A McDonald’s muffin marketed as a healthier option contains more salt than one of its burgers.

The fast-food chain’s low-fat blueberry muffin has 1.7g of salt – more than in three packets of ready-salted crisps.

The figures come from health campaigners who claim that simple coffee-break snacks are part of the reason the nation is overdosing on salt every day.

Hidden salt in processed foods is said to be fuelling high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks, leading to thousands of premature deaths.

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This week marks the start of my new weekly column in Weekend magazine. I’ve been doing bits and pieces for the Mail over the last 12 years but I’ve never been a formal member of staff before, so this is really exciting.

A lot has happened during those 12 years. We’re in a weird climate at the moment, the recession has definitely taken the sparkle off stuff and
Britain has become quite polarised.

On one hand there’s a massive chunk of people that haven’t got a clue where their food comes from, hardly ever cook from scratch and eat prepacked meals or takeaways every night of the week.

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In a case of life imitating art, Sex and the City star Kristin Davis has adopted a little girl.

The 46-year-old actress just revealed she took her new baby, Gemma Rose Davis, home a few months ago.

In a picture released by the star, she is seen tenderly cradling the new arrival in her arms.

‘This is something I have wanted for a very long time,’ Kristin told America’s People Magazine.

‘Having this wish come true is even more gratifying than I ever had imagined. I feel so blessed,’ Kristin added.

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Many of us know that legumes – lentils, split peas, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans – are good for us. They’re rich in protein, fibre, B vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting phytochemicals.

But you may not know that Canada – Saskatchewan to be specific – is one of the world’s largest growers and exporters of these incredibly healthy foods, most notably lentils, chickpeas and dried peas.

More than 90 per cent of legumes grown on the Canadian prairies make their way to India, the Middle East, Turkey, North Africa, Europe and South America, where they end up in dishes such as daal, Greek fava, zuppa di lenticchie and Mujadara.

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In Denmark over the weekend, lovers of fatty foods including butter and pizza paid more to indulge.

The government debuted a new tax on foods containing more than 2.3-per-cent saturated fat – affecting the cost of everything from milk to oils and packaged foods. Customers will pay about $3 per kilogram of saturated fat in a product.

The tax revenue will fund obesity-fighting measures, according to the Guardian.

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You might have thought resisting that piece of chocolate cake or extra biscuit was simply a matter of exerting a little will power.

But for some of us it’s much more difficult than that – because of the way our brains are wired.

Scientists have found that a key part of the brain which stops the body from acting on impulse – and gorging – does not function as well in those who are overweight or obese.

A study by scientists from Yale University has shown that falling glucose levels lead to a loss of self-control in the brain which subsequently lead to parts of the brain craving high-calorie food such as cakes, biscuits or crisps.

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Exercising for as little as 15 minutes a day can add three years to your life, researchers say.

Just a short burst of vigorous activity, rather than gruelling hours at the gym, reduced the risk of dying early by 14 per cent and the cancer risk by 10 per cent, according to a study of 400,000 people.

Every additional 15 minutes of exercise a day further reduces the risk of early death by 4 per cent and cancer by 1 per cent.

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She’s the world’s highest-paid supermodel – and Gisele Bündchen leaves her admirers in no doubt why in her latest ravishing photoshoot.

The Brazilian beauty, who’s a natural flaunting her body in her bra and pants, donned a flaming red and sizzling reds of underwear for her latest campaign.

The 31-year-old mother-of-one showed off the latest creation for brand Hope – and showed why she’s worth a massive £92million.

Highlights include a cropped coral blazer and black tailored shorts, though casualwear is the main focus of the collection.

Wriiting about the project on her blog, she said she found it even more fulfilling than just modelling alone.

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* New fitness craze sweeping America
* Participants use silk hammocks to improve blood flow and stretch spine
* Can also form cocoons to find zen state
Aerial acrobatics and the attainment of spiritual tranquility may seem unlikely bedfellows.

Yet the two disciplines have been combined to create the latest craze sweeping fitness studios across America – upside down yoga.

AntiGravity Yoga, the brainchild of acrobat and gymnast Christopher Harrison, involves a thorough workout a few feet above the ground in a silk hammock that can close around the person inside to form a peaceful pod.

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He was dramatically fired from hit comedy series Two and a Half Men earlier this year, to be replaced by Ashton Kutcher.

But Charlie Sheen’s character in the series, Charlie Harper, faces a somewhat stickier end in the first episode of the forthcoming season.

According to reports, the jingle writing womaniser will be killed off, with cast members past and present attending his funeral.

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