can reduce stomach and colon cancer by as much as half. They can also help prevent infection and heart disease.

How to eat them: Because lycopene is absorbed easier when consumed with fat, try drizzinling olive oil over your tomatoes before eating them. As one of the most commonly used fruits there are hundreds of ways you can enjoy tomatoes although some are far healthier than others. As well as adding them to salads, you can try grilling them or even making omelettes with them.

Artichokes

Why they are healthy: The antioxidant silymarin can prevent skin cancer and the overall high fibre content of these strange vegetables can help control your cholesterol. Because they also contain insulin, artichokes are also very beneficial to people who suffer from diabetes. They are also a good source of Vitamins A and C, folic acid and potassium.

How to eat them: Artichokes are most healthy when cooked by steaming. Artichoke hearts go well with a variety of different foods including seafood and can also make an excellent soup, garnish or dip for any occasion.

Peanuts

Why are they healthy: Peanuts are higher in calories and fat than the other items in this list, but the fat they contain is unsaturated fat (commonly referred to as ?good? fat or ?essential fatty oils?), and they can significantly lower your risk of heart disease. They also provide a quick source of Vitamin D and calcium for bone strength.

How to eat the: Enjoy peanuts as a healthy snack. Unsalted peanuts are the healthiest choice available but also try to find a brand with no other added ingredients – organic brands are usually good for this. You can also enjoy peanuts by adding them to salad. You can use peanut butter in a variety of ways, including adding small amount to smoothies or spreading it over crackers.

Coffee might not exactly be known as a common health drink and it doesn?t share the status of being great for diets like Green Tea, but it could be just the thing you need if you?re planning on a doing some exercise, as a study shows that a cup of coffee before your workout really can help your progress.

Robert Motl is a professor of Kinesiology and Community Health the University of Illinois in the United States. He?s also a former cyclist and used to drink coffee every morning before his regular training sessions, believing that it helped in push harder, but never quite understanding why. Motl began a series of tests in order to discover why this happens.

Early results found that caffeine works to block the adenosine system in the brain. Adenosine is directly involved with pain processing. This led to Motl speculating that coffee could reduce pain during exercise, which further studies have confirmed. Motl wants to do more tests to see how far this pain reduction can go in improving performance in sport.

Interestingly, further studies by the professor have shown that your level of caffeine intake has little effect on the ability of the drug to reduce pain. People who regularly drink caffeine in quantities as high as four cups per day saw the same amount of effects from the drug as people with low or zero normal caffeine intake. As of yet, nobody knows exactly why.

Despite further questions being asked, Motl was excited about the progress of his research: ?One of the things that may be a practical application, is if you go to the gym and you exercise and it hurts, you may be prone to stop doing that because pain is an aversive stimulus that tells you to withdraw. So if we could give people a little caffeine and reduce the amount of pain they’re experiencing, maybe that would help them stick with that exercise.?

Athletes have already been taking caffeine before exercise along with other substances because they believe that it helps metabolise fat quicker, but now there might be an all new reason to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning.

According to recent research, a bowl of whole grain cereal can help your body recover after exercise just as well as any leading brand of sports drink. Cereal is both readily available and cheap, so it could well be a serious alternative if you want to keep the costs of your exercise to a minimum, although it obviously isn?t as portable as a bottle of sports drink.

The research was conducted at The University of Texas and led by exercise physiologist Lynne Kammer. Kammer?s team studied a twelve trained cyclists; four women and eight men, in order to complete the studies. The studies tested the athletes under normal exercise conditions, requiring them to cycle for two hours at a comfortable rate, rather than standard tests which are often completed until exhaustion.

Kammer explains the experiment: ?We wanted to understand their relative effects on glycogen repletion and muscle protein synthesis for the average individual. We found that glycogen repletion, or the replenishment of immediate muscle fuel, was just as good after whole grain cereal consumption and that some aspects of protein synthesis were actually better.?

The study has concluded that cereal may be a better option than a sports drink due to price, although both will have similar effect, post exercise. Of course, the cereal needs to be whole-grain and consumed with skimmed milk. Eating a sugar coated cereal with full fat milk won?t have the same effect and is likely to negate any exercise that has been completed.

“Cereal and non-fat milk are a less expensive option than sports drinks,? said Kammer. ?The milk provides a source of easily digestible and high quality protein, which can promote protein synthesis and training adaptations, making this an attractive recovery option for those who refuel at home.?