I was asked to go on [1] BBC Radio Manchester again recently (no clip this time - sorry!) Tuesday afternoons seem to be North Star Delicatessen's regular moment of media glory- do you think Nigella should be watching her back? This time, they asked me to come up with the subject matter, so I had to think about something that was close to my heart - Superfoods.

It bothers me that the show's host Becky Want, and many people like her, don't cook, so instead of just giving out a load of recipes, I wanted to explain what she could get out of it if she put in a bit of effort.

I thought I'd try and get across the unknown health benefits that many seemingly ordinary foods have. It's my aim to persuade people that cooking and eating healthily needn't be boring, expensive or time consuming and some foods that we take for granted could be working magic on your body and mind.

Below is a list of common foods and their beneficial properties regarding certain conditions. Most of this information comes from one of my favourite books [2] Superfoods by Michael Van Straten and Barbara Griggs (DK)

Things you didn't know about....

Apples - Pectin and vitamin C help keep cholesterol levels stable. Pectin also helps protect us from the ravages of pollution, binding to heavy metals like lead and mercury in the body and carrying them safely out.

Garlic - Amazingly effective against cancer, heart problems, lung infections ranging from colds to bronchitis, rheumatism, arthritis and gout.

Lentils - About 100g supplies about two-thirds of an active man's daily protein needs (eat with something containing vitamin c in the same meal to improve absorption). They also contain good amounts of B complex vitamins which help avoid poor memory, irritability and other signs of nervous wear and tear. (try our own puy lentil salad with feta, red onion, parsley and sunshine tomatoes.)

Pineapples - Cures digestive problems as it contains an enzyme, bromelin, which can digest many times its own weight of protein in a few minutes. It breaks down only food and dead tissue leaving our guts miraculously unassailed.

Basically, if you can manage to make small changes in your diet like having brown rice and wholegrain bread instead of white, eat porridge for breakfast and snack on foods like grapes, nuts and seeds, you stand a better chance of being the best you can be.

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