Me eat vegetable: Cookie Monster wants kids to snack healthier

The nonprofit behind Sesame Street wants to use marketing tactics to get children to eat healthy

Quinoa, chia seeds and kale: superfoods or supermarketing?

Do claims of extra nutritional benefits confuse consumers or help raise overall awareness about a healthy diet?

The UK’s toothache – why children are losing their teeth

The first UK survey of the dental health of under-threes has discovered shocking levels of tooth decay, with sugary drinks often to blame. Here is more on the story in graphics and images from across the ages

Should I use sports drinks?

Luisa Dillner: Sporting stars promote them as healthy and performance-enhancing alternatives to water. But is there any evidence to support the claim?

Is it worth it? Coconut water

'Coconut water doesn't taste anything like normal water,' Stuart Heritage says. 'It tastes like slightly rancid sweat. But that's part of its appeal'

Why do I go off coffee when I’m unwell?

Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts

Which diet is best: low-fat or low-carb?

Luisa Dilner: If you want to lose weight and improve your cholesterol, is it better to cut down on bread or butter? A new study has put this to the test

Can free school meals revive the Lib Dems?

The party’s £1bn policy allows all pupils in all infant classes to get a daily hot meal. Nick Clegg took a lot of flak when it was announced – but how is it working out? Jay Rayner joins him in the school dinner queue

Spirulina: a luxury health food and a panacea for malnutrition

In the West spirulina is a niche healthfood product, but it can be used to fight malnutrition and empower the farmers in developing countries

Britons spend a year of their lives hungover. Time for a sober October?

Macmillan Cancer Support estimates – conservatively – that the average person in the UK spends 315 days in a self-inflicted fug. Here’s your chance to give your liver a break