27 Most Unlikely Superfoods (and 18 Surprising Nutritional Villains)

THE WORLD OF NUTRITION MAY SEEM EVER MORE TRIBAL AND DOGMATIC, BUT HEALTHY EATING STILL HAS ITS SURPRISES. MANY OF THE MOST BENEFICIAL FOODS ARE NOT UNPRONOUNCEABLE FRUITS OR ANCIENT GRAINS. AND WHO KNEW THAT SAUSAGES, CHEESE AND PICKLED EGGS WERE SUPERFO

Matt Hodges Performance nutritionist Hodges creates meal plans for athletes and is here to give your diet an upgrade. buffboxmeals.co.uk

We’ve long neglected goat, wrongly viewing it as lamb’s poor relative. But it’s a staple meat around the world and is finally becoming popular here. “Goat is lean, contains more protein per gram than beef or pork and is richer in iron, which helps to circulate oxygen around your body,” says Tilt. Slow-roast a shoulder for a week’s post-gym fodder. 09_ It might be less trendy than the pink-hued Himalayan granules but, like many uncool things, it’s a lot more practical. “The majority of the UK is deficient in iodine,” says Goggins, “a nutrient that keeps your thyroid and metabolism healthy.” In a pinch, this will redress the balance. Plus, Mcmaster University recently found that a low-salt diet can increase the risk of heart disease in men with healthy blood pressure, shaking up previous thinking.

11_ A handy reminder that the supermarket dip selection is a bit broader than houmous, onion houmous and, er, spicy houmous. The revival of Levantine cuisine has brought baba ganoush back to the fore. This smoky spread offers two superfoods in one: aubergine, rich in nasunin, which relaxes blood vessels, and cholesterol-busting tahini.