The world of food is full of conflicting advice.
Drinking coffee is good for you; it will give you cancer.
Eggs are part of natures natural bounty; they raise your cholesterol.
So many claims, so little agreement.
Yet there is a fairly consistent body of research that points at the health benefits, or otherwise, of most popular foods.
BBC Focus magazine has sorted the facts from the fads.
Here, Dr Saleyha Ahsan and Dr Michael Mosley give their verdicts on everything from booze to butter.
There have been claims drinking coffee will increase your risk of succumbing to a whole range of terrible things.
Yet when scientists followed over 120,000 men and women for more than 20 years they found regular coffee consumption was not associated with an increased mortality rate in either men or women.
In fact, it appears to be mildly protective. But we simply dont know what it is in coffee that helps.
The amount of coffee you can safely drink without side effects, such as a temporary rise in blood pressure or insomnia, may be down to your genes, and in particular how much of the liver enzyme CYP1A2 you have. MM
VERDICT:
Two to five cups of coffee a day are fine, but side effects may be dictated by your genes.
Even though the label on the bottle says sugar-free, research suggests I shouldnt be fooled into thinking its any better for my waistline than a standard version.
According to a recent review by Imperial College London, diet drinks stimulate sweet taste receptors, potentially encouraging us to eat food as compensation.
Psychologically, we might be more inclined to treat ourselves to something unhealthy, as weve had a good low-calorie drink. I can vouch for that one.
When it comes to drinking standard drinks versus a diet drink, I still opt for diet. If Im serious about making the best choice, Ill opt for water. SA
VERDICT:
Stick to water rather than soft drinks and your body (and wallet!) will thank you.
There is a fairly consistent body of evidence that drinking modest amounts of alcohol may protect you against heart disease.
A recent study, published in the European Heart Journal, followed more than 14,000 adults aged 45 and older for 24 years and found that men and women who reported drinking up to 12 units of alcohol per week (the equivalent of around six glasses of wine) had a lower risk of developing heart failure than those who never drank.
They also found that those most likely to have died from any cause over the course of the study had been heavier drinkers, where women were drinking more than 14 units and men were drinking more than 21 units a week. - MM
VERDICT:
Enjoy up to six glasses of wine a week to potentially reduce your risk of heart failure. Any more could be hazardous to health.
A few years ago we were being told by nutritionists not to eat more than a few eggs a week on the grounds that eggs contain cholesterol and cholesterol is bad for you.
But a meta-analysis of 17 studies published in the BMJ in 2013 concluded that higher consumption of eggs is not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke.
Whether scrambled, boiled or poached, eggs are a superb source of protein, are rich in vitamins and minerals and make a great start to the day. MM
VERDICT:
As long as youre not frying them or smothering them in fat, eggs are an excellent breakfast choice.
If you believe the headlines, eating meat will stop your heart, give you cancer, and destroy the planet. The meat which is said to be a threat to health is red meat like steak, lamb, pork and mince.
One recent paper, Meat Consumption And Mortality came to the perhaps surprising conclusion that eating moderate amounts of red meat had no effect on mortality, in fact up to 80g a day seemed to be protective. B
ut theres a significant sting in the tail. The study found that eating processed meat, like sausages, bacon and ham, did have a negative effect on health. - MM
VERDICT:
Small amounts of red meat are fine, but keep the processed stuff as an occasional treat.
Most of us know too much salt is bad for us. Whats less well-known is that too little is also harmful.
We need salt for muscle and nerve activity. If we eat too little, we develop cramps and neurological symptoms, and can even die.
But most of us consume too much salt. Excess salt intake is linked to high blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease or stroke.
The NHS recommends that adults should consume 6g of salt a day, but our intake is nearer 8g.
Yet working out how much we eat can be tricky because salt is hidden in many foods.
A whopping 75 per cent of salt we eat comes from foods like bread, baked beans and biscuits, while salt added during cooking and at the table makes up a small amount of our intake. - SA
VERDICT:
Keeping salt intake down can help blood pressure stay healthy.
Chocolates main claim to health is its effect on your arteries.
In 2012 a systematic review of the effects of cocoa consumption on blood pressure, which looked at 20 studies involving over 800 people, concluded that: Flavanol-rich chocolate and cocoa products may have a small but statistically significant effect in lowering blood pressure.
But it pointed out most of the studies took place over a short period of time (between two and eight weeks) and the size of the effect was not impressive.
A more recent paper, published in the journal Heart in 2015, found was those eating the most chocolate (up to 99g a day) had the lowest risk of developing heart disease or stroke.
But there may have been confounding factors at play, such as the chocolate eaters being more active. - MM
VERDICT:
The odd square of dark, cocoa-rich chocolate isnt going to hurt, but the jury is out as to whether it will do you any good.
Plenty of studies out there show that people who eat fruit tend to be healthier than fruit-shunners, and have reduced risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
This could be because fruit contains vitamins and fibre, which are good for health, as well as antioxidants that repair cells.
A BMJ study found the risk of disease development reduced by 42 per cent for seven or more portions of fruit and veg a day.
The governments current advice sticks at five daily portions. But dont get your fruit fix by swigging back juices or smoothies. Many fruit juices contain large amounts of water and sugar. - SA
VERDICT:
Start the fruit habit early, but eat it in its natural form rather than squished into juices and smoothies.
Butter is a saturated fat. For decades, we have been advised to reduce saturated fat in our diets, because it increases bad cholesterol in the blood, which can clog arteries, causing heart attacks or strokes.
Public Health England advises people to cut down on saturated fat.
On the other hand, researchers at the University of Cambridge presented a study in 2014, published in Annals Of Internal Medicine, which stated there was no significant evidence regarding a correlation between saturated fats and a higher risk for heart disease. Hence the butter is back headlines.
But those behind the study warned against over-simplification. They had found that there are different types of saturated fats some good, some bad. The team agreed with butter being linked to bad cholesterol.
This is backed up by a recent study by researchers from Harvard, who found that a 5 per cent higher intake of saturated fats, like butter, was associated with a 25 per cent increased risk of heart disease.
VERDICT:
Not all saturated fat is created equal, but more research is needed. Stick to olive and sunflower oil for cooking, and use butter sparingly.
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Confused by healthy diet advice? Doctors offer their verdicts on everything from booze to butter - Mirror.co.uk
