FREE AUDIO BOOK FOR CHILDREN

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TO CELEBRATE World Book Day on Thursday, every day this week we have partnered with Simon & Schuster to give every reader the chance to download great family friendly audiobooks for FREE.

Today, you can listen to Pizazz by Sophy Henn (right) who has been a World Book Day Illustrator twice and her debut, Where Bear?, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.

Pizazz is a reluctant superhero; having powers can be annoying especially when you’re starting a new school and have to wear a cape with your name on it . . .

WE all know how important it is to get our ‘five a day’ – but a study has revealed we may not be picking the right five.

Current dietary guidelines tend to treat all fruit and veg the same.

however scientists say that only some of them help reduce the risk of health problems.

Leafy greens such as spinach, kale and lettuce were found to be some of the greatest contributors to a long life as well as those rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C, like carrots, berries and citrus fruits.

But starchy vegetables such as peas, corn and potatoes, and fruit juice had little effect, according to the study by harvard medical School and Brigham and women’s hospital in Boston.

the report found that three portions of the ‘right’ vegetables and two portions of fruit is the optimal combination for achieving a health boost.

But it said eating more than the recommended 400g a day was not linked to any reduced risk of death.

the study, which involved two million people, found that those who ate five servings of fruit and vegetables a day had a 13 per cent lower risk of death from all causes than people who had only two portions.

they were also at lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 12 per cent and cancer by 10 per cent.

Five servings also slashed people’s risk of dying from respiratory disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, by 35 per cent.

however starchy vegetables and fruit juices – which are known for their high sugar content – did not reduce the risk of death or chronic disease, according to the findings published in the american heart association’s journal Circulation.

‘Leafy greens add to long life’