Description
We test chia seed water, explain gluten-free bread prices, taste alcohol-free spirits, and see if watermelon juice really lowers blood pressure.
Jimmy meets Essex grower Andrew Fairs at Fairking to see UK-grown chia, then joins clinical dietitian Dwayne Meller at Aston University to find out if chia seed water curbs overeating. Soaked seeds can swell 10-12 times and slow stomach emptying. In our demo, chia drinkers averaged about 320g of pasta, while water drinkers ate just under 600g. Tip: the science stacks up, but it tastes better stirred into yoghurt or porridge than drunk straight.
Bryony heads to North Lanarkshire. With Andrew Chisholm at Christie the Baker she sees gluten’s stretchy network in action, then at Just Gluten-Free, owner Ronnie Stebbings reveals why gluten-free bread costs more. Replacing gluten’s structure needs 11-22 ingredients including hydrocolloids, and key inputs can be 75-100% pricier than wheat flour. Some gels run about £10,000 per tonne vs £400-£500 for wheat flour, and loaves are often smaller. His bakery turns out around 40,000 gluten-free loaves a week.
At Sulkham Distillery in Devon, head distiller Jason Nichols shows vacuum distillation at roughly 70 millibars, letting alcohol boil near 45°C to preserve delicate botanicals. The result can be labelled a spirit when clearly non-alcoholic, typically under 0.5% ABV, and a mixed double measure lands near 49 calories vs about 170 for a standard G&T.
Katie visits Dartford polytunnels with Joe Cottingham, then joins Dr Charlotte Mills at Reading University for a watermelon juice trial. After 500ml, our small group’s average systolic blood pressure fell by around 4 mmHg within 60-90 minutes, aligning with published 5-10 mmHg reductions linked to L-citrulline’s boost to nitric oxide.
Plus: inside a raw dog food factory with Richard Hindley at Nature’s Menu and hygiene pitfalls flagged by Dr Caroline Ray at the Blue Cross; why thick, chunky soup keeps you fuller with Prof Anvesha Sarkar at Leeds; nutrient-dense offal with farmers Ruth and Tom Kimbers and Dr Stacey Lockyer; and Stephen Jones of the British Quinoa Company on quinoa’s higher price due to low UK yields of about 1.5-2 t/ha vs wheat’s 10-12 t/ha.
#FoodUnwrapped #HealthyNewYear #GlutenFree #ChiaSeeds #AlcoholFree #Watermelon #Offal #Quinoa