The Programme, week 2: Nutritionist's comments on Rachel

Antony Haynes: Rachel loves her fruit juices but might consider apple juice, which releases its sugars more slowly than grape juice, resulting in a more controlled rise in blood sugar. Juices are a great way to get plenty of nutritious vitamins and minerals, but they do not contain the fibre that is present in a whole fruit, which helps to slow the absorption of sugars and speed the transit of food through the gut, allowing less time for putrefaction and infection to occur in the digestive system.

She might also consider diluting her juices with water, to reduce the sugar hit. Most people should consider balancing their blood sugar levels.

Sweets, simple carbohydrates and caffeine are all stimulants. They cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels and affect your adrenal hormone production. High blood sugar levels cannot be tolerated by the body so insulin is released to bring the levels down. As the blood sugar drops, however, energy levels decrease and the craving for something sweet, caffeine or nicotine increases. This sets up a rollercoaster of blood sugar levels throughout the day.