Uperfoods:

Salt to coconut sugar, the number of superfoods seems to e day. They’re hailed as nutritional heroes, but do they really p to the hype? Dietician investigates

lThey’re being added to everything from cakes and cookies to muffins and muesli, and are often combined with white chocolate and raspberries. Macadamias, like most nuts, are rich in many nutrients. But they also contain more fat and calories than other varieties, coming in at around 750 calories and 78g fat per 100g.

Almonds have around 580 calories and 50g fat per 100g – a better choice for your waistline. They’re also richer in most nutrients, with at least double the iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and copper. Almonds also have almost six times more bone-strengthening calcium and 17 times more vitamin E. Coarse, fine, rock, Cornish and Himalayan – posh salts are frequently used by food bloggers and self-styled nutritional gurus, who claim they contain more minerals and are natural, therefore healthier. But gourmet salts contain the same amount of sodium – responsible for increasing blood pressure – as regular salt, so are no better for us. Also, they often come in larger crystals or flakes, so we tend to use more.

We should cut down on all types of salt – experts recommend no more than 6g a day. To help achieve this, it’s best to avoid adding salt to cooking or at the table. If you do still use it occasionally, measure it out with your fingertips and opt for a regular fine-grained salt.