Eating five pieces of fruit and vegetables a day is a great way to keep our bodies healthy. Scientists have also found that eating healthy food can also keep our brains healthy. We also know that if we don’t eat regularly our brain will not have enough fuel to work properly. If we get hungry for example, we can start to feel angry – sometimes known as being hangry! Most superheroes seem to need to eat a large amount of food due to their high levels of physical activity and their superpowers. For example, Thor can be found tucking into healthy portions of food at Asgardian banquets. And Peter Parker (aka Spider Man) is often found snacking on the best street snacks of New York, such as churros or a deli sandwich.

As well as making sure that we don’t skip meals, it is also important to eat the right balance of foods. One of the reasons we need to eat a diet high in fruit and veg is to make sure our gut (the passageway from our stomach to our bottom) is healthy. Scientists have recently found that our gut supplies the brain with important neurotransmitters. A neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger that allow nerve cells (including those in our brains) to talk to each other. Unfortunately, we can’t ask Antman to use Pym technology to shrink down and have a look in our guts to see what bacteria we have in there. Therefore, scientists working in this area have to ask people to donate samples of their poo! The scientists then have a look to see what bacteria are in the poo samples. What scientists have found is that the more good bacteria you have in your gut the less likely you are to get ill. Some scientists also think that the type of bacteria you have in your gut might also affect your mental health.

In order to keep your gut happy, you need to eat a wider variety of foods like nuts, pulses, fruits, and veg.  Scientists also suggest that you should try to eat fermented foods, like yogurt and kimchi. Some of our favourite superheroes don’t have a good diet and eat a lot of junk food. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have a weakness for pizza, while Captain America enjoys apple pie. However, quite a few superheroes do understand the importance of a balanced diet. Elastigirl from the Incredibles is always trying to get Dash to eat his vegetables. And Alfred has been seen bringing Batman a lovely green spinach smoothie for his 3pm breakfast. What is important to remember is that we should eat a balance of healthy food and treats. So, although Iron Man enjoys a cheeseburger, we also know that he likes fresh fruit, like blueberries.