the diet doctors: inside & out(7/8)
The health and lifestyle show continues its third series with a new team of expert presenters. Dr Samina Showghi, nutritionist Pam Stepney and chiropractor Dr Ben King take on some truly shocking habits as they battle bad diets and unhealthy lifestyles. Tonight’s subject is 43-yearold Sue Appleton, a mayoress suffering from chronic gastric reflux, hot flushes, high cholesterol and pre-diabetes.
Sue Appleton used to lead an active life as a cross-country runner and a keen rambler with a passion for the great outdoors. But marriage has not been kind to her figure, as she has grown accustomed to frequent trips to the pub and the local curry house. Furthermore, Sue’s role as the Mayoress of Clitheroe means that she has a hectic social calendar with plenty of calorific food and drink on offer at civic events. Over time, Sue’s heavy diet and a painful knee has put paid to her old hobbies, and her weight has risen to 17 stone.
Sue’s other health complaints include chronic gastric reflux, which gives her a persistent sore throat and hot flushes, especially at night – meaning that she often sleeps separately from her husband in the spare room. High blood pressure is a constant source of worry to Sue, who has a family history of heart disease.
The Diet Doctors ride to the rescue by giving Sue a full check-up. Samina’s blood test results reveal that in addition to her other problems, Sue also has high cholesterol and is pre-diabetic. This means her glucose levels are above normal, putting her at serious risk of developing full-blown diabetes. Moreover, Ben diagnoses Sue with stage 2 osteoarthritis in her neck – an irreversible condition which needs proper care to prevent it from developing further.
The team sets to work drawing up a plan of action to help Sue make drastic changes to her lifestyle. Pam wants the mayoress to ditch her chocolates, pic ‘n’ mix, sodium-rich foods and stodgy buffet fare. In their place, she would like to see healthy home-cooked meals and potassiumrich foods for her blood pressure, such as apples, bananas, carrots, potatoes, peaches, avocados and tomatoes. Low-glycaemic index foods such as oats and beans are also important for combating Sue’s high insulin levels, providing a steady release of energy. Snacking on almonds, pecan nuts and walnuts will help absorb some of her cholesterol.
Sue embraces these changes to her lifestyle and is soon juggling her strict new health regime with her work commitments, which include studying for a degree, working part time, campaigning for local elections and attending mayoral functions. After just a few weeks on the plan, her gastric reflux has completely disappeared. Over the next few months, her hot flushes and knee pain abate as her weight drops. At the end of the 12-week course, Sue returns to the Diet Doctors for the final analysis. Has she achieved the desired turnaround?
