Healthy Eating Plan

Peanuts

Boost your defences

Not shopping at Whole Foods? Dry-roasted peanuts actually contain 22% more bug-beating antioxidants than raw ones.

Macadamia nuts

Heal your heart

These underrated cardio champions are a rare source of omega-7, which cuts ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol levels by 9%.

Pumpkin seeds

Pre-gym cocktail

With testosterone-boosting zinc, and magnesium for strong muscle contraction, these are like ZMA capsules – but tasty.

Pistachios

Little green pill

The best closing-time bar snack going: a few handfuls a day improves genital blood flow, say Turkish scientists.

Almonds

Ditch your gut

US research saw almond-munchers shed 64% more fat than nut-dodging dieters with an identical calorie intake.

Brazil nuts

Have a happy monday

Just one provides your entire RDA of selenium, low levels of which have been linked to depression. You’re not nuts.

Chia seeds

Swerve the ice bath

These are a rich in DOMS-fighting omega-3, with bone-building minerals, too. Chuck them in a pre-match smoothie.

Sesame seeds

Live to be 101

A 40g heap of sesame a day lowers artery-clogging LDL cholesterol by 9.5%. No, there aren’t enough on a Big Mac.

Walnuts

Productivity x 100

Brain-shaped for a reason: in a new study, half a cup every two days improved subjects’ critical-thinking ability