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00:00Fatty burgers, greasy pizzas, salty chips.
00:06We all know this is bad for us.
00:09And we all know that this is good for us.
00:12Fresh fruit and veg, whole foods, packed with vitamins, fibre and all the good stuff.
00:19Delicious.
00:20But what about all of this?
00:22The supermarket where we buy pretty much all of our food.
00:25Here is where we find ourselves in murky waters.
00:28Bombarded by endless choice, irresistible deals and confusing health clips.
00:34This is ultra-processed food.
00:37If you're trying to be healthy, this is the new battleground.
00:41In the UK, we're starting to realise that ultra-processed foods could be having a major impact on our health.
00:48Definitely tired, like, all the time.
00:50I have acid reflux.
00:52My blood pressure.
00:53Constipation.
00:54I'm Professor Tim Spector, a leading world expert in gut health and nutrition.
00:59And along with GP and dietary advisor, Dr Candy Ejafor, we're going to show you how to transform your health.
01:07As we meet four families whose ultra-processed diets may be making them ill.
01:12My main problem is my weight.
01:14Because of diabetes, I had to remove one of my toes.
01:18By showing them...
01:19Oh, my God!
01:20...how much ultra-processed food...
01:22...is bad.
01:23...they're really eating...
01:24That's crazy.
01:25...and it's making me feel really sick, actually.
01:28...will reveal what these foods are doing to you.
01:31You are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
01:34That's really quite scary, actually.
01:36Your heart health is 78 years old.
01:39It's kind of make or break.
01:43We'll show you how to spot an ultra-processed food.
01:46It's really like a sort of glue.
01:49We'll find out how they're made...
01:51Oh, that looks really horrible.
01:53...and give you simple swaps to make healthier choices.
01:56That is delicious.
01:58...without costing you any more money.
02:00We are still within our budget.
02:02But can our families ditch ultra-processed food?
02:05Ah!
02:06You brown sauce!
02:08...and transform their lives...
02:10It's a fantastic result.
02:11...for good.
02:12Whatever I sign myself, what for?
02:22We don't yet have a universal definition of ultra-processed food.
02:26But for me, it means food that has been industrially processed...
02:30...that has a negative impact on health.
02:33And when it comes to eating...
02:35...most ultra-processed foods are hyper-palatable...
02:38...meaning you can't stop eating them.
02:40Calorie dense.
02:41Large amounts of additives and chemicals you really don't want in your body.
02:46They're soft and easy to eat.
02:49And crucially, they're lacking in any real nutrients and fibre.
02:53UPFs make up over half of our diet in the UK.
02:57Eating these foods in large quantities is associated with rising levels of obesity...
03:02...increased heart disease, dementia and even some cancers.
03:07So how do we learn to avoid this stuff?
03:10Less than 40% of us feel confident identifying ultra-processed foods.
03:14So the first step is learning to spot them.
03:18Let's take seafood as an example.
03:21A nice fresh fillet is unprocessed.
03:24Still in its natural form with no additives or alterations beyond cleaning and packaging.
03:30Next, we have tinned fish.
03:32This is classed as processed.
03:34The flesh has been cooked and placed in oil or brine...
03:37...but it still contains minimal added ingredients.
03:40And then we have seafood sticks.
03:42These are ultra-processed.
03:45The fish is minced, preservatives and flavourings are added...
03:48...and it's now significantly altered from its original form.
03:52I want you to start looking at the back of packets when you're in the supermarket...
03:57...so you can make informed choices about what you're eating.
04:06And this week, we're going to help a couple in Reading...
04:10...whose diet is full of UPFs.
04:1238-year-old contracts coordinator Camille...
04:16...and 42-year-old security guard Frankie.
04:20The fluffy one in the middle is 3-year-old Teddy.
04:23I'm a very social person.
04:25I love to meet people.
04:26I love to go out.
04:27I like to plan things.
04:29She's a social bug.
04:31I'm just the guy who tags along and just goes with the flow.
04:35They're on a tight budget...
04:37...and buy lots of their meals in the supermarket reduced section.
04:41And it's nearly always ultra-processed convenience food.
04:45We don't actually go for weekly shopping.
04:48We just basically buy a bunch of random stuff...
04:51...anything that's there and reduced...
04:53...and then just bring it home.
04:57Deliciousness.
04:57Oh, wow.
04:59Yum, yum.
05:00That'll be my breakfast for tomorrow.
05:02Those random choices have consequences.
05:05A breakfast of cream cakes means...
05:07...Frankie's already consuming huge quantities of fat and sugar...
05:11...before the day has even begun.
05:13I will eat everything.
05:15I mean, I even have a nickname GD.
05:17Garbage disposal.
05:19A small portion?
05:19We don't do a small portion.
05:23But there is one thing they don't eat much of...
05:26...anything green.
05:29I don't like vegetables in general.
05:32He will pick it out of the dish and then put it on the side.
05:36But, oh no, to be fair, there's one vegetable that he can eat.
05:40Mushrooms.
05:40Love mushrooms.
05:41Yeah.
05:42So, oh, well done for the mushroom.
05:44Yay.
05:44Mushroom.
05:47That mushroom aside, their diet is full of ultra-processed food.
05:53There's always the snacks for us.
05:55There's always in-between meals.
05:58Like a cheesy tortilla chips.
06:01Camille can get through a family-sized bag of these a day.
06:04That's almost half her recommended calories just from a snack.
06:09Frankie, meanwhile, downs two litres of diet cola a day and more on weekends.
06:15I can't drink anything else.
06:17Not even water.
06:19I have not drank water for eight months.
06:22It doesn't do anything for me.
06:25But for these two especially, a poor diet has very grave consequences.
06:31Frankie has type 1 diabetes and eating too much sugar has already caused critical damage.
06:38I was in hospital last year because they had to remove one of my toes.
06:43Clearly because of diabetes.
06:46He actually cried when he first found out.
06:50I was in hospital.
06:51Meanwhile, Camille suffers from debilitating acid reflux.
06:56All of a sudden you'll be gagging because your acid is going up.
07:00It's already affecting my day-to-day work.
07:03Like sometimes I don't want to go out because I'm anxious.
07:07Sorry, can we cut it?
07:10Oh God, I'm sorry.
07:13I'm just going to take my tablet.
07:15Yeah, of course, of course.
07:18It's clearly reaching crisis point.
07:21And it's time for them to start taking what they eat seriously.
07:25I want us to live a longer life.
07:27And if we don't look after ourselves, then we won't going to have that.
07:32You know, so I'm worried about you.
07:36This is going to be a very tough case.
07:39But Dr Candy's up to the challenge.
07:42As a GP, her speciality is helping patients understand the link between what they eat and how they feel.
07:49She's going to get to the bottom of Frankie and Camille's ultra-processed addiction.
07:54Hello!
07:56And work out how we can change their food habits to make a difference.
08:01Lovely meeting you both, Camille, Frankie.
08:04Starting with Camille's acid reflux.
08:07So how often are you having these attacks?
08:10Oh, it's every day.
08:12And then in the evenings, whatever I eat, I just puke it out, I vomit it out, like everything.
08:19I prefer to be just like at home because I get anxious.
08:23Wow.
08:24Okay.
08:24I think that's really tough.
08:26And then Frankie, you have type...
08:29One.
08:29One diabetes.
08:31Because it's quite a significant condition, I just wanted to ask if you have any readings that you have recently.
08:38Um, yeah, I can just scan it.
08:41Frankie wears a monitor on his arm which he can scan with his phone to check his blood sugar.
08:46It should normally be around six or seven.
08:49So like right now my sugar is 22.5.
08:5422.5 is high?
08:55It's very high, yeah.
08:56It's quite worryingly high for me though.
08:58Yeah.
08:59Okay, so maybe we pause quickly, get you on the phone to your GP and then we can resume.
09:07Yeah.
09:08Blood sugar spikes aren't great for any of us, causing tiredness, dehydration and headaches.
09:13But for a diabetic like Frankie, it's deadly serious.
09:17Sorry, just a quick thing.
09:18Um, basically I was just checking my sugar readings and it was really, really high.
09:24Persistent high blood glucose levels have already caused devastating damage to his blood vessels and nerves.
09:30Losing his toe was only the beginning.
09:33Okay, sure.
09:34Not a problem.
09:35Thank you so much doctor.
09:37Okay.
09:38So she said that they will now monitor my readings and if it gets worse for a longer period of
09:44time, they will take action.
09:47Okay.
09:48And actually just on that point, do you have any symptoms at all?
09:51My feet, I have no nerves at all.
09:53I can't feel anything on my feet.
09:55It has affected my eyes.
09:58I had cataracts removed last year.
10:01It affects a whole lot of stuff, yeah.
10:06That all has a really huge knock-on impact into your mental health as well.
10:10Yeah.
10:11So I guess it's important for me to ask, how are you mentally?
10:19I mean...
10:22Yeah.
10:24Sorry.
10:26I'm okay.
10:28Yeah.
10:33Sorry.
10:34Sorry.
10:39It is what it is, you know.
10:41It's just...
10:43Try to help yourself but you can't.
10:47Sorry.
10:49I think your display of emotion is really courageous.
10:55So I'm grateful that you've been able to open up.
10:58Type 1 diabetes is a really serious, scary condition that if it's just left untreated it can just spiral out
11:06of control and it can be the matter of life or death.
11:10Yeah.
11:12I think the hard truth, the reality is really hitting him now.
11:18I'm really good at hard truth.
11:19Yeah?
11:19Sorry.
11:22I'm happy that, you know, he was able to open up and he's willing to make changes which is really,
11:29really good.
11:30Absolutely, yeah.
11:31I'm really glad.
11:32Well done.
11:34Well done.
11:35Seeing Frankie cry and be really emotional was, you know, heartbreaking.
11:40But it's important to see that he is affected by this emotionally and hopefully, therefore, he's willing to dig in
11:49and do the work so they can have a long and fruitful life together.
11:53Coming up, the lowdown on artificial sweeteners.
11:56They are 200 to 600 times sweeter than normal sugar.
12:05And Frankie faces up to just how bad his cola habit truly is.
12:11Oh, my gosh.
12:12What is this?
12:23Ultra processed foods are everywhere.
12:26We're bombarded by endless choice, irresistible deals and confusing health claims.
12:32And if you're not careful, they could be doing harm to your health.
12:37They have additives and chemicals you really don't want in your body.
12:40Dr Candy is in Reading, helping Frankie and Camille break their UPF habit.
12:46And the first step is learning to spot one.
12:49A quick look at the back of the packet will do it because when it comes to ultra processed food,
12:54some of the ingredients don't even know.
12:56They make them sound like food.
12:57Looking at the ingredients here, we have corn, tangy cheese flavouring, salt, cheese powder, tomato powder, onion powder.
13:07Many strange sounding additives are there to help make the products more uniform, last longer on the shelves and taste
13:13better than they really deserve to.
13:14Obviously extract ascorbic acid, citric acid.
13:18Do you find it easy to consume, you know, a whole bag?
13:22Yeah, very easy.
13:23I can go two or three parts if I wanted to.
13:26Because of the taste, it's very hard to stop.
13:29Definitely the tanginess and the spiciness probably doesn't help the reflux either.
13:33Yeah, for sure.
13:34I'm just going to go and see in the fridge.
13:36You need to look at labels very closely.
13:40Okay.
13:41Even the ones that appear to be healthy.
13:43So even when it says reduced fat or lighter or organic, you know, these are often phrases that we've seen
13:49thrown about, but then it can still be high in other things.
13:52Wow, okay.
13:53So confusing.
13:54I mean, we would naturally see reduced fat and think, hey, it's healthy.
13:58Some ultra-processed products might seem healthier because some of the natural fat has been removed, for example, a low
14:06-fat yogurt.
14:08But to try and match the original taste and texture, sometimes the fat is replaced with added sugars, artificial sweeteners
14:15or other chemicals.
14:16Not necessarily a great swap.
14:19I'll put this away.
14:21Frankie and Camille need to start making informed choices and checking that healthy-seeming products don't contain nasty surprises.
14:30Peach slices in grape juice, but this has got about 38 grams of sugar in this one tin.
14:37Oh, my God.
14:38It's a lot of sugar.
14:39It's a lot of sugar.
14:40I mean, we don't ever read upon what we buy.
14:45Yeah.
14:45We just go for taste, not for reading material.
14:49My hope is that you will start reading the back of what you're consuming a bit more so that you
14:57can be mindful and informed of what's going in your body and how much sugar there is.
15:02It was really helpful for us.
15:04It's eye-opening and also it is giving us some hope that there'll be a chance for us to be
15:10healthy and improve it.
15:12Getting healthy means ditching those UPFs.
15:16And the product that gets consumed most in this house is diet cola.
15:20Frankie downs it by the bucket load thinking that as long as it's the diet variety, it can't be too
15:25bad for him.
15:28Frankie loves his diet cola.
15:30He drinks at least a bottle of this a day.
15:33He thinks it's the healthy choice.
15:35Let's have a look at the ingredients.
15:36The first ingredient that really worries me is phosphoric acid.
15:41This is added to cola to give it acidity and a real tanginess.
15:47And it's part of the phosphate family that are found all over ultra-processed foods from baked goods to processed
15:56meats.
15:56Excess consumption of these phosphates has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, kidney disorders, low bone density, hormonal
16:05problems,
16:06and actually an increased risk of death.
16:09Next up, the artificial sweeteners.
16:12Sucralose and something called ACE-K, they are 200 to 600 times sweeter than normal sugar.
16:22Really sweet.
16:23They also have a very bitter aftertaste.
16:27We used to be told these were the perfect ingredients because they were completely inert, had no effect on our
16:34bodies with zero calories.
16:36It was perfect.
16:37But there's a catch.
16:39They were wrong.
16:40Artificial sweeteners, which contain no sugar at all, can actually interfere with your glucose control.
16:47And on a study I did when I was wearing a sugar monitor, I saw that just taking a sachet
16:53of sucralose gave me a sugar spike.
16:56Recent studies show that some sweeteners may cause changes in the gut microbiome and rather worryingly change how the body
17:03regulates glucose.
17:04And excess consumption of these artificially sweetened drinks has been linked to increased risk of diabetes.
17:12And if you already suffer from diabetes, you might think you're making the healthy choice, but actually you could be
17:19making things very much worse.
17:24We clearly need to change the way we think of diet drinks, especially as those sweeteners could keep you wanting
17:30more and more, as candy is about to reveal.
17:34Open your eyes.
17:37Oh my gosh, what is this?
17:42Oh, wow.
17:44What is this?
17:45It is.
17:45You know you're in trouble with your diet when you stood in a car park with a GP and two
17:50paddling pools full of cola.
17:53Frankie, this is how much cola you have consumed in the last year.
17:58Wow, that's crazy.
18:03That's a lot.
18:04That is a lot.
18:06We couldn't find a paddling pool big enough to hold what Frankie drinks in a year,
18:11so we've got two holding 160 gallons of diet cola.
18:16You never quite take stock of how much you're consuming.
18:20Exactly.
18:21True.
18:21Until you see it like this.
18:23It's just unreal.
18:25I'm totally shocked.
18:27The average Briton consumes around five cans of soft drink a week.
18:31But shockingly, Frankie drinks six cans a day.
18:35This to me looks like a swamp.
18:37Yes.
18:38You can see it bubbling out.
18:40Yeah, it's certainly attracted a few flies.
18:42I mean, it looks nasty also.
18:46This sticky brown soup of sweeteners, caffeine and phosphoric acid won't do anyone any good.
18:52But for a diabetic like Frankie, it's best to make healthy choices.
18:57So whilst it doesn't contain sugar, it does contain sweeteners.
19:01So your body thinks that you're having something very sweet and it can trigger your cravings.
19:06There have been links as well to other health conditions.
19:10Inflammation, weight gain, some chronic conditions, especially heart disease.
19:15Yes, yes.
19:16So it all has a knock-on effect to your health.
19:18For sure.
19:19It's really important to recognise before it's too late.
19:24I never think of what it's actually doing to my system.
19:27Seeing it like this makes me want to quit it faster and get healthier sooner.
19:36To get a bigger picture of what their ultra-processed food diet has been doing to Frankie and Camille,
19:42Dr Candy has done a series of medical tests, including blood work, and the results are in.
19:48So, starting with you Camille, your blood pressure reading and your cholesterol levels were both high.
19:55Mmm.
19:56Your waist circumference was 118 centimetres.
20:00And that's in the very high risk category compared to other females your age.
20:06Okay.
20:06Yeah.
20:07Looking at your weight, blood pressure and various other risk factors,
20:11can also tell you how much extra stress your heart is having to cope with and what its relative age
20:17is.
20:18I understand that your age is 38 years old.
20:21Yeah.
20:21So your heart health is coming up a bit higher at 44 years old.
20:25Oh, okay.
20:27Um, it's actually quite, yeah, scary.
20:31And things are looking just as concerning for Frankie.
20:35We've talked about your sugar levels before.
20:38They were very high.
20:41With your weight, your BMI is about 32, which also puts you in the obese category.
20:49How old are you again?
20:5042.
20:5142.
20:52So your heart health was coming up at 54.
20:58All of those together do put you at increased risk of things like strokes and heart attacks and other illnesses.
21:05Hmm.
21:06Scary.
21:07Oh, for sure.
21:09How are you feeling, Frankie?
21:13Not good.
21:15Well, if at 42 you have a heart of a 54-year-old, it's not something anyone wants to hear.
21:22Hmm.
21:24It's hard to hear, but even the smallest of changes makes a big difference.
21:30That's why I'm so passionate about the food.
21:32That's why I'm so passionate about what you put in your body.
21:35Because it does make a difference, and it's not too late.
21:42Seeing Frankie break down like that was heartbreaking.
21:46It's so difficult in age where ultra-processed food, convenience food is at your fingertips.
21:52I'm incredibly empathetic with how difficult this whole journey is.
21:59It's clear Frankie and Camille have a lot of work ahead of them if they want to turn their health
22:05around.
22:06Eating more whole foods is a huge part of improving your diet, but there are also a few clever tricks
22:13to make eating everyday foods much healthier.
22:1825 million slices of bread are thrown away every single day in the UK.
22:24Now, I'm going to show you a tip that tells you how you can save on waste, but also make
22:29those carbs healthier for you.
22:31Generally, when you're eating starchy carbs like this, you're going to get that starch converts to sugar very rapidly, which
22:38goes into your blood, which gives you a blood sugar spike, which is generally bad for your health and can
22:43make you hungrier.
22:44So, what we're going to do is show you how to reduce those sugar spikes, and one way, with bread,
22:49all you've got to do is put this into a little bag and you pop it in the freezer.
22:54Even the next day when you take it out and toast it, it's going to have up to 40%
22:59less of a sugar spike than you had the day before.
23:03That's because something has actually fundamentally changed in that bread.
23:07The starch has been transformed by the freezing into something called resistant starch, a form of fibre, which means it
23:15doesn't get absorbed instantly into your bloodstream as sugar and is much better for your health.
23:20And that's also true for all the other starchy carbs, such as pasta, potatoes, and it also applies to white
23:27rice.
23:28All you've got to do is take the cooked version of these and simply put it in the fridge overnight,
23:35and just by chilling it, it magically transforms and you get resistant starch, which makes it healthier.
23:42So, there you have it, a really easy tip to reduce food waste and improve the health of your food.
23:50Coming up, Frankie and Camille face up to their snack addiction.
23:55Looking at that, it has definitely put me off.
23:57And what's actually in our favourite packet of crisps?
24:01Silicon dioxide. It's safe to eat, is it?
24:14Ultra processed foods are lurking in all our cupboards, and it's important for us to know what they're doing to
24:20our bodies.
24:21When you're eating starchy carbs like this, you're going to get a blood sugar spike, which can make you hungrier.
24:27In Reading, we've been helping Frankie and Camille face up to some uncomfortable truths about their health and diet.
24:34At 42, you have a heart of a 54-year-old. It's not something anyone wants to hear.
24:40They both eat a lot of ultra-processed, savoury snacks, up to two big bags each day.
24:46So, to introduce a little shock factor, Dr Candy's got a demonstration up her sleeve, involving some hot water and
24:54two types of crisps.
24:56One is a very simple, plain potato crisp. All it has in it is potatoes, sunflower oil and sea salt.
25:04And the other one you may recognise. This, in comparison, has maize, sunflower oil, spicy flavourings and lots of salt,
25:14onions, acids.
25:17Natural foods and ultra-processed foods behave very differently inside our bodies.
25:23So, when we eat foods and we chew foods, it sends signals to our brain to let us know that
25:29it needs to start breaking it down.
25:31But with ultra-processed foods that are very soft and dissolve on the tongue, then it doesn't send that signal
25:37to the brain.
25:38And so, therefore, the brain thinks that actually we need to eat more. And so, we continue eating and eating.
25:43Those UPF snacks might dissolve quickly, but they pack quite the calorific punch.
25:50Can you see, if you look closely, that there's more fat and oil in that one?
25:53Yeah.
25:54Absolutely.
25:55Yeah, there is. Oh, wow.
25:56It's crazy.
25:58In 100 grams, this has 36 grams of fat, whereas this has 13 grams.
26:04Mind-blowing.
26:05Neither snack is exactly a health food, but simple sliced potato crisps tend to require more chewing.
26:12Chewing not only slows down the speed of eating, it also helps send fullness signals to the brain.
26:18But the ultra-processed snacks that Camille and Frankie love have something known as vanishing caloric density.
26:24They're made from corn that's been completely ground down, and they dissolve almost instantly in your mouth.
26:30This gives you a massive hit of sugar, and also tricks your brain into thinking you've consumed fewer calories,
26:36making them easy to overeat.
26:40You both talked about how easily you could go through a whole big bag of crisps,
26:45and you can do that readily day after day.
26:47Yeah.
26:47So that's all by design.
26:49There are people whose jobs are to make things hyper-palatable
26:54and find ways to really trick the brain and the body into needing to eat more.
27:00Looking at that, it has definitely put me off.
27:04On that note...
27:05Let's get going.
27:06Candy's clearing the cupboards of their ultra-processed foods.
27:10Sorry, Camille.
27:11Oh, dear.
27:12Sorry, Frankie.
27:14Let's work through the rest of the kitchen.
27:17But not all ultra-processed foods are created equal.
27:21Candy's letting them keep a few items.
27:24Garlic puree, for one.
27:26Despite containing a number of added ingredients,
27:29the garlic itself is still full of antioxidants and vitamins.
27:32Plus, if it makes it easier to cook your sauce from scratch,
27:35you're more likely to use lots of other nutritious, fresh ingredients.
27:40The cola, though, that's got to go.
27:44You think you'll miss it?
27:45Yes, I will.
27:46Definitely.
27:47I want to have a sip right now.
27:48That's how bad it is.
27:49OK.
27:50We'll work through this.
27:51This is going to be a seismic shift in Frankie and Camille's diet.
27:55And Candy's kicking off the new regime with lots of fresh, whole foods.
28:00Wow!
28:01What do we have?
28:02Oh, my gosh.
28:03Wow!
28:04Oh, wow.
28:05I'm just not so used to seeing so much colour in this house.
28:09Yeah.
28:09There wasn't much fruit and there wasn't much vegetables either.
28:13We're giving them plenty of fibre-filled veg, beans and pulses, fresh fruit,
28:18and, to replace Frankie's beloved cola, naturally flavoured sparkling water.
28:24These two don't usually have much at all in their cupboards,
28:27so a vital part of the new regime will be meal planning.
28:31I'm hoping that we can really turn things around and focus on having three main meals,
28:37your breakfast, lunch and dinner.
28:39I think that's going to be really good for making you stay fuller for longer,
28:43but also helpful for your diabetes, ensuring that we avoid rapid sugar spikes.
28:50So, you'll be snacking a lot less and you'll be eating healthier food, so it's a win-win.
28:56A typical meal plan for these two will be a veggie omelette for breakfast,
29:00tuna salad for lunch and a honey mustard chicken tray bake for dinner.
29:04A veggie omelette is a great way to start the day thanks to protein-rich eggs,
29:09spinach packed with iron and antioxidants, which is great for energy,
29:13and Frankie's favourite, mushrooms, which are low-calorie and full of vitamins B and D.
29:20Filling healthy meals will keep Frankie's sugar levels steady
29:23and help stop Camille reaching for the ultra-processed snacks.
29:27But to make it happen, they're going to need to get organised with batch cooking.
29:32I've got some Tupperware for you to get busy and start using your freezer,
29:38because it was awfully empty.
29:40Thank you, Tandy.
29:41So, they're really good for portion control.
29:43So, it allows you to just, you know, appropriately portion out your foods for when you need it.
29:48Amazing.
29:50And we've got a plan to help wean Frankie off the diet cola.
29:54We've got some carbonated water that you can add your own flavouring to,
29:58so you can use the lime, the lemon, the oranges or the cucumbers to really squeeze and add flavours.
30:04It's going to be a monumental change for these two.
30:08There's a lot of stuff we have not seen in here before.
30:12Honestly, I have no idea what this is.
30:16I really have no idea.
30:17It's a better nut squash.
30:18I don't know anything about that. No, thank you.
30:22Try not to beat yourself up if sometimes you find harder days than others,
30:27but I am really confident that you can do it and I'm very excited for where this will go.
30:33Thank you so much. This is very helpful.
30:36Today is the start of our new lifestyle change for the healthier us.
30:52The great British potato, a versatile staple we all enjoy.
30:57But did you know that it wasn't until 1962 that the first commercially available flavoured crisp was introduced in the
31:05UK?
31:05But how are these flavourings made and crucially, how do you transform the humble potato into a tasty, tangy snack?
31:15I've been visiting Mission Kitchen in London to get into the nitty gritty of food processing.
31:20And now I'm going to find out how Britain's favourite snack is made.
31:25How do you make that special flavouring that goes on crisps that makes them taste so good?
31:30I'll be happy to tell you.
31:31So, today we're going to be doing salt and vinegar,
31:34but I'm going to show you the process of how we can turn a liquid into a powder
31:37and then also how we combine a load of other ingredients to get that classic salt and vinegar flavour.
31:42OK, let's go.
31:43First of all, we're going to start off with this blend of chemicals.
31:46So in here there's going to be some glucose powder, a bit of sucrose,
31:49and then two other ingredients with kind of long names.
31:52So we have some calcium lactate and silicone dioxide.
31:55Silicon dioxide, why would you use that?
31:57And what that does, it basically keeps the environment dry and it just draws out anything
32:01that prevents from clumping, it's like an anti-caking agent almost.
32:04I often see it in electronic equipment, they often put little bits of silicon dioxide.
32:09Yes.
32:10That's to absorb the moisture, isn't it?
32:11Yes, that's exactly what it is.
32:13And this is a food grade type of silicone,
32:15and it's used very commonly in a lot of spice mixes that you'll find on the supermarket shelf.
32:19OK, and it's safe to eat, is that?
32:21It is safe to eat in small quantities.
32:23Right.
32:23So it's a bit more complicated than putting salt and vinegar on your chips down the chip shop.
32:28This concoction of chemicals captures the vinegar taste in a dry powder to coat the crisp.
32:33And then we get our vinegar, straggler malt vinegar, the kind you'd find in a fish and chip shop.
32:40As we mix this together, it's going to start clumping up.
32:44So we're getting some solid vinegar.
32:46Yes.
32:46So now, I'm just going to pop this into the spice mix blender.
32:50Yeah.
32:51OK, now we'll just give this a little blend.
32:58This will turn into a lovely...
32:59OK, a lovely fine powder.
33:01Yes, and that's vinegar powder.
33:03Yes, vinegar powder.
33:04And what I'm going to do is just pass this through a tiny little sieve.
33:07Can you do this for other liquids you might use in cooking?
33:11You can do it with literally anything.
33:12I've done it with whisky before.
33:14Whisky crisps.
33:15We could maybe, yeah, start a new line, couldn't we?
33:17Yeah, absolutely.
33:18We'll sell it in the Highlands and we'll make millions.
33:20So we've got our chalky vinegar.
33:22How do we make it more palatable?
33:24So, we have some regular sea salt, but this is just being blended into a fine powder so it coats
33:29nicely.
33:30After that, we have a blend of malic, citric and ascorbic acid.
33:34And that's to have an effect on your tongue, is that right?
33:36Absolutely. Each one of them has different kinds of spikes in acidity.
33:40You can have a nice little acidic journey, I guess.
33:42OK.
33:42Which is going to give this a nice blend.
33:45So, that's a powdered vinegar to create the taste, powdered acids to create the tang,
33:50and next, even more powders to create the consistency.
33:54There's still some clumps.
33:55So what we're going to do, we're just going to add more silicone dioxide.
33:59Give that another blend.
34:02And then it's going to be...
34:05Real alchemy, this one.
34:06Yes, it is. And now you can see that's super fine.
34:08Wow, look at that.
34:09Fine, fine powder.
34:10Yeah.
34:12These are just some plain crisp.
34:15So all we're going to do, give them a very light coating of vegetable oil.
34:20And next, we're just going to give this a nice little dusting of our salt and vinegar.
34:25And there we have it.
34:27OK, let's have a go.
34:28Cheers.
34:29Cheers.
34:31The flavour of simple salt and vinegar, recreated with a cocktail of white powders.
34:37You're a genius.
34:38Thank you again.
34:39Cheers.
34:40Cheers.
34:45It's been one week since Camille and Frankie started their new UPF-free regime.
34:52Oh gosh, even that, before we don't have...
34:54We don't have a shelf.
34:55We actually...
34:56A vegetable tray now.
34:58Frankie's not yet convinced about all that veg.
35:01So many green stuff here now.
35:04Green's a nice colour, but it's like outside the house, not inside the house.
35:08But Camille's determined to persuade him by hook or by crook.
35:12There's something green in the omelettes.
35:14What was that?
35:15Oh, the spinach.
35:17You liked it?
35:18I'm sorry.
35:19There's spinach in an omelette.
35:20Yeah.
35:21Nice, right?
35:24You know I have been putting spinach in every food that we have.
35:28I guess what you can't see won't hurt.
35:31And while Camille's happily swapped from crisps to fruits and nuts...
35:35This is very filling.
35:37Frankie's swap from cola to sparkling water has not been so smooth.
35:42Let's toast your water with lime.
35:45Yeah.
35:46Cheers.
35:49I'm sorry, it just didn't do anything for me.
35:52It was really bitter.
35:53Just didn't like it at all.
35:55Ah, okay.
35:58I mean, I definitely know coleus died for me, but soft drinks has been there since I was a child.
36:03So that's why it's the one that's hardest to give up at the moment.
36:07Camille has been making lots of wholesome meals.
36:10Chicken chickpea.
36:12But keeping up that routine isn't always easy.
36:16We went to McDonald's.
36:18We had a very long day.
36:22We were tired, so it's like a comfort food for us.
36:27I know we're being naughty, but we are just so tired.
36:34Coming up, a delicious and nutritious recipe for when you need food fast, but not fast food.
36:41We're trying to eat the rainbow.
36:43The more colourful the food, the more healthy it is.
36:45And Frankie and Camille's food transformation journey continues.
36:50Try this.
36:51No, thank you.
36:51No, just try it. Come on.
37:04A shocking amount of our food today is ultra-processed.
37:08In here, there's glucose powder, a bit of suprose, calcium lactate and silicone dioxide.
37:14And I want to help you to avoid it, like Camille and Frankie and Redding, who are trying to change
37:19the way they eat.
37:20Honestly, I have no idea what this is.
37:24I really have no idea.
37:26It's a better not squash.
37:28It's a very difficult thing to alter your eating habits so dramatically.
37:31But what can make it easier are tempting, easy and nutritious recipes like this one.
37:37I'm going to show you how to make the bulgur wheat bowl.
37:41It's dead simple to make and it's delicious.
37:48What essentially are we starting with is lots of good colourful veg, because we're trying to eat the rainbow.
37:55The more colourful the food, the more healthy it is.
37:57Now we know that within all these colourful veggies are chemicals called polyphenols, which are like rocket fuel for our
38:05gut microbes.
38:06I'm using peppers, aubergines and red onions, but you can be as creative as you like.
38:11Just mix them around a bit, then smother it with extra virgin olive oil, a bit of salt, a bit
38:17of pepper.
38:19This can now get popped in the oven.
38:22It's going to take 25 minutes.
38:25Right, so time to deal with the bulgur wheat.
38:27It's an amazing whole grain that is much healthier than white rice or couscous, because the outer coating of it,
38:34the kernel, is still intact, which means you're getting all the nutrients.
38:38You're also getting the protein and the fibre.
38:40And the thing I love about it, it's so easy to make.
38:44All you've got to do is just add some boiled water to it and cover it with a plate.
38:51And then we sit and wait for 20 minutes.
38:55We're going to take this delicious tray out.
39:00Smells great, looks great.
39:02And mix this in.
39:04And now we're going to add our dressing.
39:07You can just use olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, or you could make a dressing which is made
39:14from sauerkraut.
39:15Sauerkraut is fermented vegetable.
39:18It's just cabbage and salt and microbes, which give it that impact and taste and also on health.
39:25All you've got to do to make it is add some red peppers, which you can buy in jars and
39:30pre-cooked.
39:31Add some sauerkraut, making sure it's the fermented one, not the vinegar, and a handful of basil with olive oil
39:38and you blend it together and this is what you get.
39:41The beauty of these fermented foods is not only that they add an extra flavour to your dish, but they're
39:48also great for your gut microbes.
39:51Add in your dressing, give it another mix and serve it up.
39:55I like to add a sprinkle of seeds for extra goodness.
39:59They're a fantastic source of really healthy fats, omega-3s and extra protein and fibre.
40:06We now have about 13 plants in this dish at least.
40:11But the important thing is, what does it taste like?
40:18That is delicious and it's so simple to make and you can have so many great ingredients.
40:23Don't exclude stuff from your diet, add more to it, make it more fun, make it more diverse, make it
40:29more tasty.
40:35In Reading, it's six weeks since Frankie and Camille gave up their ultra-processed foods and they've swapped the reduced
40:42aisle for the veggie aisle.
40:43Wow, look how colourful that is.
40:45I know. It looks very healthy, yeah?
40:48Great.
40:49But it hasn't broken the budget.
40:51The cost of the weekly shopping has been a surprise for us.
40:54Eating healthy doesn't mean that it has to be expensive, it's actually a lot cheaper.
41:00Camille's been slowly getting to grips with batch cooking.
41:03You're happy with this for lunch tomorrow, right?
41:06Yes. Very nice.
41:07Love this pan.
41:09I think for us to get into that routine, to plan ahead.
41:13Hit is changing our life.
41:15But it's still taking some persuading to get Frankie to try some of the new foods.
41:21Are you sure I don't like granola?
41:23No. I really don't like the taste.
41:26Try this.
41:26No, thank you.
41:27No, just try it, come on.
41:29No, no, thank you.
41:30And he's continued his cheat days too.
41:33I haven't eaten healthy every single day.
41:38Change for me is difficult.
41:41When something is new, it is overwhelming.
41:44It's not as easy as I thought it would be.
41:48But in the end we'll get there.
41:50So, how much difference will their efforts have made to their health?
41:54There's only one way to find out.
41:56They're heading to London to repeat their initial health tests.
42:01There's a part of us that's scared.
42:03Are you scared?
42:04Yes, very scared.
42:05Yeah, I thought I'm just, it's just me.
42:07It was not an easy journey for us.
42:10The temptations aren't everywhere.
42:12But we've done a lot of work.
42:14So, I want to know and see if the effort has worked for us or not.
42:21Hello!
42:22Back when Candy first met these two six weeks ago,
42:26their diet was almost exclusively ultra-processed.
42:29Family sized bags of savoury snacks for Camille,
42:32litres of cola for Frankie,
42:34and whatever prepackaged stuff was lurking in the reduced section for their dinner.
42:40Diabetic Frankie had huge sugar spikes,
42:42and Camille was suffering from severe acid reflux.
42:46Let's see if they've been doing enough to turn things around.
42:50I mean, you look great.
42:52You really do look like you've got a lot more colour in your face,
42:55and a lot more energy.
42:57I don't look tired anymore.
43:00Camille, I'm going to start with you.
43:02So, looking at your waist,
43:04you've lost about ten centimetres,
43:06so that's four inches off your waist.
43:07Really?
43:07That's really good.
43:10That's why I would fit in my old clothes now.
43:12Yeah? That's really good.
43:13So, you've noticed that?
43:14Yes, I have. I have. I have noticed, and I'm so happy.
43:17Brilliant work.
43:20Camille's results have seen huge improvement across the board,
43:23from blood pressure to inflammation,
43:25and cutting down on additive-packed UPFs
43:27has been a huge help with her debilitating acid reflux.
43:31I'm so pleased to tell you guys that the vomiting has lessened.
43:36That's really great.
43:38That's the really good news.
43:39And then another marker, your heart health,
43:41which we touched on before.
43:42So, you're 38 years old, and your heart health was about 44.
43:46Yeah.
43:47You've now brought that down to 41.
43:49No way.
43:50Yay!
43:50So, you've knocked three years off, which is a fantastic achievement,
43:54with the weight loss and reduction.
43:55In a few weeks.
43:56So, you know.
43:56Oh, my gosh.
43:57Now, this is giving me even much more motivation.
44:00So, maybe it will push me now.
44:02I'm 38.
44:03I'll try to go for 35.
44:04Absolutely.
44:06Why stop there?
44:0721.
44:08Exactly.
44:08Exactly right.
44:11Back when Candy first met Frankie, there was a lot going on.
44:15Obesity, poor heart health, and despite needing to be extremely careful with his diabetes,
44:20his blood sugar was sky high.
44:24So, Frankie, we've really seen an improvement of your fasting glucose
44:28as a snapshot that's gone from the high 20s to 8.8.
44:33Wow.
44:34Oh, my God.
44:35So, that's really good news.
44:37That is crazy.
44:38And you are 42 years old, and when I first met you, your heart health was about 54,
44:45and that's also really come down to 50.
44:48Wow.
44:48Wow.
44:49I'm very, very, very shocked.
44:51I'm not going to lie.
44:52I haven't really done as much as Cam has done.
44:55Yeah, you haven't done as well as Camille.
44:58Your weight hasn't changed as we would have liked it to,
45:01but even making small changes can have big effects on your health and your likelihood of how long you're going
45:07to live.
45:08I'm very happy to see that.
45:10Frankie, one question I have to ask you is how is your cola habit going?
45:15Ah, not very well.
45:17I'm still constantly having cola as much as I was before.
45:20Do you think you're slightly addicted to it?
45:22Yeah, 100%.
45:23I am addicted to cola.
45:25It is tough, and there are a lot of people who are in your position,
45:28so you need to just see if you can change your taste buds as you've done in other ways.
45:34Yeah.
45:34Because you've shown that you can do this.
45:36Yeah.
45:36Ultimately, I think you've come a long way, because you've really come off all those crisps,
45:41and you're eating more vegetables, you've got more variety of colour, you're batch cooking.
45:45I've given up a lot of stuff that you saw when you came into the house.
45:49It doesn't exist in the house anymore.
45:51That's really great.
45:52You know, there's really a lot to take away here,
45:54so I'm really proud of the progress that you guys have made.
45:57Yeah, I mean, thank you guys very much for being a part of our new lives.
46:02Fantastic job.
46:03Well done.
46:04Well done.
46:07It's such a good feeling, even just a tiny bit, simple step,
46:11it gives us this very, very good positive change.
46:15It makes it easier moving on.
46:17100%, we will definitely continue this,
46:20and we can just be there for each other, support each other,
46:24and just, you know, grow old and happy.
46:34The loveliest woman on telly is on the holiday of her lifetime.
46:37Endless summer light and thriving communities,
46:39as Lorraine Kelly continues her Norwegian odyssey Thursday from 8.
46:43And lessons enough to do it yourself at 8 o'clock next Tuesday night.
46:46Jasmine Harmon lifts the lid on some bargain holiday secrets.
46:49Truly shocking next tonight, though.
46:5124 hours in police custody.
46:53.
46:54.
46:54.
46:54.
46:55.
46:55.
46:56.
46:56.
46:56.
46:56.
46:56.
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46:59.
47:00.
47:00.
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