You might think its a time to put your feet up and inhale a tub of ice-cream, but eating healthily during those all-important nine months can stop your child becoming obese, and avoid mental-health and social issues.

Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia and arthritis, as well as childhood illnesses. So is sunshine and oily fish enough or should you take supplements?

From claims that fasting makes you thin and feeds the brain to the suggestion that it can even reboot the immune system, Amy Fleming looks at the scientific evidence for restricted eating.

New research indicates that cooking food bombards us with more energy than can be easily dealt with, and that eating raw food actually burns up calories. So is it time to throw away the cooker?

Do different drinks have different effects on your mood, why do funny-coloured drinks make you more drunk and what causes the worse hangovers?

The Aromafork is a fun way to experiment with flavours, but its vials of fake strawberry, banana and almond smell disgusting. Would you be happy unwrapping a molecular gastronomy kit on Christmas morning?Who, I wonder, actually uses DIY molecular gastronomy...

A good meal can comfort you and bring back pleasant memories. But are there any superfoods that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face?In Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, the narrator depicts the "powerful joy" that a tea-soaked madeleine awakes...

The MasterChef judge is far from alone. Rather than balancing the flavours, lots of people eat their food in a specific order. Some can't even bear different foods to touch on the plateMarcus Wareing is telling me the order in which he attacked his Sunday...

Very little in life can't be improved with a hot drink. They can warm us or cool us down. They help numb pain when we're ill. They even help us see the best in other peopleFew situations aren't vastly improved by putting the kettle on. ...

Studies suggest we eat more in the company of an overweight person, a man, a spouse, family members, friends ... Why is this, and is there anything we can do to control it?Eating with other people is fattening. This has been demonstrated by umpteen scientists...

An Oxford professor's research into what affects flavour, from who we eat with to background noise, has influenced food-industry giants and top chefs alike. Now his new book brings food science to the home cook, tooCharles Spence will eat just about...

Raw foodists and other campaign groups are eager for us to return to the sort of food our ancient ancestors ate. But how much truth is there in their various claims, and is there any real benefit for us in the 21st century?A friend is ...

With its doughnut eyes, meringue mouths and Wotsit hair, James Ostrer's edible art may be the stuff of nightmares, but it has also helped him kick his junk-food addictionJames Ostrer's affair with junk food began in earnest after his parents divorced....

Do they, deep down, just want to eat dirt - indeed certain people do crave soil - or is there something more subtle going on?I am all for earthy flavours. Just as there is a primal pleasure in sniffing the earthy air that rises up ...

When your bottled water tastes like plastic, it may not mean you are swallowing toxic chemicals, but it's far from refreshing. Find out what jars, tins and bottle do to your foodFood packaging has become a new whipping boy. Its excessive use devours our...

The sweet foods we crave to relieve stress have been shown to cause obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Short of a ban on sugar refinement, how can we break the habit?The race against obesity continues apace. Last week, for instance, the bid...

A study has shown that an artful plate of food tastes better - perhaps due to the effort that has been put in, or maybe for more complex reasons. How bothered are you by presentation, at home and eating out?You don't have to be an ...

While it's clearly important to supervise your children's diet, the trick is to be as covert about it as possiblePreschool children are notoriously picky eaters. I am surprised that no one has written a follow up to Go the Fuck to Sleep entitled Shut...

Tests have shown that what a woman eats during her pregnancy is easily detectable in her amniotic fluid, and the foetus develops a taste for familiar flavoursIt may be a survival mechanism that's come back to bite us on the bum, but human beings are...

High-frequency sounds enhance the sweetness in food, while low frequencies bring out the bitterness. So could sound replace sugar? And what kind of music should restaurants play?I am sitting at my kitchen table eating chocolate in the name of science....