What Not To Eat - c4 Tuesday 8pm

[FurForksSake]

I couldn’t find a thread, so I thought I’d start one.

Tonight was episode 2/4 and it’s presented by Tim Spector.

My first impression is that I really miss Michael Moseley.

They appear to have found a couple in their mid 60’s that live on pies and wine. They are trying to get them to reduce UPF but that appears to be the least of their issues really.

Tjere was an interesting point about chopping certain vegetables and leaving them 15 minutes to allow them to release some chemical that improves heart health. I’ll be looking into that.

It’s not that unusual - 5.8million Brits have diabetes and 20-30% of the UK has acid reflux

If it has preservatives it is UPF.

His spiel isn’t about losing weight but about eating healthy. So if it’s healthy, unprocessed treats With good fat then he promotes that. Not everyone needs to limit their calories - my husband is 6ft and 63kg despite eating all day!

Also they’re a cookie not a biscuit. Cookies are usually a one and done dish like a dessert not a snack.

I read him as a ‘food is fuel’ man not a ‘food is joy’ man. Which makes him less likable than Michael Mosley or Dr Christian.

Please pay a dietitian not a nutritionist. Dietitians are the healthcare professionals that deal with diet. They are regulated and have hospital placements etc to be qualified. Nutritionists are just people who call themselves nutritionists. They’re not regulated, it’s not a protected term.

It’s a good point, reducing upf isn’t necessarily about weight it’s about health. Perhaps it would have been a good idea to see some slimmer people with deficiencies or just explaining the cancer / t2 / fatty liver / vitamin issues.

We need to understand the reasons and ways to fight decrepitude and for us to have a healthy life without the issues. Increases fibre, protein and nutrients combined with cardio and weight training should be pushed so hard. Explaining that upf are going to mean you are going to have a crapper and shorter life is hard to sell when it’s not necessarily poor health today. And apparently when it is poor health and your toes falling off! The poor man didn’t have any choice in being diabetic and I think it will make it harder for diabetics having this man as an example. He’s not diabetic due to his weight or diet, but those things are meaning he’s not controlling his condition as well as he could and therefore having terrible symptoms.

I didnt mention 'losing weight', you dont need to be losing weight to ensure you maintain your weight and therefore manage calories, not limiting them. I fyou never limit your calories in any way you'll end up gaining weight.

I already mentioned the good fat aspect of it, Im not averse to fat, I eat a high fat diet.

Many many many people, me included would be unlikley to be able to stick at one.

But you being unable to stick to one cookie is not a fault with the recipe. You’re making out it’s an unhealthy recipe because of the calories but it’s not unhealthy for everyone. Many people need energy dense foods as they struggle to maintain their weight as it easily drops (the elderly, athletes, tall men). Lots of people are underweight, thin or frail. What is healthy for you (lower calorie because you can’t stick to one) isn’t for another and it’s silly to act like healthy means one thing for all people.

I’ve had a crap relationship with food all my life and I don’t think I’m alone in that. When I look at nutrition labels I used to look only at calories and fat. I’m now looking at fibre and protein first and then thinking about how the food fits into my daily calories.

The easiest way to improve fibre, protein and nutrients is to cook from scratch. That’s one of the key benefits of avoiding upf. Ylu aren’t filling up on nutritionally empty food.

I didnt say anywhere it was 'unhealthy', as I dont belive in that term for any food but for one single item that is a 'snack' the balance is poor, there are better recipes out there and ones Ive made myself.

Thats what he promoted that as, a 'snack'.

You have to be realistic about what you're promoting and no where else did I imply the fact that I cant stick to one as being someone elses fault ( you seem to have made up various things out of my posts that I havent said), but that will be very similar to lots of people.

He needs to think harder about how people work in my view and I just happen to think that there are missed chances in that programme and better options.

Yes exactly, I cook virtually all my own food so there arent really labels to look at really, but then Ive done that for most of my life because I love food and love cooking but you have to have the luxury of knowing about it and enjoying it, that poor couple at the end I think possibly didnt enjoy it, the man didnt anyway, I dont think he was cooking with her was he?

The diabetic really needs to see a psychologist to really unpick why he’s not adhering to the diabetic lifestyle.

Him talking about how he ate and drank in childhood was very telling.

Yes poor thing. It would surprise me if it has been suggested but perhaps he didnt want it

I wonder if she will keep it up and what that means for them as a couple

https://www.thedoctorskitchen.com/recipes/tim-spector-s-pecan-chocolate-cookies

It's also impossible to tell because the first time I made it there were sixteen, the next time I added 20% to each ingredient (because I happened to have 100g of chocolate) and made 18. Next time I used raw cocoa nibs (so less sweet) but I must have made them bigger because I got 11 (the nibs didn't really melt, so it was harder to form the balls with loose ingredients, I put a bit more water in to help - they're still nice, but different).

I've still got some cocoa nibs, but not enough, so next time it's going to be a mix of those and plain chocolate which I think will be ideal.

I'm not 100% bothered about the calories, my focus is on health really and lower UPFs, but it's just a bit frustrating when it's his recipe and he's not made it clear. I add them to my calorie counter as 100 per biscuit.

Yes exactly, if someone is going to be proposing a snack with various aspects of them, its right to be accurate about them and not even just about the calories, if he cant be clear on that, he's not going to be clear on the fibre, protein and fat either no doubt.

Well, with some diligence (I didnt check the calories as rigorously as I normally would, I normally cross reference with several sources, this time only a few), the actual recipe to serve 12 comes out at 242 per cookie. Very slightly different macros but not significant (more protein, less fat, less carb, less sugar)

yes tho you can turn th alerts off as that’s what ex does as it annoys him when bleeps

Once I hopefully get the all clear from the allergy team I’d love the try the cookies. Ds wants to try them too. So many healthy recipes use nuts but I can’t eat them until I’m cleared.

Well, that's an insane amount for one cookie, isn't it?

I try to keep my snacks to 100-150cals.

I'll have to find a different recipe I think.

Yup.

Or could try to make 24 out of the dough?

I don't think it would work, or at least I'd have to grind up the nuts and chocolate a lot smaller, because they are quite hard to get to stick together due to these dry chunks.

I dont think the lovely Tim has thought this through enough to be quite honest.

As we've said, its a lot of calories on a 'snack' which isnt that big and while the ingredients themselves are full of nutrients, I dont think its good value for money fuel wise, weight loss or not.

Exercise is important for heart health and strength, not losing weight.

Exercise is important for metabolic health, reducing visceral fat, energy metabolism, cholesterol and cardiac health. It doesn’t help lose weight but there are lots of other benefits physically and then there’s social and wellbeing benefits too.

So i just watched this weeks episode. It did inspire me to have a glass of water with dinner (which I wouldnt normally do, unless at a restaurant!)

I think it was actually realistic for the guy to be honest about how hard it was. All the soft focus lighting and filters, asking them to wear bright colours for the "after" segement , and talking about rainbows, doesn't disguise that it is hard to drastically overhaul your diet for a lot of people.

I dont know why they cant start off with easier "short cuts" like ready chopped vegetables, frozen veg selections, lazy garlic or garlic puree. (I know thats a upf, but he allowed it!) Being presented with a massive crate of veg to chop, peel, prepare and cook is a huge change (and use of time) for people who are used to freezer food, ready meals or instant noodles. And considering the couple initially barely ate any fruit or veg, they complained about their only fruit (tinned peaches - which I didnt think were upf?)