With 1 in 5 unsure what counts towards their 5 a Day and more than a third unaware of what nutrients their diet is missing, it's clear there's a growing gap between intention and understanding.
We spoke to Dr Gemma Newman on The Kent Morning Show...
We spoke to Dr Gemma Newman on The Kent Morning Show...
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00No, I definitely haven't had my five-a-day today.
00:04I don't think I've had any fruit or veg today, actually.
00:07No, definitely not.
00:09Very rarely.
00:10Oh, never.
00:11I think it has to be a conscious effort.
00:13I guess in regards to fruit,
00:15I guess some people only have certain favourite fruits that they like,
00:18but to then eat that on a consistent basis every day is quite difficult.
00:21I would say I don't achieve my five-a-day very often at all, to be honest.
00:26See, I'm a contractor, so I tend to eat microwave meals and things like that all the time.
00:32I like sandwiches bought from stores quite a lot,
00:35so I can't say I do too well on a five-a-day.
00:38I'm not a great lover of veg. I like fruit, but veg, no.
00:44I cook my own meals, but it's expensive to just buy vegetables, fruit, things like that.
00:50So I don't think I get my five-a-day really.
00:53Food's cheaper as well if it's processed.
00:56When you see the offers that are on in the shops, it's processed food that's on offer.
00:59Always an offer.
01:00Not like fresh veg, meats, not so much.
01:03Partly expense.
01:06Partly it's easier to go and get a meal and stick it in the microwave.
01:11I think if it was like a visible reminder,
01:14because you get taught stuff when you're at school and colleges and then you forget about it.
01:19Eat your five-a-day. Excellent.
01:22Don't be like me.
01:24Well, joining us now is Dr. Gemma Newman, a GP and nutritionist.
01:30Thank you, Gemma, for joining us.
01:33I have to ask, why is there such a big gap between understanding and reality when it comes to nutrition?
01:41That's a great question and good morning.
01:44I've got to say it was great to hear the people of Kent talk about their diet, but they definitely need a helping hand, don't they?
01:50I think the big gap probably arises from a number of reasons.
01:54I think a lot of people get their information from social media, from friends, from family.
02:00And they're less likely to really consult a nutrition professional because sometimes that's not really very easy to access.
02:07New research by Whitworth states that 41% of people would eat healthier if professional nutrition advice was more affordable.
02:15What should people really be eating then? What should a balanced diet look like?
02:21Well, obviously, our five-a-day is a great guideline.
02:24It was actually developed by the World Health Organisation and the UK government on the five-a-day to help people remember to eat more fruits than veggies.
02:33Fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts, pulses, seeds, dried fruits as well, they count.
02:41Well, these are all the kinds of things that we should really be focusing a little bit more on in our diet.
02:46You always hear about the hidden sugars, the things that appear healthy but actually aren't.
02:52What do you think, as a nutritionist, is the biggest misconception that's happening at the moment when people are going out and thinking they're going to have something healthy when they're actually not?
03:03I think there's a number of misconceptions around what's healthy, but what I really love to emphasise is where we can improve nutrition gaps.
03:11I think nutritional deficiency is actually one of the sort of silent but really important contributors to poor health.
03:18And, you know, this is where we want to make it easy for people.
03:21And I think sometimes, you know, when you go to social media, it can be very confusing.
03:26You know, people are trying all these new fad diets and talking about them with their friends and family and getting back to real whole foods, ideally home-cooked foods,
03:37and plugging those nutritional gaps wherever possible.
03:41And interestingly, you know, today with the obesity figures out, you know, we do need a helping hand, which is why I think, yeah, nutritional support is a wonderful thing.
03:51Is a five-a-day enough? If I go through a day and make sure I eat five fruits and veg combination throughout that day, is that enough?
03:59Or do I need to be eating more fruit or is there actually other things I need to be looking at?
04:03I would say five-a-day is a minimum guideline.
04:07We want to have as many fruits and vegetables as we possibly can.
04:10And also remember, nuts and seeds can contribute as well.
04:13So can pulses and whole grains.
04:16So just trying to get those fibre targets in is really important.
04:20So, yeah, I think sometimes having a very specific focus on fibre is really helpful.
04:26And adding in things like chia seeds and flax seeds can massively improve your fibre intake without too much extra effort.
04:35Well, I think I'm going to head to the green grocers a bit later on.
04:39But there's something I do need to ask about.
04:40You see when you go on TikTok or social media, you see all these influences with these fad diets.
04:46And how do you know if they're actually beneficial?
04:49How can, as an ordinary person, if you want to fact-check a diet, make sure it's actually beneficial?
04:55It's not just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.
04:57How would I go do that?
04:58Well, actually, what I'd thoroughly recommend is a new smart nutrition app by Whitworth's.
05:04It was actually developed by the University of Leeds.
05:07And it was based on clinical research to try and help people understand nutritional deficiencies in populations and how they occur.
05:14But now it's available for free to the general public and you just have to download it.
05:19It's a simple app.
05:21And what it does is it really focuses on nutrition and your holistic approach to health.
05:26It makes sure that it tracks your nutrients and where they're coming from in your diet and gives you goals that you can set and top tips that you can use to increase the micronutrients and macronutrients in your daily lifestyle.
05:40I think you can track about 34 different micronutrients and macronutrients if you want to.
05:45No subscriptions, no ads.
05:47And it's all based on research and conducted by dietitians and nutritionists.
05:52So that's a great way to go.
05:54Of course, this is just one of the many different health apps available, I have to say that.
05:58But we have actually talked about these apps before many times in the program.
06:02I think there has been a concern sometimes raised that actually tracking how much you eat, tracking your calories, tracking your nutrients can sometimes actually be a bad thing,
06:12particularly with some people when it comes to an eating disorder.
06:16How do you manage that? Because I know some people, you know, will over analyze what they're eating and possibly not eat enough because they're concerned about not having enough of those fats.
06:24How do we how do we tackle that?
06:26I think it's really important to focus on things that can make you feel good in your diet, things that bring you the nutrients that you need.
06:34So I agree, actually, that sometimes when you're tracking things and you are concerned about losing weight, it can actually be really sometimes very challenging for your mental health.
06:46And there'll be people that for whom tracking apps are not suitable.
06:49However, I think with something like smart nutrition, what you're doing is you're really focusing on where the micronutrients can be added.
06:56So it's nice to think about things that you can add in that will improve your health rather than worrying about constriction or restricting calories.
07:06And finally, we've got to go in a second.
07:08But if I walk into a supermarket, I'm often in this debate, walk in one side of me.
07:14I've got a bakery, which is lovely sweet treats, quite cheap.
07:18And the other side, we've got some fruit, which is often not as cheap as those bakery items.
07:23So fruit and veg is quite expensive. What are some top tips for eating healthy but on a budget?
07:29Well, I love the idea of going to the – in certain supermarkets, you've got free fruits and veg, which I always like to look at and make sure that I grab one or two.
07:40You can also look for any discounts in the supermarkets for fruits, vegetables, whole grains.
07:47Getting things frozen can be really helpful because you can keep them for longer and it doesn't reduce the nutrient intake.
07:53And I love adding sort of nuts and seeds as well because that's just a real powerhouse of nutrients and it doesn't go off.
08:01So you're not likely to have any wastage.
08:03Right?
08:04So, talk a little bit about the cereal and vegetables.
08:05All right.
08:07All right.
08:08So, let's see.
08:09Let's see.