FIVE WAYS TO PREPARE...

HOW to get the most nutrients out of food. this week: Rhubarb

1. STEW IT GENTLY: There are more polyphenols (compounds thought to reduce the risk of heart disease) in baked or slowly stewed rhubarb, compared with if it is cooked rapidly at a high temperature or left raw, according to a 2010 study in Food Chemistry.

2. COMBINE IT WITH DATES: Avoid adding refined sugar by pairing it with naturally sweet dates, which also provide fibre and minerals.

3. COOK IN ORANGE JUICE AND ZEST: As well as tasting delicious, this also adds vitamin C — rhubarb on its own is not very rich in this nutrient. 4. SERVE WITH MACKEREL: A rhubarb salsa cuts through the oiliness of this fish and counts as one of your five a day. To make salsa for four, combine 250g blanched rhubarb with the zest of an orange, half a chopped cucumber, 1 tbsp of honey, and chilli and coriander leaves to taste. 5. ADD CUSTARD: Rhubarb has more calcium than most other fruits (almost a tenth of the recommended daily amount in 200g of the stewed fruit), so adding custard turns it into a bone-boosting treat (but keep an eye on the sugar content).