A year of emotional eating? Don’t feel guilty. We need comfort, not ketosis

Many of us will leave lockdown a few pounds heavier than we started it, but there is no shame in finding pleasure in food, writes Emma Beddington

Beware sugar highs: seven healthy ways to get more energy – from stretching to sourdough

It’s tempting to use coffee and sweet treats as pick-me-ups, but they are only temporary solutions. Here’s how to keep yourself going for longer

The proffee principle: is it really a good idea to add protein to your morning coffee?

Caffeine is a stimulant, protein helps muscle recovery, and thousands of people are posting online about combining the two for a sludgy beige take on breakfast

‘Hydration is a simple thing’: has the quest to improve water actually worked?

From alkaline waters to beauty elixirs, added oxygen and probiotics, many brands claim they have ‘enhanced’ water – but what do the experts think?

More than half of snacks marketed as healthy are high in fat, salt or sugar

Action on Salt assessed 119 snacks including lentil curls and chickpea chips, finding some to be saltier than seawater

Forget the fries – here’s how we should really get our five a day

We all know we should be eating five portions of fruit and veg every day – but which fruit and veg, and in what proportions? A new study has some answers

Melting pot: 17 delicious, warming stews – from a Moroccan fish dish to Persian lamb

Popular all over the world, stew is always a comfort, whether it comes as a Lancashire hotpot, French daube or a summery mix of courgette, mint and butter beans

‘It has cost me 14 teeth’: Readers on soft drink addiction – and how to beat it

Fizzy, caffeinated drinks are on sale everywhere, and for many people it can become difficult to function without them. Is cold turkey the only way out?

The real thing: my battle to beat a 27-year Diet Coke addiction

I have been obsessed with the sugar-free soda since I was four, spending £500 a year on up to seven cans a day. This is what happened when I tried to quit

‘I feel so good I may never drink again!’ Readers on their success – or failure – during dry January

Readers explain whether they looked, felt and slept better – or if they turned back to alcohol to cheer up a miserable month