A little of what you fancy...

So, tomorrow is the first day of your new, healthier diet. Gone will be all those harmful vices that may satisfy your hedonism but do nothing for your fitness and figure. Before you throw out everything that looks indulgent in your food cupboard and fridge, though, consider this - much new research shows that a little of what you fancy is actually good for you. So this year, enjoy tempting treats without feeling guilty.

Wine

Scientists have developed a white wine that is as good for you as red. The new wine, Paradoxe Blanc, has antiageing antioxidants increased to the same level as those in red wine. Like red wine, it is also rich in flavinoids - substances that protect blood vessels and the heart from fatty deposits, which can help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Paradoxe Blanc has recently gone on sale in France and should be available soon in the UK.

A report in the British Medical Journal has also discovered that red wine contains an anti-fungal compound which is converted in the body into a powerful cancer-fighting agent.

White wine, too, may have unexpected health benefits, although it is not yet understood why. American researchers recently discovered that people who drink mostly white wine have a greater lung capacity than those who drink mainly red wine.

Cider

Next time you settle down to a glass of West Country scrumpy, remind yourself smugly that it could be as good at preserving your youth as a cup of green tea.

Researchers analysing the components of cider have discovered it to be a surprisingly rich source of vitamins C, E and beta-carotene, all of which protect the body from age-related degeneration.

Martini

Antioxidants in James Bond's favourite tipple could be the key to the secret agent's - and your - good looks.

A study of the antioxidant properties of shaken-not-stirred martinis found them highly effective at deactivating hydrogen peroxide - a toxic substance that causes ageing and disease. Of the two components in martini - gin and vermouth - vermouth contributed most to the anti-ageing properties. However, a combination of the two was most powerful.

Coffee

Coffee after a meal could fight tooth decay - Italian researchers have found evidence that it has properties which stop bacteria from combining with saliva and sticking to tooth enamel, where it can cause cavities. In the study, published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Science, researchers tested a variety of coffees and found that all types performed well, but that instant coffee was better than brewed at acting against bacteria.

Butter

Use butter on your bread rather than margarine. This is because all margarines involve a process called hydro genation which involves turning vegetable oils into hard fat - however, this turns healthy unsaturated fats into damaging ones called trans-fats. These are linked to raised cholesterol levels and increase the activity of free-radicals - molecules that contribute to cancer and ageing. Overall, margarines contain around 20 times more trans-fats than butter. So butter is healthier, providing you limit overall consumption.

Cream and Mayonnaise

Foods associated with high cholesterol such as clotted cream, mayonnaise and eggs are considered so bad for our cardiovascular health that many of us have tried to cut the offending items out completely. But did you know we all need cholesterol - the body uses it to make the stress hormone cortisol, and the sex-hormones oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone? Cholesterol is also needed to make vitamin D in a skin reaction present in every cell of our body. It helps shunt disease-fighting vitamins A, E and K into our cells.

Women who don't eat enough cholesterol can stop menstruating because of low oestrogen levels. Cholesterol and fats are also essential for brain function, and low cholesterol levels reduce the number of receptors for the mood- regulating brain chemical, serotonin.

A Finnish study found that people low in cholesareterol suffered more from depression and suicidal tendencies.

Beer

Researchers in Canada and the US have found that beer, especially darker ales and stouts, may reduce the incidence of arterial clogging and cataracts by as much as 50 per cent.

Ales contain high levels of the B vitamin folate - also found in green leafy vegetables - which lowers levels of homocysteine, a compound linked to arterial clogging. Beer is equally rich in antioxidants, which appear to protect the eyes against age-related damage.

Jaffa Cakes

Professional athletes swear by Jaffa Cakes as one of the best sources of refined carbohydrate. Containing carbohydrate but virtually no fat means their energy can be utilised faster and more effectively by the body than snacks containing fat. In addition, fuelling muscles with sugar-rich carbohydrates can help muscles recover, reduce aching and may even boost the immune system.

To maximise athletic performance, Justin Henry, a London-based fitness trainer, recommends eating five Jaffa Cakes prior to exercising and a further five after every hour of exercise you do.

Chocolate

The latest research into chocolate, presented earlier this month, has found that theobromine, a chemical in chocolate, is more effective at treating coughs than sucking a lozenge. The research, by the National Heart and Lung Institute, at Imperial College London, could lead to a new breed of treatments for tickly coughs.

In fact, chocolate, which is high in cocoa solids (60 per cent or more), is now recognised as having many beneficial health qualities. In particular, chocolate contains essential trace elements and nutrients such as iron, calcium and potassium, and vitamins A, B1, C, D and E.

Cocoa is also the highest natural source of magnesium, a mineral which helps combat hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, joint problems and pre-menstrual tension.

Chocolate appears to be a particularly good source of disease-fighting antioxidants - a recent study showed that dark chocolate contained four times more polyphenol antioxidants than kidney beans, which have one of the highest levels found in fruits or vegetables. The levels in cocoa powder were even higher; it was found to contain seven times more antioxidants than the beans.