Q.
A.

Is it possible to be addicted to chocolate?
Chocolate contains lots of substances including caffeine and sugar which both give you a little energy high after eating and make you feel good. However neither are actually addictive in the true sense of the word. It does however also contain 'anandamide', a cannabinoid which hooks up to the same brain receptors that catch similar ingredients in marijuana smoke. No one has really tested to see if chocolate is actually addictive, but if you feel that you are hooked, try having one Green & Blacks small individually wrapped 70% cocoa pieces of chocolate. Break the little square into quarters and put each piece one after the other under your tongue and keep it there until it dissolves (chocolate is the only food that melts at body temperature so it will dissolve if you can resist chewing it). This process gives a really intense chocolate hit and makes a little square with just 25 calories go a very long way.

Q.
A.

What are the main benefits of cutting down on salt?
On average we eat around 9 - 11g of salt a day in the UK per person. The maximum we should be eating according to the government is 6g. Many experts believe however that it should be much lower - around 3g each per day and that by cutting back to this amount we could really help to reduce our blood pressure. Doing so would have another added benefit - weight loss. Reducing salt intakes helps our bodies to release excess water it stores (which is responsible for swollen ankles and bloating). You can literally lose 3lb in weight over just a few days in this way which is great if you need to slim down quickly to get into a special party outfit.

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A.

Which is the least calorific drink to opt for at festive parties?
You know where you stand with single shots of spirits like gin, vodka and whiskey. Each gives you a unit of alcohol and when served with slimline and diet mixers contain around 50 calories each. Wine has around 80 - 95 calories per 125ml glass and counts as one unit. Be aware however that most pubs and bars now serve wine in 175ml and sometimes 250ml glasses. See our Portion Gallery for more information of Portion Sizes of wine and lots of everyday foods. Half a pint of beer or lager both supply about 100 calories and again, provide 1 unit of alcohol. Be wary of mulled wines - you never know how they are made and can be high in both calories and alcohol units.

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A.

How can I get through Christmas without piling on the pounds?
Think of Christmas in the way we used to - that it is Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Enjoy yourself on these two days and have a good time. If you let the whole festive season from November right through to New Year become an excuse for over eating then of course you will end up going into the new year quite a bit heavier.

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A.

Does drinking tea make you dehydrated?
It is a common myth that drinking tea leaves you dehydrated whereas drinking water does not. In fact scientists have shown that when drunk in normal quantities throughout the day, tea absolutely does not leave you dehydrated. What is more, tea is rich in supernutrients called flavonoids which help to relax blood vessel walls, stop cholesterol sticking to them and lower 'bad' cholesterol. Experts believe that drinking 3 cups of tea a day reduce our risk of heart disease significantly. Not only that, new research has shown that 4 cups a day helps us to deal better with stress. One average cup contains around 40mg of caffeine which is half that found in coffee.

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A.

What is my BMI and how can I calculate it?
BMI stands for Body Mass Index and is a measure which allows you to judge whether your weight is 'normal', if you need to lose a few pounds or stones, or whether you could do with putting a bit on.

You calculate your BMI by dividing your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared. Then you multiply this result by 703.

In other words if you weigh 150 pounds are 5ft 5" (65" in total) then this is what you do:

  • Multiply your height by your height (65 x 65) which gives 4, 225
  • Now take 150 and divide by 4,225
  • This = 0.0355
  • Finally, multiply this by 703 which gives a total of 24.96.

A BMI of below 18.5 is considered to be underweight

A BMI of 18.5 - 24.9 is considered to be normal

A BMI of 25 - 29.9 is overweight

A BMI of 30 and above is considered to obese

Q.
A.		 Is red wine better for me than any other drink?
Red wine contains antioxidants, especially when made from pinot noir grapes. Burgundy, Bordeaux and grapes grown in Chilean valleys are especially rich them. Although these antioxidants have been linked with helping to lower the rate of heart disease, it is actually the alcohol in red
wine which helps to relax blood vessel walls and has this potentially protective effect. This means that beer, spirits and other alcoholic drinks have the same effects and therefore are also 'good' for the heart. That's the good news. The bad news is that one drink has optimal benefits to the heart… more than three has adverse effects. There is just one caveat… if you have raised cholesterol, somewhat ironically you may be one of the minority of people who carry a certain gene for whom alcohol raises cholesterol further. Short of having a ridiculously costly genetic test to find this out, the best thing is to quite smoking, eat healthily and get active and have your cholesterol checked. If it is high then stop drinking for a month and have it re-checked, if it has come down, then giving up alcohol completely would be best for your health.

Q.
A.		 Is it best to eat all vegetables raw?
Red wine contains antioxidants, especially when made from pinot noir grapes. Burgundy, Bordeaux and grapes grown in Chilean valleys are especially rich them. Although these antioxidants have been linked with helping to lower the rate of heart disease, it is actually the alcohol in red wine which helps to relax blood vessel walls and has this potentially protective effect. This means that beer, spirits and other alcoholic drinks have the same effects and therefore are also 'good' for the heart. That's the good news. The bad news is that one drink has optimal benefits to the heart… more than three has adverse effects. There is just one caveat… if you have raised cholesterol, somewhat ironically you may be one of the minority of people who carry a certain gene for whom alcohol raises cholesterol further. Short of having a ridiculously costly genetic test to find this out, the best thing is to quite smoking, eat healthily and get active and have your cholesterol checked. If it is high then stop drinking for a month and have it re-checked, if it has come down, then giving up alcohol completely would be best for your health.

Q.
A.		 What's the best diet for losing weight?
The best one is the one which offers a style of eating that you enjoy and find no problem in eating for the long term. Low GI (glycaemic index) diets are good because they are balanced and healthy. They involve basing meals around carbohydrate foods like oats, rye, pitta and multigrain bread, pasta and new potatoes which are digested slowly (low GI) and so keep you feeling full and help your body to burn fat; regular servings of lean protein foods like low fat dairy and lean meat and fish plus plenty of fruit and vegetables. That said some people do well when concentrating on slightly larger servings of protein foods and having smaller servings of carbohydrate foods. It is important to find a style of eating which you really love and which fits in to your lifestyle.

Q.

A.		 I've been told that I am probably allergic to dairy and wheat.
How can I find out for sure?
In reality the number of people who are truly 'allergic' to foods is very small. More commonly, reactions to certain foods are caused by things like certain bacteria living in the gut, enzyme deficientcies or simply the effects of chemicals that may be present in foods. The best way of finding out if you are really intolerant to a food is to stop eating foods containing the suspected culprit for two weeks, observing your symptoms daily and then gradually re-introducing small amounts of the food to see if your symptoms return. It is always wise to do this with the help of a state registered dietitian to whom you have been referred by your GP once he has ruled out any other medical causes of your problems.

Q.
A.		 I love eggs, do I need to limit the amount I eat each week?
Eggs and foods like prawns contain cholesterol, but the cholesterol we eat in foods is digested down and does not affect the level of cholesterol in our blood so an egg a day is not going to be a problem to your health. We make cholesterol that circulates in the blood in our liver as a normal process and
use it to make everything from hormones to healthy cells walls. Problems arise when we eat too much saturated fat in foods because this kind of fat increases the amount of cholesterol the liver pumps out which is why it is important to go easy on foods rich in saturated fats like full fat dairy foods, fatty meats and puddings.