And why is it so important for growing children to have fibre in their diet? OK, so fiber is

linked to cancers, heart health, DNA cells.

So we know that reportedly, if you consume more fiber, you can live a few extra years as well.

And then it's linked to the gut health aspect.

And I think what's so amazing, and I speak about this in my new children's book, Ready, Set, Cook.

It's about educating children about nutrition in a way that's fun and exciting.

Kids now need to know that they're bugs in their tummy play a role in their health.

futures.

It is a, it's a big move for

me to move into children's nutrition.

I think first of all, because I've just contributed so much to the adult nutrition space.

You know, this will be my ninth book I believe but yeah which is insane in itself and the reason being is I kind of got to this pivotal point this year where I just want to make a difference and I'm not seeing we're not seeing the changes in public health nutrition in terms of demographics of good health going up we're seeing it go down so we have to target the future generations to make a difference And cooking is now a life skill.

And it kind of dawned on me that in this strange UPF convenience world that we're all living in right now, where things aren't straightforward, it's very confusing, cost of living is going up.

If children are not armed with the tools of how to cook, how can they navigate an expensive world of food and eat healthily and be healthy individuals? So I'm doing a lot of work with food charities, the Food Foundation, VegPower.

This summer, I'm taking nutrition to Parliament, September, and I really wanted to create, it's the first of its kind.

is a bit of a thing that's rammed down our

not me.

This is why I want to be kind about it because I know that, you know, we're up against it.

There's no one helping us to do this right now.

And that's what we're campaigning for.

That's what I'm campaigning for, rather.

I feel quite alone a lot of the time.

But if you guys want to get on board with it, that would be amazing because we really are at a crisis point in this country where we were healthier back in 2014 than we are now.

Even now I say to my mum, I'll dish my own up.

And in the body, that manager is insulin.

That is an incredibly accurate metabolic analogy.

Inside the pancreas are clusters of cells called the islets of Langerhans.

When blood sugar rises, the beta cells within those islets release insulin.

Insulin travels through the blood, binds to receptors on muscle and fat cells, and signals them to pull glucose transport proteins to their surface.

It literally opens the warehouse doors.

The excess glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles.

How does that work?

What has changed in terms of science that's got the science community thinking more deeply about this category?

Ooh, there's lots of things there in the scientific world right now.

I think the easiest thing to explain to everybody is that we absorb foods differently and how readily available all the energy is in the food that's already been broken down for us is compared to food we have to chew and break down ourselves in whole foods when you compare it that way.

We call it the food matrix, and I've got this lovely di-- In fact, the diagram in the book was difficult to get.

We had three or four options, and visually it was quite difficult to explain the food matrix in layman's terms.

But essentially, the calorie conversation changed in the last five, six years, which is good.

You know, there's still that old school of thought that energy in, energy out is a fair and equal discussion.

But what does a, a kind of healthy dietary pattern look like? And, and what percentage of ultra-processed foods would you say could be-- could feature within that style diet?

Now, as a nutritionist, also, do you agree with me that a balanced diet is probably the best diet for most people? I'm sure there will be people who say, "No, because of my particular health conditions, a vegan diet is best for me," but generally, surely a balanced diet is what we should all aspire to?

to?I think it's a really, really good concept, a balanced diet, because we're all unique.

No one diet or one way of eating is going to suit all of us.

Some of us are more naturally predisposed to having anemia or an iron deficiency, and others might be designed physiologically that they can't c- they can't have dairy, you know, they have a lactose intolerance.

And actually, 60% of the world can't consume dairy.

So we have to look at a balanced plate as, does your plate contain protein? Also, by the way, protein can come from beans and pulses, and we have a target in the UK to double the intake of beans by 2028 because we're not consuming enough fiber.

We have a fiber gap.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

...

if you look at the way that, uh, the workforce has changed, childcare support systems, the time, you know, parents are time poor.

I've got a two-year-old, a four-year-old.

I'm a nutritionist, and sometimes I struggle to find the time, and if I'm the educated person that struggles, how is somebody that does not have access to what is nutritionally correct, doesn't have the time-

Yeah.

And you could try half-half.

Like, if you've got a particularly difficult child that will only have that white bread sandwich, one side is the brown bread, one side is the white bread.