Five foods to boost health

Get your diet chart right for a healthier and happier you.

Faith Toogood, a nutritionist working with Spire Bristol Hospital here, has suggested tips on foods that can help in boost healthy living.

Nuts: Nuts are packed with protein, fibre and essential fats, which makes them a very healthy snack. Just a handful of nuts contain a variety of vitamins and minerals - from vitamin E to help your skin to zinc which aids fertility. The best choices include almonds, brazil nuts, cashews and walnuts.

Oats: Oats have long been associated with a healthy lifestyle and for good reason. Wholegrain oats are a good source of carbohydrate, magnesium and have a low glycemic index, which means they release energy into the blood stream slowly.

Kale: This leafy green has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and rightly so. It's extremely nutritious, widely available and cheap so there's no excuse not to give it a try. Kale is very low fat and low in calories and it's also a good source of dietary fibre, iron and calcium.

Oily fish: There is some evidence that oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines help protect against cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, age-related vision loss and dementia. Eating two portions of fish a week, with at least one of these being an oily fish, can help maintain a healthy blood pressure and reduce risk of heart disease.

Pulses and beans: Pulses include foods such as beans, lentils and chickpeas - they're a great low-fat source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals such as iron which makes them an excellent addition to a healthy diet.