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.

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.?

A little sugar is nothing to be ashamed of, and although it can be replaced by sweeteners in your tea and coffee, sometimes there?s nothing quite like sprinkling a little on your cereal in the morning, or indulging with luxury chocolate. Indeed, even if you?re dieting, it can be difficult to avoid sugar which is used not only to sweeten food but add texture, mass, pliability and crispiness. It?s an easy assumption to think we have a good idea what foods have a high amount of sugar in them. Show anyone a can of full fat soft drink and they?ll tell you it?s full of sugar, but will they do the same for a healthy looking chicken meal or a load of bread?

Considering how much attention has been weighed on the amount of salt in your food ? the government ran a series of adverts warning of the dangers of salt a few years ago – sugar has remained largely out of the spotlight. This is the despite the fact that it can cause a variety of problems in high consumption including diabetes and tooth decay. It is also one of the leading contributors of obesity in adults today.

Sales of health food have rocketed in the last decade as we are continuously told that modern unchecked diets are making more people unhealthier and obese than ever before. It?s easy to assume that supermarkets will have played to this fact, offering foods that are lower in sugar, salt and fat than they did years ago. This isn?t the case however, especially in the case of sugar, whose usage has doubled since the 1970s. In some cases such as bread and cereal, the amount of sugar has actually doubled in thirty years.

A survey conducted by ?Which?? Magazine found that certain chicken ready meals from the leading supermarkets contained more sugar than a standard service of ice cream. In some cases healthier items labelled with brands like Weight Watchers actually had more sugar in them than their standard counterparts, added to compensate for the lack of salt and fat.

So how can you cut down on your intake of sugar? Here are a few tips:

? Chocolate and sweets are well known for their sugar quantity and although healthier foods might include more than we expect, it?s still chocolate that is one of the main offenders when it comes to sugar consumption. If you don?t want to give up on chocolate completely, consider forcing yourself to cut back by buying smaller ?fun size? bars.

? Switch drinks like coke to diet, but be aware that ingredients like aspartame (which replaces sugar in many soft drinks) have also been claimed to be detrimental in large amounts. Less well known is that fruit juice is also high in sugar, so be wary when buying and dilute them first.

? Foods such as cheese, meat and fish are generally much lower in sugar content than other foods but the sauces and condiments like ketchup can contain a high amount, so watch out what you?re putting on your food.