1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:06,320 Every day, we're bombarded with conflicting information about our favourite foods. 2 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,280 One minute, we're told something's good for us. The next, it's not. 3 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,000 And we're left feeling guilty about what we're eating. 4 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,120 So we've been wading through the confusion 5 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:24,720 to separate the scare stories from the truth, 6 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:27,440 so that you can choose your food with confidence. 7 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,240 Hello, and welcome to the programme that's all about separating 8 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:36,400 the wheat from the chaff 9 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,160 when it comes to the advice we're given about what to eat. 10 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:41,960 And today we'll be looking into some of the guilty pleasures that 11 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:44,840 if we're honest we've probably all indulged in every now and again. 12 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:47,880 Whether it's snacks between meals or the odd drink or two, 13 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:49,960 many of us will still follow the old advice 14 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:52,440 that a little of what you fancy does you good. 15 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:54,840 But it now seems that may not always be the case, 16 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,400 and you can't have missed the dramatic shift 17 00:00:57,400 --> 00:00:59,840 in the official guidelines on drinking alcohol. 18 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:01,760 They were announced just after Christmas, 19 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:04,040 and they completely contradict previous advice 20 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:07,640 suggesting that the odd tipple or two might even be good for you. 21 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:09,400 So we'll be looking into that subject. 22 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,120 We'll also find out how the little treats we reward ourselves 23 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:14,880 can very quickly mean you're eating more between meals 24 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:16,560 than you would at a proper mealtime. 25 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,080 But for some of us binge-eating is now followed with 26 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,160 what you might call binge-fasting. 27 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:23,720 Cutting right back on food for a couple of days a week 28 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:25,880 while eating what you like the rest of the time. 29 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:27,920 It's a sort of all-or-nothing approach, 30 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:29,680 supposed to mean that you'll lose weight 31 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,120 while still enjoying the foods that you really want. 32 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:35,000 Sounds good to me. But, question is, does it actually work? 33 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,400 Well, we'll find out as we explore some of our more indulgent habits 34 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:40,320 and what we'll do to put them right. 35 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:43,680 Coming up on the programme today: 36 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:45,720 The truth about how Britain snacks. 37 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:47,600 Wait till you see how many treats 38 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:50,440 these workers have got squirreled away. 39 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,200 People are known to turn up around three o'clock in the afternoon 40 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,760 when they're having a lull and come and have a bit of secret sugar. 41 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,000 After those sobering headlines on whether alcohol is safe 42 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,680 we'll make sense of what it really means if you fancy the odd drink. 43 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,440 So, Doctor, should I be feeling guilty about indulging 44 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:08,600 in a pint of beer every now and again? 45 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,640 'And, as debate rages on over the fasting diet 46 00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:13,360 'that's taken the country by storm, 47 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:15,400 'we'll find out what effect cutting down to 48 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,200 'just a few hundred calories two days a week has on our bodies.' 49 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,320 When it comes to snacks, are you a bit of a demon there? 50 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:28,920 I am known to have the occasional biscuit, or bar of chocolate, yes. 51 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:31,920 And you know sometimes when you're picking away at all those treats 52 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:34,640 you're consuming a lot more than you may have realised 53 00:02:34,640 --> 00:02:37,840 and what in your mind you classified as an occasional treat, 54 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:38,880 just like Chris, 55 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,680 it has in fact become a key part of your daily diet. 56 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:44,600 So I've been uncovering our secret snacking habits, 57 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,960 not least to see if we could find any kind of healthy snack 58 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,960 that hits the same spot in the way as a lovely piece of cake. 59 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,760 On average, each of us eats more than 800 snacks every year. 60 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,600 And overwhelmingly, when we eat between meals, 61 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:02,280 the things we eat are sweet. 62 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,400 So if you're snacking on food what would you have? 63 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:08,160 Everything and anything. I eat a lot of chocolate and crisps 64 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:09,280 and all sorts. 65 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:10,720 Dried fruit, 66 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:13,600 sometimes. Maybe a Marathon or a Snickers, I think it is now, 67 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:15,920 there's just one of those living in my desk drawer. 68 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:17,520 Chocolates. 69 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:19,120 A lot of chocolates? 70 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,400 - Lots of chocolate. - LAUGHTER 71 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:22,960 Yeah, I'm studying to be a dentist 72 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,280 so I should probably shouldn't be saying this. But... 73 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:26,360 Lots of candy. 74 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:28,920 Now, what do you snack on if you're hungry? 75 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:32,800 - I try to snack on fruit now. - Do you? 76 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:36,880 Yeah, I've stopped the bread eating cos it doesn't do me any good. 77 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,480 Being a diabetic and being working outside 78 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:41,520 I tend to eat every two hours or so, 79 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:44,320 Just a little bit of substance, just to keep the machine running. 80 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:47,000 But that attitude is rare. 81 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,960 one study found that only 15% of us reach for healthy snacks. 82 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:55,200 And another concluded that we're the unhealthiest snackers in Europe. 83 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:57,480 With snacking so entrenched in our lives, 84 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:00,520 perhaps it's no wonder that there are so many headlines warning 85 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:02,120 about the consequences, 86 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:03,920 identifying the worst offenders, 87 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:05,040 or revealing that 88 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:06,640 even the healthiest-looking snacks 89 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:08,160 don't cut the mustard. 90 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:13,920 So, to find out the truth about our snacking habits, 91 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,200 we've come to a place that millions would agree 92 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,640 is where temptation takes over more than anywhere else. 93 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:21,200 At work. 94 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,000 At this law firm in Manchester, 95 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,720 snacking on sweets, crisps and chocolate 96 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:27,920 is part of everyday working life. 97 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:31,400 So if we go into the main concourse of the office... 98 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,920 Andrew Twamley is the boss of this sweet toothed team. 99 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,320 So this is Yasmin who is famous for good snacking. 100 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:40,320 Oh, look at that! 101 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,320 - Breakfast stuff. - That's a drawer full of snacks! 102 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:44,560 Erm... 103 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:46,040 Crisps, hidden away. 104 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:47,880 I've never seen in that drawer before, 105 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:49,120 I never knew they were there. 106 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:53,760 - Some treats in there. - Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho. Jess! 107 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:55,000 Look at all this! 108 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:56,160 You kept that one quiet! 109 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:57,600 She's a massive snacker! 110 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:01,560 Recent research suggests that around a quarter of men 111 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:04,400 and a third of women lie about their snacking habits. 112 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,400 But in this office, they're not shy about admitting it. 113 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,440 At the moment I've got some flapjacks in my drawer. 114 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:12,400 I can show you. They're only small ones. 115 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:14,920 Very special... 116 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:19,320 ..chocolate golden eggs. 117 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:22,120 There's no denying that this lot love their snacks. 118 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:24,720 But dietician Anna Daniels says they're falling into 119 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:26,720 the same calorie-laden traps 120 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:29,600 as she's seen in countless offices right across the country. 121 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:32,360 It's quite a sedentary lifestyle 122 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,040 just being stuck at the desk, in front of the computer, 123 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:38,280 and it's quite easy to have additional snacks, 124 00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:40,040 specially if they're in your drawer. 125 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:43,320 So you're kind of snacking on those as well as going to make 126 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:45,560 some tea or coffee and having extra biscuits, 127 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,800 and before you know it you've mindlessly snacked 128 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:49,640 on again another half of your day's intake, 129 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:51,320 which can easily happen. 130 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,920 And the trouble with snacking is that it's easy to keep 131 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:56,760 grazing without realising how much you're eating. 132 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,080 One study found that more than a fifth of people 133 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:00,600 will cheerfully crunch their way 134 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:03,400 through a large size packet of crisps, meant for sharing, 135 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:04,720 entirely on their own. 136 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:07,880 Things are often sold in multipacks or large packs. 137 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:12,320 So they're not just one portion per bag, it's many portions. 138 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:14,080 Overeating something, 139 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:16,120 someone might think they're having one bag, 140 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:18,480 but actually that bag's supposed to be, you know, 141 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:19,800 it's got four portions in it. 142 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:25,440 In the office, serial snacker Jess is next on Andrew's rounds. 143 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,320 Jess is the... Acknowledged as the office's queen of snacking, 144 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:30,680 doesn't look like a snacker, 145 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:32,400 but she's a MASSIVE snacker. 146 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:34,800 Have you got any particular examples to show us today? 147 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:36,280 Erm... 148 00:06:36,280 --> 00:06:39,520 - Ah, and they're all... - And a small other selection of goods. 149 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,440 - Oh, I've found something else. - Hot chocolate. - Hot chocolate. 150 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:46,400 Butter puffs. 151 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:50,360 So Jess here has got quite the hoard of snacks in her drawer. 152 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,720 Erm, you know, fine to have on occasion, 153 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:56,120 but if it's something that she's having on a regular basis 154 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:58,560 then she could probably try not to have them in her drawer, 155 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,280 because it's just a temptation for her to have them, 156 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:02,840 easy access. 157 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:04,880 I try to be a healthy eater. 158 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:06,080 Doesn't always work. 159 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:09,320 But I normally try and start the week off reasonably healthy 160 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:11,160 and it normally goes downhill from there. 161 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:13,960 I can normally resist walking past the biscuits a couple of times 162 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:16,520 on the way into the kitchen, but by the third or fourth time, 163 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,280 I've caved, I've conceded, and yeah, there's normally a pile on my desk. 164 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:23,480 And Jess's willpower isn't helped by her colleague Victoria's 165 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:25,040 home baking. 166 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:28,200 I've made some chocolate muffins with buttercream, 167 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,040 and then I've made the famous Tiffin cake 168 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:33,320 that Andrew really loves, so he'll be eating this. 169 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:38,920 Well, the sugar...that was like four tablespoons, I think it was. 170 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,960 So that's quite a lot and the butter... 171 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:44,320 quite a big dollop of that. 172 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:45,920 About 4oz, I think it was. 173 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:48,200 I know the recipe in my head now, 174 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,160 but it looks good to eat, doesn't it? 175 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:53,960 but if they saw the list of ingredients they might think twice. 176 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:56,760 What's in it? 177 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:59,640 Just a bit of chocolate, bit of syrup... 178 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:03,520 Digestive biscuits, which I think are quite healthy, aren't they? 179 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:04,960 SHE LAUGHS 180 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:06,760 If only that were true! 181 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:10,680 Now, birthdays and special occasions almost certainly call for cakes 182 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:14,160 but it's very easy for home-made treats like this to become the norm. 183 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,360 There's often a culture that can be created in the office, 184 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:20,640 and rather than it becoming a treat, 185 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,240 it becomes something that's happening regularly. 186 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,600 So...on a weekly basis, and before you know it, 187 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:27,880 people are eating more cake, 188 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:31,880 and it's just becoming part of their normal dietary intake. 189 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:33,520 And of course, with no wrappers, 190 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:35,200 it's impossible to keep track on 191 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:38,280 how many calories Victoria's Tiffin contains. 192 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:40,000 Chocolate Tiffin cakes, 193 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,960 I think they're about maybe 400 calories per slice, 194 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:44,760 and then you've got the other muffins 195 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:46,760 which might be a couple of hundred calories. 196 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,440 So that's like almost having lunch over again. 197 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:54,240 Cos in a light sandwich there can be about 350, 450 calories. 198 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,360 So you're almost eating lunch twice in a day. 199 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,760 You're having these additional calories, really, 200 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:02,240 from all these extra snacks, 201 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:05,560 which yeah, can absolutely be double their intake 202 00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:08,280 of what you might need just for a normal day. 203 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:10,840 The time we apparently are most likely to snack 204 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:12,760 is around three o'clock in the afternoon, 205 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:16,000 suggesting we haven't eaten the right lunch to fill us up. 206 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,640 But sometimes we're just craving something sweet, 207 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,960 so I've come to meet nutritionist Yvonne Bishop Weston 208 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,880 to see why we have such trouble controlling those cravings, 209 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:26,760 in particular for chocolate. 210 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:28,440 What is it that's released in the brain 211 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,000 when somebody gives you a box of chocolates, and you think, 212 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:32,920 "I'm just going to have one, or maybe two" 213 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:35,360 but in the end you want to eat the entire box? 214 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:37,400 Well, there have been studies that have shown 215 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:39,400 that certain reward centres in the brain 216 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:41,400 are triggered by food such as chocolate. 217 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:43,600 So it's very possible that it is doing that in you, 218 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,640 and maybe it does that in some people more than it does in others, 219 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:47,920 Part of it is the habit. 220 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:51,240 We're brought up that chocolate and sweets and confectionary, 221 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:54,120 they're a treat, we earn them, they're our reward, 222 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,600 and a lot of us are brought up like that from childhood 223 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:58,800 and it stands to reason that as we get to adults, 224 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:01,760 we're going to want to reward ourselves with these things as well. 225 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:05,080 The sugar highs and lows created by this kind of snacking 226 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:08,360 get us into a vicious circle, and it's hard to escape. 227 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:10,600 Chocolate bars are cheap to buy, 228 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:12,320 they're available everywhere, 229 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,040 and we quickly fill up on something 230 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:16,680 that we don't actually find is the most delicious chocolate, 231 00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:19,000 it's just cheap and it's easy to fill ourselves up, 232 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,200 and that's going to lead to the blood sugar ups 233 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:23,160 which will lead to the inevitable lows, 234 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:24,280 and the desire for more. 235 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:26,920 So, do you think that because most of us are on the run all day, 236 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,400 you know, we're working, we're not getting proper food, 237 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:31,640 we're maybe eating a sandwich from a garage, 238 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:32,800 whatever the case may be, 239 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:35,360 do you think that the chocolate bar then is just a quick fix? 240 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:37,040 Anything at all to fill us up? 241 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:38,480 Yes, and it works quickly. 242 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:41,400 A lot of them have pre-converted glucose in there, 243 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:43,680 it's going to get into the brain very, very fast, 244 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:45,080 so they do give us a quick fix. 245 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:47,280 So is that the one that you say leave it out if you can? 246 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:50,080 Leave it out. Best time to have chocolate is after dinner, 247 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:52,480 when we've had a meal, we feel quite satisfied, 248 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:54,720 and we just want to enjoy the flavour 249 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:56,600 and the texture of that chocolate. 250 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:58,040 A couple of squares after dinner 251 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:00,000 aren't really going to do you any harm. 252 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:02,720 Back in the office in Manchester it's three o'clock. 253 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:04,520 Peak snacking time. 254 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:06,560 If you want to have a quick peep in our snack draw, 255 00:11:06,560 --> 00:11:08,880 we've got all sorts of naughty biscuits. 256 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:12,480 Got a little bag full of little sweetie things. 257 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:13,600 And... 258 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,760 Yeah, and people are known to turn up about three o'clock in the afternoon 259 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,840 when they're having a lull, and come and have a bit of a secret sugar. 260 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:26,320 The mid-afternoon dip, here, 261 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:29,720 which is often something people talk about in the office 262 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:31,960 at three o'clock, you know, blood sugar low, 263 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,320 when they're quite likely to reach for the chocolate bar. 264 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:39,640 But it turns out the sugar low they think they're feeding 265 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:40,960 might not actually be real. 266 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:42,480 It could simply be habit. 267 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:47,160 There's a cue, which is... It can be the time, three o'clock. 268 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:51,200 It could be hearing the rustle of crisp packets. 269 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,600 Could be knowing that someone's put the cakes in the kitchen, 270 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:55,720 that's the cue. 271 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,080 The routine then is to go have the snack, 272 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:01,200 and the reward is how it makes you feel briefly after. 273 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,960 When you feel the urge to snack, don't go to the kitchen, 274 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:07,200 don't get a cup of tea with a chocolate bar. 275 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,920 Instead, go for a five-minute walk round the block 276 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:12,080 and you've soon broken that habit. 277 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:14,400 Well...it's a nice idea, 278 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:16,200 but I can't imagine the nation's snackers 279 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,520 will ever be persuaded to give up their treats for a stroll. 280 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:21,320 But what they might be talked into 281 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,360 is switching to something more nutritious, 282 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:25,880 because the higher the level of sugar in your snack, 283 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:29,560 the more likely you are to suffer from an energy dip in the afternoon. 284 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:32,280 it's very difficult to try and eat healthily. 285 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:36,560 Having some foods that give you quick energy is a good thing, 286 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:40,800 but just making sure you're choosing healthy snacks is really important. 287 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,120 Still, there's one person in this office 288 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:46,480 whose drawers are brimming with snacks that Anna would approve of. 289 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:48,920 And what's your snacking day consist of? 290 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:52,480 Probably... two of those apples and two bananas, 291 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:53,520 if there's any left, 292 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:55,440 if you haven't eaten the bananas that is. 293 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:59,520 I never ever ever...eat Tiffin cake or any other snacks. 294 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:01,200 You do. You do. 295 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,600 No, there's no snacks in there, you won't find anything. 296 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:05,960 Phil's fruit supplies are about as good as it gets, 297 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:08,080 but be careful going for dried fruits. 298 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:10,400 A consequence of the water being sucked out 299 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:13,160 is that the sugar inside is really concentrated 300 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:15,320 which can cause the blood sugar highs and lows 301 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:17,440 just like sugary snacks. 302 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,720 Other healthier snack options might include oatcakes. 303 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,560 They've far less sugar and more fibre than a biscuit. 304 00:13:23,560 --> 00:13:27,160 However don't assume that rice cakes are a similarly good bet. 305 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:29,360 They tend to release their energy quickly, 306 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:32,880 which might leave you reaching for another snack before you know it. 307 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:36,360 Anna recommends wholegrain popcorn without a sugary coating 308 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:37,960 as a really decent choice. 309 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:41,920 And seeds and nuts are increasingly popular as a more wholesome nibble. 310 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:43,800 But choose your nut carefully! 311 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:45,200 Although high in protein, 312 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,600 even a handful can go a long way in the calorie stakes. 313 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:50,760 So best of all are almonds, 314 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:52,240 pistachios, 315 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:53,400 and hazelnuts, 316 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:57,120 which are high in fibre, and will keep you feeling fuller for longer. 317 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:59,560 But let's face it, we all have a weak moment sometimes. 318 00:13:59,560 --> 00:14:02,280 And back in Manchester, after all those bananas, 319 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:05,840 even fruit-loving Phil just can't resist some of Victoria's Tiffin. 320 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:07,120 12 out of ten for that. 321 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:12,120 Are your snacks adding up to an extra meal? 322 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,120 If you find that afternoon chocolate bar too hard to resist, 323 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:17,160 and healthy snacks too tough to find, 324 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,680 then head to: 325 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:21,800 for lots of ideas for healthy alternatives 326 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:24,120 that WILL satisfy your craving for snacks. 327 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:31,440 Now, it's not so long since we all lapped up newspaper headlines 328 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:34,640 declaring that a glass of wine or a pint of beer a day can do us good. 329 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:36,160 But in January this year, 330 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:39,000 the official Government advice on drinking alcohol changed, 331 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,440 and make no bones about it, 332 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:42,120 they were setting one thing straight. 333 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,200 It said there is NO safe level of alcohol consumption. 334 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:47,520 I'm not asking how much you drink or anything like that 335 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:49,480 but does that bother you, the new guidelines? 336 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:52,080 They don't bother me, but I certainly preferred the old ones, 337 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:54,920 I must admit, but there's still one niggling question in my mind. 338 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,960 Was all that about a glass of wine being good for you just rubbish, 339 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,360 or are the new guidelines being over-cautious? 340 00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:07,280 The average Brit spends more than £50,000 in their lifetime 341 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:08,320 on alcohol. 342 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:10,280 Whether it's a big night out on the town, 343 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:12,360 or a glass or two of wine at home, 344 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:14,680 there's no doubt that booze is a central part 345 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:15,880 of the lives of millions. 346 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,200 Which is why the Government's new guidelines 347 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:22,640 on how much is safe to drink caused such a stir. 348 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,640 For 20 years, the recommended limits had stayed the same. 349 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:29,200 A weekly maximum of 21 units of alcohol for a man, 350 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:31,680 and 14 units a week for a woman. 351 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,720 And the impression many of us got from the old guidelines 352 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,320 was that a bit of booze wasn't all that bad. 353 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:39,960 But in January all that changed. 354 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:43,480 New official guidelines say there's no safe level of drinking alcohol. 355 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,280 Even a small amount can raise the risk of cancer. 356 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,080 The new guidance came just as the nation was recovering 357 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:52,560 from a Christmas hangover, 358 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:54,760 and caused instant controversy. 359 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:57,200 Headlines honed in on the much bleaker assessment 360 00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,400 of the risks than we'd heard before, 361 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:02,040 with press coverage that would either have made you terrified 362 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:03,960 of ever touching a drop again, 363 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:06,720 or convinced that the risks had been exaggerated. 364 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:10,120 I think it's all a little bit excessive, really, 365 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:12,560 and a little bit nanny state. 366 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:15,040 I don't think anyone's going to listen to it, to be honest. 367 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,480 I think people are set in their ways. 368 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:19,120 It's such a social thing, drinking, 369 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:22,400 people don't think about how many units they're recommended each week, 370 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:23,560 they just drink. 371 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:27,200 If you were confused by the news, perhaps it's no wonder. 372 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,280 In recent years we've seen plenty of conflicting reports 373 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:32,680 on whether alcohol was good or bad for us, 374 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,960 something we were already planning to look into for this series 375 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:39,160 when the news of the updated guidelines broke. 376 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:42,400 So what's the truth about this particular scare? 377 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:44,760 Well, the most obvious change is for men, 378 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,040 who've seen the maximum they should consume in a week 379 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:50,280 reduced to the same 14 unit limit as women. 380 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:54,120 But the entire new guidance is underpinned by a sobering message. 381 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:57,520 That any amount of drinking has been linked to cancer. 382 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:01,400 And it's this shift in thinking that's provoked the most discussion. 383 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:03,720 I don't think it's changed that much to what we think 384 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,080 we should be drinking in a week but again, 385 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:08,920 I don't think that actually changes consumption habits, 386 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:12,040 especially for younger people, even though they know it's probably 387 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:13,760 not best for them, 388 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:16,240 it's probably not going to stop them on a Saturday night. 389 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:17,760 We can stick to the guidelines. 390 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:19,960 Two white wines, she's anybody's. 391 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:21,040 I'm gone. 392 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,640 - Gone, I tell you. - And that's with soda in it. 393 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:25,240 Honestly, yeah. 394 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,480 SHE LAUGHS 395 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:30,120 The new alcohol advice may have surprised many, 396 00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:32,240 but there are other European countries that have 397 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,840 lower recommended limits. 398 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:37,240 In the Netherlands, it's just nine units a week 399 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:39,240 for both men and women. 400 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:41,240 In Bulgaria, women are told to drink 401 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:43,200 no more than seven units, 402 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:45,960 whilst men can drink the same as the new UK limit, 403 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:47,320 of 14 units. 404 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:48,720 That's all in stark contrast, 405 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:50,400 though, to other parts of Europe. 406 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:51,800 In Ireland and Denmark, 407 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:54,280 men are told not to exceed 21 units, 408 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:56,000 the same limit British men had 409 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:58,000 until earlier this year. 410 00:17:58,000 --> 00:17:59,600 In Spain, women are told 411 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:01,720 they can have up to 21 units too, 412 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:03,480 while the upper limit for men there 413 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:05,720 is equivalent to 35 units a week. 414 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:07,320 That's more than double the amount 415 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,880 set under the new British guidance. 416 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,480 But only the UK and Holland go as far as saying 417 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:14,120 there is NO such thing as 418 00:18:14,120 --> 00:18:15,560 a safe level of drinking, 419 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:18,560 and that staying within the 14 unit a week limit, 420 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:20,720 with several days of not drinking at all, 421 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:22,760 will lower the risk to your health. 422 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:25,040 Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies 423 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,120 says none of this is scaremongering 424 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:30,080 but instead is all based on new evidence. 425 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:31,720 Now we know it, 426 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:33,800 I would be failing in my job 427 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,920 if I didn't tell the public what I know. 428 00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:40,920 Almost two-thirds of people were reckoned to have stayed 429 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:43,360 within the previous weekly drinking guidelines. 430 00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:45,280 And by and large I was one of them, 431 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:47,920 generally sticking to the 21 units a week. 432 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,960 But now that the advice is the same for both men AND women, 433 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:53,280 14 units a week, 434 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:56,000 it's going to mean a lot of cutting down for men like me. 435 00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:58,520 But when you're out with your mates 436 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:00,520 and the conversation AND beers are flowing, 437 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:03,520 it can be easy to lose track of how much you're drinking. 438 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:06,960 I've come down to my local pub to find out what, up till now, 439 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:10,520 some of the drinkers here might have got through on a typical night out. 440 00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:12,040 Right, ladies and gentleman, 441 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:15,480 if you would like to come up and show me on a typical night out 442 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:19,360 how much beer, wine, or spirits you might be consuming. 443 00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:22,680 - I definitely have four spirits and coke. - Yep. 444 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:28,080 And then I'd probably have a wine... to tip me over a bit. 445 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:30,600 - Maybe they're a double. - Right, OK. 446 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:32,360 - So these four are now eight. - Yeah. 447 00:19:32,360 --> 00:19:33,600 SHE LAUGHS 448 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:35,560 Do you think that's a reasonable amount? 449 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:36,920 I don't drink very often, 450 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:39,280 but I think that's fine if I'm on a night out. 451 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:44,520 If the girls are with me, probably at least another two. 452 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:48,680 So that would be maybe like a bottle and a half of wine, roughly? OK. 453 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:50,520 And no, it's not a good idea. 454 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:52,040 About five pints... 455 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,800 Or if I'm staying slightly longer, 456 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:57,160 and if I'm being truthfully honest, 457 00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:59,360 I'd probably have about eight pints. 458 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:00,880 Yep. 459 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:03,880 It looks like quite a lot when it's all lined up like that. 460 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:05,120 You don't drink every day. 461 00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:07,320 I drink Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 462 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:10,440 - and normally it's spread over two, three, four hours. - Yeah. 463 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:14,920 I'm very boring, and if I'm just down here on a Friday night, 464 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:18,480 with a load of mates, I normally just have one red wine. 465 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:19,520 - Do you? - Yeah, 466 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:23,280 and then, erm, soda water with a slice of lime in it. 467 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:27,360 Only Dawn's typical night out comes within the official guidelines. 468 00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:31,080 Her two unit glass of wine breaks no rules at all. 469 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:34,120 Charlotte's four double spirits total about six units 470 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:37,040 and her extra glass of wine tops it up to about eight. 471 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:40,000 So strictly speaking that is within the guidelines 472 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:41,760 but the very clear advice now 473 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:44,720 is that we should spread our drinking out over a few nights 474 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:46,880 so it's a bit too much in one go. 475 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:48,600 As is Angela's night out. 476 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:52,600 She'd get through her entire weekly allowance in one fell swoop. 477 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:54,680 And though as the guidance recommends, 478 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:57,680 Jeff Does have a few days of the week with no alcohol at all, 479 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:00,160 he still drinks around 20 pints at the weekend. 480 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:01,760 That's around 40 units, 481 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,960 so about three times his weekly allowance in just three days. 482 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:07,320 The new guidance was published 483 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:09,600 after two-and-a-half years of consultation, 484 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:12,400 taking in a wide range of evidence from all over the world. 485 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:15,160 But its conclusion that any amount of alcohol is dangerous 486 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:16,840 wasn't to scare us into believing that 487 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:18,600 it would definitely cause a problem. 488 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,160 It was to help us better understand the risks. 489 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:23,080 The evidence is pretty clear that 490 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:24,520 alcohol does increase the risk 491 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:26,160 of developing certain types of cancer 492 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:29,880 but different cancers are affected by alcohol at different doses. 493 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:31,560 A good example of that is liver cancer. 494 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:33,000 If you stick to the guidelines, 495 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,200 you're not really at much of an increased risk. 496 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:36,760 Whereas for other cancers, 497 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:39,280 your risk of developing that cancer 498 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:41,560 increases even if you drink anything at all, 499 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:43,440 and then it's a linear increase, 500 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:45,680 so the more you drink the higher your risk, 501 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:47,880 and a good example of that is breast cancer in women. 502 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:50,920 The risk of breast cancer increases even if you have a few units a week, 503 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:52,800 compared to if you drink nothing at all. 504 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,840 When the report was published, the Chief Medical Officer was clear 505 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:58,440 on exactly how those risks break down. 506 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:00,440 Take bowel cancer in men. 507 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,680 Actually, if they drink within the guidelines 508 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:06,200 their risk is the same as non-drinking. 509 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:09,360 But if they drink up to the old guidelines, 510 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:13,360 an extra 20 men per 1,000 will get bowel cancer. 511 00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:16,200 For women, there's an even more pronounced risk. 512 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,160 If you take 1,000 women, 513 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:23,840 110 of us, that 1,000, will get breast cancer without drinking. 514 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:29,440 Drink up to these guidelines and an extra 20 women will get cancer 515 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:31,600 because of that drinking. 516 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:33,960 Double the guideline limit of drinking, 517 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:38,080 and an extra 50 women per 1,000 will get cancer. 518 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:41,400 Stats like those are why the new advice says there's no such thing 519 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:43,240 as a completely safe level of drinking. 520 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:45,360 Even so, there's no need to panic. 521 00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:49,000 If you stick to the maximum weekly amount, 522 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:50,840 which is 14 units a week, 523 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:54,440 then your risk of dying from an alcohol-related disease is low. 524 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:57,720 It's not completely abolished, but it's low. 525 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:00,040 There was one part of the report that seemed to go 526 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:01,920 against all the other conclusions. 527 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:05,000 It said that for a small group of women over 55 528 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:08,920 a very low level of drinking could actually have some health benefits, 529 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,000 and possibly protect against heart disease. 530 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:14,560 Tony Edwards is a journalist who's analysed the results 531 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:18,280 of over 2,000 studies into the effects of alcohol on our health. 532 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,160 He's in no doubt that the odd drink can be good for everyone 533 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:22,920 not just women over 55. 534 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:26,440 One of the reasons is because they've got good things in them 535 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:27,800 called polyphenols, 536 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,640 and polyphenols do very, very good things to your heart 537 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:31,880 and your bloodstream. 538 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:35,280 Hundreds of studies across the world on millions of people show 539 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:37,320 that there's what's called a J curve, 540 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:41,520 that your risk of death goes down as you start to drink, 541 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:45,320 and then the more you drink, the curve of risk goes back up. 542 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:48,880 And here's what that curve looks like, 543 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:50,800 with the key bit right at the start. 544 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:52,560 It shows that one unit a day 545 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:54,760 can be better for you than none at all. 546 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:56,400 Go on to two units, however, 547 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:58,160 and that's completely cancelled out. 548 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,360 Then beyond that, the more you drink, 549 00:24:00,360 --> 00:24:01,600 the higher the risk of dying 550 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:03,440 from an alcohol related disease. 551 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:06,200 But the proof that sticking to just one unit a day 552 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,240 actually lowers your risk is widely supported 553 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:09,880 and the Government was criticised 554 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:13,520 for apparently ignoring it when it comes to anyone but women over 55. 555 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,000 But that's not a criticism everyone supports. 556 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:19,520 People think that the J curve 557 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:21,640 has been dismissed when it shouldn't have been. 558 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:23,840 What they've done with the Government report is 559 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:26,640 that they've considered the whole balance, the whole picture, 560 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:29,720 so that's the risk of getting an alcohol related disease, any disease, 561 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:33,480 but also the risks associated with acute alcohol consumption. 562 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:35,000 When you put it all together, 563 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,360 if you drink no more than 14 units a week 564 00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:39,880 your risk of dying from an alcohol related disease 565 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:40,920 is only 1%, 566 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:44,240 which is comparable to risks of other things that you do quite often 567 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:45,720 like driving. 568 00:24:47,120 --> 00:24:49,520 The truth is while those scary headlines 569 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:51,520 about no amount of alcohol being safe 570 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:53,720 made us think the new guidelines were saying 571 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:55,760 "Every single drop is dangerous" 572 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:58,240 in fact what it was really about was bringing the risks 573 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,280 into sharper focus. 574 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:02,400 We're not being told to stop drinking entirely 575 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,440 but it does make sense to think about the amount we sometimes have. 576 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,160 So to get a sense of what might be OK for me, 577 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:12,760 I've asked Dr Shikha Pitalia to put it into context. 578 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:15,440 So, Doctor, should I be feeling guilty about indulging 579 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:17,240 in a pint of beer every now and again? 580 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:20,760 There is absolutely no reason to feel guilty about having 581 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:22,480 a pint of beer every now and then. 582 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:24,840 And as long as you know your safe limits 583 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:28,040 and are drinking within those safe limits, 584 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:29,400 it's absolutely fine to do so. 585 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:31,160 OK. Well, that's music to my ears. 586 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,960 So, in terms of my safe limits, 587 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:39,800 what should I be looking at in terms of a unit for me? 588 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:42,200 Every man and every woman is different. 589 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:44,120 It may depend on your preferences, 590 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:47,920 so do you prefer a strong lager or beer, 591 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:49,560 or are you drinking strong wine? 592 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:51,280 I do drink a fairly strong lager 593 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,560 so what would be a safe amount of pints for me to be consuming 594 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:55,960 in one sitting? 595 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,400 A pint of strong lager can actually be three units 596 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:03,160 so it may well be that with your preference 597 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:05,400 what would be considered safe and moderate for you 598 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,280 is just one pint of strong lager. 599 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,800 One pint of strong lager four times a week would take me to my limit. 600 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:15,040 So perhaps one thing I should do is swap it for something else 601 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:18,200 that stretches out those units a little bit further. 602 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:22,280 After all, 14 units could also be a bottle and a half of wine, 603 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:23,960 eight small bottles of lager, 604 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:26,040 or 14 single shots of some spirits. 605 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:28,560 I guess, like many people, 606 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:30,840 I totally get the thinking behind the new guidance. 607 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:33,160 But putting the recommendations into practice 608 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:35,160 may take a bit of getting used to. 609 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:38,760 Still to come: 610 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:42,960 Some say the 5:2 diet has almost miraculous powers, 611 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:45,800 others reckon it's just another weight-loss fad. 612 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:50,040 So what really happens when we eat just 500 calories a day? 613 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:52,560 I'm just really concerned about mood swings. 614 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:55,080 I have to say, for the first two or three days, 615 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:59,160 you may notice that your mood is a little bit off 616 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,160 so just warn everybody around you. 617 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,840 The food we eat has amazing powers 618 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:13,040 and can help our bodies conquer all sorts of common conditions. 619 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:17,880 Every day, GP Dr Rangan Chatterjee sees patients 620 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:20,400 whose problems could be helped - or indeed even solved - 621 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:22,120 by changing their diet. 622 00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:24,320 So we asked him to share some of his secrets. 623 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,960 Today he's looking at some of the foods that can help 624 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:31,640 with our hair and nails. 625 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,880 Because how we look on the outside is often about the fuel 626 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:36,160 we put inside our bodies. 627 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:39,640 In my experience, many patients don't make a connection 628 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:42,760 between the quality of their diet and the health of their hair. 629 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:46,440 Healthy hair relies on lots of nutrients, working together, 630 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,880 so the best diet to boost your barnet is one full of protein-rich 631 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:56,000 foods, lots of fruit, vegetables, beans, pulses and wholegrains too. 632 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:59,040 Together, they've all been linked to stronger, shinier, 633 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:01,000 healthier hair and scalp. 634 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:02,920 Without that wide spread of nutrients, 635 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:06,000 you might find your locks lacking or worse still, thinning, 636 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:09,760 because even losing our hair can be affected by what we eat. 637 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:13,520 Half of all men will experience baldness by the time they're 50, 638 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:16,840 while as many as eight million women will also suffer hair loss. 639 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:20,240 And in some cases, it's a result of a vitamin deficiency. 640 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:24,320 Common problems I see are hair that's falling out or thinning. 641 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:26,880 If that's the case, you might want to increase your intake 642 00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:29,000 of iron-rich foods, such as red meats. 643 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:33,040 In particular, liver is a rich source of iron, as are dried figs, 644 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:37,320 apricots, mussels, oysters, chickpeas and tofu. 645 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,080 But contrary to popular belief - 646 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:41,400 a pint of Guinness contains very little. 647 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:43,600 You'd have to down three pints of the stuff to get 648 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:46,520 the same amount of iron as you'd get from one egg yolk. 649 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:48,840 But there is an easy way to top up your iron. 650 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:50,880 If you're having something with lots of iron in, 651 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:52,920 if you have vitamin C with it you'll absorb more. 652 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:54,640 So if you're going to have a bit of steak, 653 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:57,000 have an orange with it and it helps you absorb more iron. 654 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,120 Foods that can help blood flow to your scalp 655 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:02,160 and stimulate your hair follicles are also worth seeking out. 656 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:05,640 Leafy green veg like kale and spinach are particularly key, 657 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:09,080 thanks to the iron and the wide spread of nutrients they contain. 658 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:11,400 But unfortunately no amount of vitamins 659 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:13,440 can reverse male pattern baldness, 660 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:15,120 the type that's hereditary. 661 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:18,760 Just like your hair, the condition of your nails 662 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:20,520 reflects your overall physical health, 663 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:22,880 so the more varied and nutritious your diet, 664 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,000 the stronger your nails will be as well. 665 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:27,960 But there's one very common urban myth about the condition 666 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:30,800 of your nails that Dr Rangan is very keen to bust. 667 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:33,120 Something I bet you've heard from either your friends 668 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,080 or your colleagues is that a little white mark 669 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:37,200 on one of your nails may be a sign of something 670 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,080 like a calcium or zinc deficiency, 671 00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:40,920 and generally that's not the case. 672 00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:43,640 Whilst many white marks on many of your nails might indicate 673 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:47,560 something more serious, just the odd one here or there is probably just 674 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:50,360 due to a bit of trauma, or because you've just banged your nail. 675 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:01,080 After our waist-bands have been stretched 676 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:02,920 from a little bit of over-indulgence, 677 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:06,080 many of us turn to a diet to help trim down a little bit, 678 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:08,920 and while over the years different diet plans have come and gone 679 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:11,160 the ones everyone are talking about these days 680 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:13,120 are based around occasional fasting, 681 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:15,880 so while most of the time you'll eat whatever you fancy 682 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:17,720 there are other days where you'll drop down 683 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:19,200 to about 500 or 600 calories. 684 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:21,560 So what's really happening to your body when you do it? 685 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:24,600 We wanted to find out if fasting's all it's cracked up to be. 686 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:28,600 Diet fads come and go, 687 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:31,040 but it's been a while since any plan for losing weight 688 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:34,360 has taken off quite so spectacularly as the 5:2 diet. 689 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:38,320 It captured the public's imagination 690 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:41,440 after being the subject of a BBC Horizon documentary 691 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:43,240 back in 2012. 692 00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:45,080 And it's easy to see why. 693 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:48,960 For five days of the week, you stick to the food you'd normally eat. 694 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:51,640 But then, on two non-consecutive days, 695 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:53,920 you cut your calorie intake dramatically, 696 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:56,640 to around a quarter of what you'd normally have. 697 00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:58,800 And it's claimed that the days you eat less 698 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:01,000 can help you lose around a pound a week. 699 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:04,520 But ever since we first heard of it, 700 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:07,880 the 5:2 diet has generated headlines with fervent supporters 701 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:09,600 praising its benefits, 702 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:12,400 and cynics questioning if it lives up to the hype. 703 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:17,720 I tried the 5:2 diet but it just didn't work for me. 704 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:20,680 I had no energy, I had to stay in bed all day and, yeah, 705 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:24,080 I just don't think it was the right diet for me. 706 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:26,240 My dad's actually trying it at the moment 707 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:28,200 and he's lost quite a lot of weight on it, 708 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:30,680 but similarly, he doesn't have a lot of energy. 709 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:33,840 Not tried it, no. Could do with doing a diet. 710 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:35,360 So, I mean... 711 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:39,240 Over the course of life we try most diets. 712 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:40,680 Doesn't sound too bad. 713 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,760 I know friends of mine who have challenging jobs who do do it 714 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:46,760 and cycle to work and cycle home and get through the day 715 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:48,640 but, yeah, I'd rather not. 716 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:52,160 I'd rather try and eat less all the time than do something drastic like that I think. 717 00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:56,400 5:2's fans make some really bold claims about the powers 718 00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:59,680 of fasting, with suggestions that it might help prevent cancers 719 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:02,960 and Alzheimer's, and even reverse diabetes. 720 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:06,240 Lots more research is really needed to substantiate all that, 721 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:09,760 although there is evidence that a very low calorie diet can put 722 00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:11,920 type two diabetes into remission, 723 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:14,120 as it forces the body to use fat 724 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:16,880 that's stored around vital organs for energy. 725 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:19,240 But whatever the truth of its long-term benefits, 726 00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:22,360 there's only really one thing most people want to get from the 5:2. 727 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:24,480 And that is to lose weight. 728 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:27,600 And on that point, critics says it's a short-term fix 729 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:28,920 to a long-term problem 730 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:32,480 because, like all diets that temporarily cut your calorie intake, 731 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:35,560 unless you're prepared to stick with this regime forever, 732 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:39,600 the weight you lose will most likely go back on when the fasting stops. 733 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:43,680 Tania MacDonnell from Leicester has been a yo-yo dieter for ten years, 734 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:46,640 and is keen to find a strategy that works long-term. 735 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:49,280 So she's about to try the 5:2 diet, 736 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:52,400 with the aim of losing 5st for good. 737 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:56,320 Ideally I would love to lose the weight I have piled on 738 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:58,440 so if there is any way to do that 739 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:00,200 then that would be fantastic. 740 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:02,600 To help Tania get to grips with 5:2, 741 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:07,200 we've asked Dr Chidi Ngwaba to give her a crash course in how it works. 742 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:09,840 He's a well-known lifestyle doctor who's long believed that 743 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:13,000 there are benefits to this kind of occasional fasting. 744 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,800 But he's not surprised that Tania's main worry is 745 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:17,520 how to get through the two days 746 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:20,320 when she'll be eating a maximum of 500 calories, 747 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:23,600 just a quarter of the average daily total for a woman. 748 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:27,480 I'm just really concerned about being hungry. 749 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:29,880 The good news is depending on what you eat... 750 00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:33,240 if you eat foods that will allow energy to be slowly released 751 00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:36,320 into your blood stream, you're not going to get a big insulin spike 752 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:40,240 and that actually can start to make you feel very hungry. 753 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:41,880 So, complex carbohydrates, 754 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:44,200 wholegrains, things like that 755 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:47,200 that will slowly release sugar into your system. 756 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,320 So you are not going to feel hungry all day as well, 757 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:50,680 and actually it can fill you up. 758 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:55,680 The foods Dr Chidi would recommend Tania has on her fast days 759 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:58,760 include wholegrains such as brown rice and porridge, 760 00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:00,080 protein-packed eggs, 761 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:04,880 and complex carbs like green peas, potatoes, beans and lentils. 762 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:08,920 500 calories made up of those foods can go a long way. 763 00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:11,920 But even though Tania's favourite treats are off the menu 764 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:13,360 on her two fasting days, 765 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:16,480 she can still have them the rest of the week, can't she? 766 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:20,760 Weight loss is just about burning up more calories than you take in, 767 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:23,680 and the 5:2 diet is just a simple way of doing that, 768 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:26,440 but if you over-indulge on the five days, 769 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:29,400 it will really negate everything you have done on the other two days. 770 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:33,960 Before Tania starts, she has one more question for Dr Chidi 771 00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:36,800 and it's not about what the diet's going to do to her body, 772 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:37,880 but her mind. 773 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:41,360 I'm just really concerned about mood swings. 774 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,120 I have to say for the first two or three days, 775 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:48,000 you may notice that your mood is a little bit off, 776 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,040 so just warn everybody around you, 777 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:52,880 but after that, after about three or four days, 778 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:54,800 you'll be back to normal as your body adjusts 779 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:56,960 - and you will be completely as you were. - OK. 780 00:34:58,120 --> 00:34:59,800 Armed with Dr Chidi's advice, 781 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:02,000 the next day Tanya kick-starts her diet 782 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:05,080 with the first of her two fasting days this week. 783 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:06,920 Right, well, it's Sunday morning, 784 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:10,080 and its the day one of the fasting diet today. 785 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:13,320 So, hopefully, that will be all good and I won't be too hungry. 786 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:17,040 Obviously, today I don't really see a problem. 787 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:20,520 I do tend to get moody if I am hungry. 788 00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:24,440 While it's usually recommended anyone on a diet like this 789 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:28,360 splits their 500 or 600 calories into two meals on a fast day, 790 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:30,000 there aren't any prescriptive rules 791 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:32,560 about when - or how often - to eat. 792 00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:35,360 And Tania's decided to have all of today's maximum 793 00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:39,120 intake of 500 calories in one main meal this evening. 794 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:41,200 She'll eat nothing at all until then. 795 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:42,640 So, with no food coming in 796 00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:44,920 to produce the glucose she needs as fuel, 797 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:47,800 her body will look for other stores of energy instead. 798 00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:51,080 This process actually does start to take place on day one. 799 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:54,200 Because once your glucose stores have been depleted 800 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:56,400 your body will need energy from somewhere, 801 00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:59,520 and it will immediately start to take it from your fat stores. 802 00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:02,240 Usually from your gut, from around your organs, 803 00:36:02,240 --> 00:36:05,280 that what we call visceral fat. 804 00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:08,000 This fat-burning process is called ketosis, 805 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:11,000 and it's at the heart of all diets based around the idea 806 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:12,840 of intermittent fasting. 807 00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:14,840 5:2 may have hogged the headlines, 808 00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:18,040 but there are plenty of alternatives along similar lines. 809 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:19,880 Take the Warrior diet, for instance. 810 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:23,680 No food for 20 hours, and then one big meal for dinner. 811 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:25,800 Or there's time-restricted feeding, 812 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:28,760 where you eat two meals in one narrow timeframe 813 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:30,920 but nothing else for the whole day. 814 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:32,440 But back in Leicester, 815 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:34,480 after having only liquids all day, 816 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:36,840 Tania's finding the lack of food inside her 817 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:39,960 is having a negative impact on her emotions. 818 00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:43,120 I went to the shop and I think I might have been getting moody 819 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:45,280 because people were obviously getting in the way 820 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:47,920 and I was getting a little bit frustrated. 821 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:49,360 As Tanya's finding out, 822 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:51,480 it can be tricky for our bodies and minds 823 00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:55,160 to adjust to the unpredictable nature of most fasts. 824 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:57,520 And the unexpected problems that can result 825 00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:01,600 are one reason why dietician Dr Anna Daniels recommends caution 826 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:02,920 before rushing into one, 827 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:05,680 especially without taking advice from your GP. 828 00:37:06,720 --> 00:37:11,000 Someone who undertakes a fast might find that they become really 829 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:14,520 fatigued, they might get dizzy, they might get irritable, 830 00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:16,880 they might experience some constipation, 831 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:19,320 because they're not having enough fibre in their diet. 832 00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:22,800 Fasting also shouldn't be undertaken by everyone. 833 00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:25,600 So it certainly should not be undertaken by pregnant women, 834 00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:30,800 or adolescents, and they need specific amounts of protein, 835 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:35,760 carbohydrate and micro nutrients for optimal growth and development. 836 00:37:38,240 --> 00:37:41,560 So far, Tania's coping with no major side effects. 837 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:44,320 Her first fasting day is over, and what a way to end it. 838 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:46,880 She's just eaten her only meal of the day, 839 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:48,280 which had less calories 840 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:51,240 than you'd find in a standard-sized chocolate bar. 841 00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:56,240 I had two poached eggs, around 100g of spinach, 842 00:37:56,240 --> 00:37:57,880 and about 100g of asparagus, 843 00:37:57,880 --> 00:38:00,160 so, lots of salt and pepper, very tasty. 844 00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:03,920 So this evening's meal totalled about 195 calories. 845 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:06,840 I'm not anticipating eating anything more now 846 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:10,360 and I think if I do get hungry I think I'll just go to bed early. 847 00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:14,880 I did wake up about half-past two 848 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:18,880 thinking it was actually the morning, so that's how good and much sleep I had. 849 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:20,720 Well, I was very hungry at that point, 850 00:38:20,720 --> 00:38:23,240 but I had a glass of water, went back to sleep. 851 00:38:23,240 --> 00:38:27,760 And it's now about eight o'clock in the morning 852 00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:31,640 so I will have breakfast soon and set off for work. 853 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:34,480 And this morning's brekkie is something 854 00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:36,440 Tania's very much looking forward to. 855 00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:38,760 Her next fast day isn't for another two days, 856 00:38:38,760 --> 00:38:41,680 but Dr Chidi is very keen that Tania remembers that 857 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:43,800 she shouldn't go crazy with her eating today. 858 00:38:45,240 --> 00:38:46,640 So it's important to understand 859 00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:49,400 that when you go back to a normal day's eating 860 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,720 you should be mindful of what actually you are eating. 861 00:38:52,720 --> 00:38:55,560 So if you are eating things that are very high in calories, 862 00:38:55,560 --> 00:38:57,600 your body will still respond as it always did, 863 00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:00,680 and you'll start to lay down more fat and produce more fat. 864 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:02,880 Those calories will still add up, 865 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:06,120 so if you eat so much that you counterbalance everything 866 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:08,000 that you've lost in the two days, 867 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:10,720 well you're still going to put weight on. 868 00:39:10,720 --> 00:39:13,560 It's one of the most common side effects of fasting. 869 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:16,320 The very act of depriving yourself of something one day 870 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:19,040 might make it easier to overeat the rest of the time. 871 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:23,680 Someone who's undertaking a fast might then crave carbohydrate 872 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:26,160 and crave food and then on the off days, 873 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:28,360 or times that they're not supposed to be fasting, 874 00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:30,160 they're going to be eating a lot more, 875 00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:32,680 and that can have actually a detrimental effect, 876 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:35,120 and really undo all the good work that they would have done 877 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:38,560 by trying to reduce their calorie intake. 878 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:41,640 40% of all dieters give up in their first week. 879 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:44,680 But as her second fasting day, tomorrow, comes around, 880 00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:47,360 Tania's determined not to throw in the towel. 881 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:51,480 I'm hoping it's going to be a bit easier than I anticipate. 882 00:39:51,480 --> 00:39:56,360 I have to say on Monday I was hungry after only having 195 calories 883 00:39:56,360 --> 00:39:59,840 the day before, so I did seem to worry about food most of the day 884 00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:02,880 but I didn't overeat, 885 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:07,120 I managed to stick to what I would normally have during the week. 886 00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:10,240 So I'm going to have for breakfast a smoothie. 887 00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:14,520 This will consist of around about 300ml of almond milk, 888 00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:16,680 a largish handful of spinach, 889 00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:20,560 and some blueberries and strawberries all whizzed up, 890 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:22,920 and that equates to 119 calories 891 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:24,560 so let's see how we go. 892 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:28,400 Tania's smoothie might be low on calories 893 00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:30,040 but it's very high on nutrition. 894 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:32,720 And what's on the menu for lunch is equally wholesome. 895 00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:34,160 Had a poached egg, 896 00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:38,480 around about 100g each of spinach and asparagus, both steamed. 897 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:42,000 Not really thought about food until it was getting near to lunchtime, 898 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:47,000 really, whereas I would have thought on what I've eaten this morning 899 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:49,720 I would have been just thinking about food all day. 900 00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:51,840 And hoping to grab what I could. 901 00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:54,560 Um, so, no, it's been fairly easy. 902 00:40:54,560 --> 00:40:56,240 Dr Chidi isn't surprised 903 00:40:56,240 --> 00:40:58,400 that Tania's finding her second fasting day 904 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:00,400 less of a challenge. 905 00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:03,080 So on day two, and subsequent fasting days, 906 00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:06,920 it actually get psychologically easier to maintain the fast 907 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:09,440 throughout the day. It's not such a big hurdle. 908 00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:12,880 And that's just because we just adapt to it, we're used to it. 909 00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:15,280 And knowing that it's not going to be a prolonged fast, 910 00:41:15,280 --> 00:41:17,680 you're going to have five days when you can eat normally, 911 00:41:17,680 --> 00:41:19,360 and only two where you're fasting. 912 00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:24,720 The rest of the fasting day proved surprisingly straightforward. 913 00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:32,240 My meal this evening was 50g of the leanest steak I could possibly find 914 00:41:32,240 --> 00:41:36,520 and 100g of steamed asparagus 915 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:39,960 and about the same of cauliflower mash. 916 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:43,640 And I think in total my calorie count for the whole day 917 00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:46,640 is 356, so again I've been under. 918 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:53,000 Yeah, it's good. I thought I'd be struggling on 500, 919 00:41:53,000 --> 00:41:54,640 and wanting more like 1,000, 920 00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:56,680 but the two days have been OK. 921 00:41:56,680 --> 00:41:59,440 Definitely think it's a mind over matter thing, 922 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:02,040 so I think you have to get your head into the right place with it 923 00:42:02,040 --> 00:42:04,440 and do your best with it. 924 00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:06,680 But the 5:2 diet is no quick fix. 925 00:42:06,680 --> 00:42:08,640 To maintain any benefit long-term 926 00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:10,280 you really do need to stick at it, 927 00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:13,480 which is why some experts question whether fasting really is 928 00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:15,360 a long-term solution. 929 00:42:15,360 --> 00:42:18,960 What fasting doesn't do is it doesn't look at the diet as a whole 930 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:21,560 and balance of what you're eating. 931 00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:25,360 There may be other ways that you can lose weight. 932 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:29,360 Increase your exercise, just eat more fresh fruit, vegetables, 933 00:42:29,360 --> 00:42:31,120 more wholegrains, 934 00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:33,960 it's not necessary to fast, really. 935 00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:39,280 I think a balanced, healthy diet is far more evidence-based, 936 00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:42,160 and better in terms of long-term weight loss. 937 00:42:42,160 --> 00:42:45,200 That's the official position of the NHS as well. 938 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:47,480 But signs are emerging that some of the claims 939 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:52,840 made for the 5:2 diet's wider health benefits do have a scientific basis. 940 00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:55,560 And while clearly more clinical data is needed 941 00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:59,280 before there is anything approaching consensus on this particular topic 942 00:42:59,280 --> 00:43:01,600 the anecdotal evidence supporting the diet 943 00:43:01,600 --> 00:43:03,800 continues to make headlines. 944 00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:08,160 As for Tania, in just seven days she could see the benefits of the diet. 945 00:43:08,160 --> 00:43:11,720 But she's since decided to lose weight another way instead. 946 00:43:11,720 --> 00:43:15,560 I'm really pleased to tell you that I lost a couple of pounds in that week. 947 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:18,160 It's not something I've carried on, I have to be honest, 948 00:43:18,160 --> 00:43:20,920 the reason being I've got a friend whose a nutritionist 949 00:43:20,920 --> 00:43:22,960 and she's given me a plan to follow, 950 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:26,000 basically cutting out carbs, sugar, and dairy. 951 00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:28,200 She may not have stuck with it this time. 952 00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:31,000 But Tania hasn't ruled out trying fasting again. 953 00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:34,520 The fact that you can be relatively good for five days 954 00:43:34,520 --> 00:43:40,320 and extremely good for two days I think is fairly achievable. 955 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:43,400 If you're going to do it. then I wish you all the best of luck, 956 00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:46,000 and I'll probably do it again in the future. 957 00:43:50,080 --> 00:43:52,760 If you're like us and you're partial to a mid-afternoon treat, 958 00:43:52,760 --> 00:43:54,560 but you don't want to pile on the pounds, 959 00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:57,200 remember you can find a collection of ideas and recipes 960 00:43:57,200 --> 00:44:00,760 for healthy snacks at: 961 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:03,560 And on the website there's more information about the subjects 962 00:44:03,560 --> 00:44:05,520 we're talking about throughout the series. 963 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:08,000 But I'm afraid that's where we have to leave it for today. 964 00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:10,080 Thanks very much indeed for being with us 965 00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:12,560 and I hope you've picked up some really useful tips 966 00:44:12,560 --> 00:44:15,520 that mean you don't have to give up all the things you enjoy 967 00:44:15,520 --> 00:44:16,760 in order to stay healthy. 968 00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:19,320 So until the next time, thanks so much for joining us. 969 00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:20,440 - Bye-bye. - Goodbye.