Food fads you should follow

The weekly shop can be a complicated beast. On the one hand, we are bombarded with information about what we should and should not eat. On the other, we are faced with ever-expanding ranges of products accompanied by marketing campaigns telling us why they are essential to our health. Consequently, changing our diet can seem like a monumental task.

We cannot be expected to completely overhaul the contents of our supermarket trolley every time a new health fad comes along - especially when some of the advice may not be all it is cracked up to be.

To help you negotiate the aisles, we asked some of the country's leading nutritionists and dieticians: "If you could only choose one thing ..."

Vitamin-enriched

Dr Wendy Doyle, spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association: "People who eat a good breakfast cereal have a higher overall vitamin intake. Go for a high-fibre, low-sugar cereal, but check the labels - some may be high in fibre, but also high in sugar."

Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital NHS Trust in Tooting said: "It has to be a wholegrain breakfast cereal. Be aware of vitamin-enriched 'juice drinks'. They contain so much added sugar that it negates the health benefits."

Ian Marber, director of The Food Doctor, said: "The processing and refining of breakfast cereals strips them of their natural nutrient content, so finding one that is vitamin-enriched will help you benefit from the vitamins that were there in the first place."
WD: "Take a broad-based vitamin supplement containing all the B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamins A, D and E and maybe some iron and zinc. There is no evidence to suggest that taking more than your recommended daily amount does you any more good. Do not buy them individually - some supplements are only absorbed if taken with others, so a combined supplement means you will get the full benefit from them all."
CC: "Take a broad-spectrum vitamin-and-mineral supplement like Centrum, Sanatogen Gold or Multibionta. These have a great range of nutrients at just the right level for good health - none of that rather silly hyperdosing preferred by the alternative lobbies who use vitamins almost as pseudo-medicines."
IM: "For a general one that everyone could take I would suggest a digestive enzyme, which helps you to get the most out of your food."

Organic

WD: "There isn't enough evidence to choose organic on the grounds of better nutritional content, so I would choose organic carrots because they taste like they used to."
CC: "Pass. I'm not convinced that organic foods have tangible health benefits so superior as to improve our bodies' function."
IM: "I would always buy organic chicken as much of the poultry we eat has been fed on a diet of antibiotics and growth enhancers."

Low-salt

WD: "One of the highest salt-content products is the stock cube. I would substitute this for a low-salt stock powder such as Marigold. Soy sauce is another thing that is high in salt, so try low-salt variations."
CC: "A lot of people buy processed vegetables, such as ready-made ratatouille or onion bhajis, without realising they have a really high salt content. For ready-prepared vegetable dishes choose frozen vegetables instead. They are easy to portion, there is no wastage, and, like fresh vegetables, are packed full of phytochemicals, the vegetable equivalent of a vitamin. Salt substitutes are fine, but be aware they still contain some salt."
IM: "Low-salt potato crisps are a good alternative to regular ones as the difference in taste is marginal, but eating them instead can significantly cut down on your overall sodium intake."

Sugar-free

WD: "Soft drinks have a very high sugar content. It is much better to go for a sugar-free drink with added nutrients, such as some barley waters. If you're looking for no added sugar rather than sugar free, I always recommend a good fresh fruit juice."
CC: "Why not try jelly. Don't worry about E numbers. These are just additives that all European countries have reviewed and found safe. In fact, many are nutritionally beneficial, like E300, which is vitamin C and E160, which is beta carotene."
IM: "Carbonated drinks contain up to six teaspoons of sugar per can. Water or juice would make a better drink."

GM Free

CC: "GM is not an issue in conventional dietetics. After all, what is a cherry tomato, a seedless grape or satsuma than a genetic aberration?"
IM: "We don't yet know the longterm effects of GM food on our bodies, so my advice would be to avoid them all where possible."
CC: "Cholesterol in food has little influence on blood cholesterol, but the total amount of dietary fat does. A vegetable oil may advertise itself as 'cholesterol free', but your cholesterol levels could still go up because of the fat in the oil.

Choose margarines, like Benecol and Flora Pro-Activ, to help lower your levels."
IM: "'Cholesterol free' can be misleading since 80 per cent of the body's cholesterol is made by the liver. A lot of food is cholesterol free - such as chocolate - but its high fat and sugar contents mean our cholesterol may still rise."