A. Often it’s just as hard to put on weight as it is to lose weight, particularly if you come from a family with a tall slender build which you’ve no doubt inherited. On the plus side, as you get older, your skinny build will become an advantage as you’re less likely to succumb to heart troubles or diabetes, conditions which are aggravated by being overweight.

Sugar. It's been labelled "deadly", "addictive", "toxic", "sweet poison" and blamed for the rise in global obesity in recent years." Get rid of the white toxin from your diet and you'll free up your body to drop those excess kilos" (or so say anti-sugar campaigners Sarah Wilson, David Gillespie and Robert Lustig). Here are the three real reasons why I believe quitting sugar helps you lose weight.

Our bodies need iron. Not the sort used in barbells, weights and stream trains but the essential mineral we get from our food. And especially so if you're a teen, an athlete or a woman — even more so if you are pregnant. Read on for my outline of what iron does in the body, how much you need and where can you get it.

Detox diets and detox 'cleansing' kits are big sellers. They promise lots of things - to purify the body, remove 'wastes' and eliminate 'toxins' (which are never really defined) and rejuvenate the liver. They say they can improve a sluggish digestion, revitalise the skin and boost your energy. Detox has become so accepted in our time-poor, instant world that many people embark on one whenever they've overdone the excesses of life and feel the need to refresh and revitalise. After Christmas is a classic time.

A.  In most cases, no special diet is needed. Your gall bladder is usually removed if it contains gall stones that can block the bile tube leading from the gall bladder to the small intestine.

I reviewed the diet book Eat Right for Your Type by US naturopathic physician Peter D'Adamo in 2009. It was part of the premium, paid content of the Foodwatch site at the time. Since then, the book has become a bestseller with its promise of helping you avoid infections, lose weight, fight life-threatening diseases and slow ageing. So I've decided to make my review available to all Foodwatch readers. 

The Fast Diet by Dr Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer

I recently happened to watch dietitian Matt O’Neill comment on the new Fast Diet (aka the 5:2 Diet) on morning TV. It caught my attention not only for Matt’s usual easy-to-grasp explanation but also for the book’s simplicity and lack of a set ‘diet formula’. So when I received a copy in the post, I thought it was time for a review. 

Having a child with a weight problem needs perseverance and patience. An overweight child will typically not achieve their healthy weight range in anything less than six months and an obese child may be looking at several years before they get there.