We’ve been rather scatty with the Newsrounds recently. Most of the MAN v FAT central team were furloughed in June, so if you noticed that we’d been a bit quiet, that’s why. But as life regains a semblance of normality, we’re back to take a look at the latest weight loss news, new food launches and other such nonsense…

FROM THE MAN V FAT FOOTBALL LEAGUES

Sadly we still don’t have a date for the relaunch of MAN v FAT Football leagues. We’re following government guidelines and the FA’s guidance for small-sided football as well as following what our venues are doing, so, for the time being, we have nothing to announce. Sorry ’bout that. Rest assured that when we do have a date, we’ll be shouting it from the rooftops.

IN OTHER NEWS…

Did you know that bad breath could be a sign of diabetes? You’re probably aware of all the usual symptoms of diabetes – needing to pee more often, feeling very thirsty, blurred vision, etc. (and if these are news to you, you should probably get clued up here) but your breath could be an indicator of undiagnosed diabetes too.

An acetone-like smell on your breath could mean a complication called ketoacidosis, which could mean that your glucose levels are too high. So if you struggle with bad breath, see a doctor, as if left untreated this could lead to your teeth falling out. Yikes.

How has lockdown changed your activity levels? There are people who have coped by getting outside and getting active, and then there are those (like me) who have coped by hunkering down and eating their body weight in Dairy Milk.

It turns out that most Brits fall into the first category, with research by Decathalon finding that 42% of adults are exercising more than they were before lockdown. And although gyms are likely to remain closed for the foreseeable future, 52% of people are keen to keep up with their new fitness routines when lockdown is over. If this is you, good for you! You go Glen Coco.

WHAT WE’RE READING

It’s an oldie but a goodie – Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. This is for you if you’re interested in the history and psychology of American fast food. And if you want to be put off your Big Mac.

If you’ve been sort-of flirting with cutting your meat consumption, but you’re not a fan of meat substitutes, don’t forget about other, more traditional options. Along with tofu, one of the most versatile alternatives is tempeh – and here’s a complete guide to what it is, how to cook it, and its nutritional value.

Do you often find yourself wondering why the stupidest people seem to have the most confidence? With the rise of 5G conspiracy theories, anti-vaxxers and, well, Trump in general, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re going mad. But you’re not, it’s just the Dunning-Kruger effect in action. Read more about this fascinating theory here.

WHAT WE’RE EATING

We love a Ginsters, and the pasty-slice kings are launching a new range of Spanish-style empanadas. They’ll be available in 2 flavours, BBQ pulled pork and chicken tikka, and each one is 99 cals, so perfect for a small snack that packs a punch.

There’s something very satisfying about eating a Peperami too, and it’s not just sucking on the weird, tasty meat condom (this is definitely A Thing People Do). You might have seen these little snack boxes that contain bite-sized Peperami and cubes of cheese in supermarkets, but if you haven’t they’re well worth seeking out to keep on hand for a protein boost. They’re 226 cals with 12.7g protein, and you can get them from most supermarkets and MuscleFood.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Alright so it has nothing to do with weight loss, food, fitness OR football, but we still really enjoyed this tweet by @mankyswan. Click through, have a listen and enjoy going ‘oooooh YEAH’ at the ones you didn’t know.

They say we eat with our eyes first, and if you’ve ever marvelled how adding a bit of green to your plate makes your meal look fresher, healthier and tastier then you’ll know how true this is.

While it’s nice treating yourself to a bit of eye candy before you tuck in, it turns out there are actual health benefits to filling your plate with a rainbow of colours. And no, eating a bag of Skittles doesn’t count.

What does ‘eat the rainbow’ mean?

Basically, eat as many differently coloured fruit and veg as possible. That’s it.

Why should I care what colour my food is?

The colour of your food can tell you a lot about its nutrients. Think about your favourite unhealthy treats, they’re mostly on the beige side of things – crisps, deep fried chicken, cake – even the glossy brown of your favourite chocolate bar doesn’t exactly scream vitality, whereas the bright colours of a fruit salad are vibrant and full of life.

Fruit and vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals, meaning that they’re good for us. They’re also typically low in calories, so good for snacking on and bulking out meals with. Yes, that is particularly condescending, but it’s true!

While it’s a good thing to keep in mind, don’t get too hung up about colours – it’s just a good  and easy guide to follow on your quest to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

What does a vegetable’s colour tell me about its nutrients?

Differently coloured fruits and vegetables often have an emphasis on different vitamins and minerals.

You can literally ‘eat the rainbow’ if you try hard enough. For example, red vegetables (tomatoes, red peppers, radishes) are a good source of vitamin C and lycopene, an antioxidant which gives these vegetables their red colour and is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Green vegetables (leafy greens including kale, spinach and lettuce as well as your bog-standard greens such as broccoli, courgettes and leeks) are incredibly nutrient-dense, with 67g of raw kale giving you 684% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin K, which is essential to help our blood clot.

Orange fruits and vegetables (oranges, sweet potatoes, butternut squash) are high in beta-carotene (good for eye health) and vitamin C (which helps to maintain healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage).

Why are vitamins and minerals important?

Vitamins and minerals are essential for good health. They literally do hundreds of things in the body, helping to keep things ticking along nicely. Some examples of their roles include helping to heal wounds, keeping your immune system fighting fit and helping to convert food into energy.

Making sure that you eat a variety of foods that are rich in various vitamins and minerals gives your body the best chance of staying healthy.

What if I don’t get enough vitamins?

Not getting enough vitamins in your diet can lead to a variety of vitamin-deficiency diseases, such as scurvy and rickets. If they sound old fashioned, it’s because in modern society we don’t struggle to get fresh fruit and veg, and a lot of the things we eat are fortified with vitamins.

Though it’s rare, it is still possible to get these diseases, with scurvy (which comes from not getting enough vitamin C) in particular found to be recently on the rise. It’s not nice – with severe weakness, join and leg pain, swollen bleeding gums, teeth falling out and red and blue spots on the skin are the delights that are in store for you if you’re unlucky enough to get it.

Can I just take a multivitamin?

Most people don’t need to as long as they’re eating a healthy, balanced diet. If you scrutinise the labels of multivitamins, you’ll often see that they’ll provide over 100% of your recommended daily allowance of some vitamins, which can potentially be harmful, or just plain useless in the case of vitamins like vitamin C, where anything your body can’t use is expelled from the body as waste. So you’ll be literally pissing money away.

However, the Department of Health and Social Care does recommend that everyone considers taking a vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter, as sunlight during these months isn’t strong enough for your body to make it.

Some people might need to take other vitamin supplements, but that’s something you should discuss with your doctor so that you can tell exactly what you’re deficient in and exactly how much you should be taking to bring your levels up to scratch.

So how can I boost my intake?

Ever heard of ‘hidden veg’? It’s hiding veg in your meals, something that parents often do to get some veg into fussy kids. Whether you’re 8 or 48, it’s a good way of getting closer to your 5-a-day without chomping on a raw carrot.

Here are some simple ways of boosting your fruit and veg intake:

• Add vegetables such as peas, sweetcorn and spinach to rice and pasta dishes.
• Keep a bag of frozen fruit in the freezer to add to porridge (you can get bags of frozen strawberries and bananas from Aldi which is perfect for this).
• Grate carrot into a bolognese, add heaps of peppers to a chilli and roast butternut squash to add to a lasagne – these little additions are barely noticeable and the calories are negligible, so win-win.

Don’t forget that tinned and frozen fruit and veg both count towards your 5-a-day and might be easier for you to get at the moment. And if you’re worried about the nutrients in tinned or frozen veg, they’re just as good as fresh. Plus they last longer, so you won’t find a bag of green slime that used to be spinach at the back of the fridge in a month’s time.

It’s obvious that moving more is good for you, and you can’t get more basic than going for a good ol’ fashioned walk. What’s not to love? It’s free, you can do it with no equipment, it’s accessible to most and it’s rather good for you – and walking is pretty good for weight loss.

But why is it good for you? How does it contribute to your weight loss goals? What’s the best way to do it for maximum efficiency? And how do you stop it from being so boring? Put your walking shoes on and let’s find out…

Strength training improves your overall health while also focusing on muscle development.

However, when performed with only free weights, the outcome is not as good as with resistance bands. The reason being many execute free weight exercises, such as dumbbell use, too fast to get the full use of their muscles.

Resistance bands can be performed rapidly as well but can be controlled easily and with better mindfulness from the feel of the resistance. The band itself will slingshot the body part during movement without control.

Making it a more forceful way to encourage controlled movement as well. Using resistance bands on their own is great, and mixing them with free weight movement is even better.

Benefits from Resistance Bands

This type of elastic band offers a universal and convenient method for strength training. Several benefits from resistance bands include:

• Improved muscle development
• Increased flexibility and mobility
• Wider exercise variations

This is just a few of the benefit points you can get from using resistance bands.

Improved Muscle Development

As mentioned, the control of the movement is what encourages better muscle development and endurance. Moving too quickly against the resistance offers minimal increases to your muscles and strength.

Resistance bands counter this by providing better resistance both ways when controlled. The execution of the movement is only one point. Controlling the resistance, which is called the eccentric phase, is where all the muscle growth occurs the most.

An example would be performing a resistance band row by attachment to a stable object like a small tree. Execution of the row is pulling the bands towards you, but the control portion is not letting the band sling forward.

Dumbbells can still be controlled in the same manner, although the supporting muscles to control are not used as much. Being active either way is important, but if you can be more effective, then resistance bands are a great choice.

Increased Flexibility and Mobility

There is a large variety of exercises you can perform with resistance bands only. The use of free weight for lots of the exercises is almost meaningless or impossible. The reason for this the way the movement is performed, requiring elasticity over solid weight.

Mobility is having a healthy range of motions with your joints. Flexibility is the elasticity of your skeletal muscles to move across ranges of motion. Both are important for better health and to prevent injuries from occurring from simple tasks such as twisting your body carrying a box.

Not being able to perform basic life tasks is also due to a lack of muscle and bone strength to support joint mobility. Resistance bands offer ease of movement for those recovering from an injury or in their senior years. This is why they are an effective tool used by physical therapists.