Personal profile FAQ

Dietitian Azmina Govindji tackles your general health and nutrition dilemmas, and answers specific questions about our new health profile tool.

• What I don't have time to act on my profile advice?
• Should I worry if I'm a profile 1 or 2?
• My nutrition profile is 2 - should I aim for 4?
• I'm level 3 for nutrition - how do I maintain that?
• Help! I'm at level 1. Where do I start?
• Is the tool suitable for older age groups?
• Do appetite suppressants work?
• Where can I find reliable nutritional advice?
• Of the 3 profiles, do you feel mental well-being gets too little attention?

What I don't have time to act on my profile advice?

Chris – This is a very useful tool. However, what if you don't have enough time to do all the exercise and cooking that's mentioned in the outcome due to other commitments? It's as though there isn't enough time in the day..

Azmina – I'm sure a lot of people think like you, Chris, and I think until you and others get on the site they won't actually see how easy it is. So, as I've mentioned before, if you acknowledge that there's this voice in your head that's putting you down, telling you off – that's all you have to do, just acknowledge it. Now that takes no more time than thinking.

Azmina – So it's not about necessarily spending an hour at the gym or actually changing your whole lifestyle; it's about just taking the time to notice things.

Azmina – Certainly, at profile 1, you may not be making many changes, but you just might be noticing, “Oh, I don't do that, do I?” And you know, when you start to focus on something, it gives you the opportunity to do something about it. So you might happily live your life, but until you notice that you're not a breakfast person, well, you're not going to do anything about it.

Azmina – But when you start noticing, you might think, "Actually, I do know I should be getting my blood sugar up. Maybe I'll just have a glass of fruit juice, I can easily do that." How much time does that take?

Azmina – I used to jog in front of the TV set, in front of a soap that I used to watch regularly. And whenever I hear the theme tune, I start to do that, I really do. I think it's little things like that. I would have been sitting whilst watching it, so it needn't take more time – it's being conscious about how you could perhaps make a little bit better use of that time.

   

Should I worry if I'm a profile 1 or 2?

Steve – Should I be concerned if my results are on the lower profiles, such as 1 or 2?

Azmina – Well, you're probably the same as many, many people in the UK – about average. We're all probably really about a 1 or a 2 anyway, so I think, again, it's about acknowledging that this is where I am. And I congratulate people who go on the site and notice that they're a profile 1 or 2, because they've taken the first step; they're interested enough to click on that site and to find out what profile they're on.

Azmina – So this is great news, and then you see what you can take on. People sometimes judge themselves too harshly and think, oh, it's all too difficult, I can't be bothered, and that's why actually using this questionnaire is a bit of a psychological boost too, because you'll notice in the language that we've chosen, it's very encouraging – it really is about congratulating you for your achievements, no matter where you start.

Azmina – There's nothing that's going to put you down on the site; it's just about, you know, congratulations, you've taken the first step. It's about ticking the boxes. If you've actually, instead of using that remote control, walked to the TV, you get a tick – the little steps you can take all make a difference.

Azmina – And it's about congratulating yourself as well for making the little differences. So you can go to the site and maybe in a month you have moved up a profile or you've improved within your existing profile.

My nutrition profile is 2 - should I aim for 4?

Mary – I've completed my lifestyle questionnaire and my nutrition profile rates me at level 2. Is my goal to get to level 4?

Azmina – Oh, definitely not. I would suggest that you take on the changes and see how you get on. In time, I'm sure you would get to a level 3 if you were committed. The Mind section helps with your commitment, because sometimes you do feel, oh, I can't be bothered with this, so the Mind section will encourage you.

Azmina – And if you get to a level 3 and think, actually, I'm quite comfortable, you know, I've toned up a bit, I feel I've got a bit more get up and go, I'm eating better - you might find you're happy where you are. If you then choose to carry on and try to strive for a level 4, that's fine, but it doesn't mean you should always try. I don't think many of us will get to a 4. Level 4 is about being really good and sustaining it. If you get there, great.

I'm level 3 for nutrition - how do I maintain that?

Mike – My nutrition profile is rated at level 3. I'm diabetic and I think my diet is pretty good, but can you recommend any tips to maintain good nutrition?

Azmina – Right. Well, people with diabetes are advised to eat a healthy diet and to be physically active, so it sounds as though, if you're a level 3, you're certainly doing that, which is great. I would suggest you just need to stay where you are, and if you can improve a little bit, fine. Carry on looking at your assessment. I think it's quite important to assess yourself at intervals on that questionnaire. And I'd say spread the good word!

Help! I'm at level 1. Where do I start?

Joan – I've completed my profile. It says I'm a level 1. Where do I start!

Azmina – And that's OK. Congratulations because you've gone and registered. You're at level 1 and actually, if you look at the Mind parts of this profile especially, you will start to be encouraged. It's about, you know, looking at this negative chatter that we have, it's about imagining your world to be a better place, because your mind doesn't differentiate between what's real and what's imagined. If you create these pictures in your mind, you will start to create a physiology within you that makes you feel better.

Azmina – I mean, that was a very negatively posed question – “Oh my God, I'm a level 1. Where do I start!” And actually, once you start to go through the advice, you will begin to feel better, because it's all about, “It's OK. Here are some tips.”

Azmina – When you start to ask yourself why you want to be fitter and healthier – it might be because you don't want to get the heart disease that your dad's got or you want a boyfriend – once you start to address those, your motivation will increase and then you'll take the advice much more willingly than if you just say, “I ought to eat better”. And there's lots of advice on the site from behavioural expert Nina Puddefoot that will help you overcome negative thoughts.

Is the tool suitable for older age groups?

 

Jonathan – Is the profile tool applicable to any age group? My mother is in her 70s – can this benefit her, too?

Azmina – Yes, of course. You know, women are living to 80 or 90 these days, so she's got a lovely full life ahead of her. I would suggest that she should give it a go and certainly build on the advice. Nothing is going to be too difficult. I mean, wherever she is, the advice – for example, the exercise advice – would be appropriate to her. It's not going to say do five cardio training sessions a week!

Azmina – The only people it may not be applicable to is very young children. But again, looking at where they are, fitting in with family meals and healthy exercise and healthy eating, makes a lot of sense.

Do appetite suppressants work?

Lucy – I was in my local supermarket and saw a product which suppresses your appetite. Are these a good idea?

Azmina – Well, in the end, weight loss is going to happen if you reduce your calorie intake, or you become more active and burn more calories. That's just how it works. So it's just about calories in, calories out. Now, there are products that say they make you feel fuller for longer or stop hunger, and a lot of the new ones on the market contain fibre and protein.

Azmina – Now both of these ingredients or nutrients do stay in your gut for longer, so the stomach empties much more slowly and you do feel fuller for longer, because it's just sitting there for longer. So they may have some effect, actually, in helping you to not snack afterwards. But remember, in the end, it is about what you take in over a full day – it's not going to be a magic bullet.

Where can I find reliable nutritional advice?

Kate – Where can I find out more about nutritional advice? I exercise regularly but my diet needs to improve.

Azmina – That's a really good question, because we're exposed to the web and to all these women's magazines, and how do we know that what they're telling us today will stand up to good science tomorrow? For me, it would be to look at who's writing the piece or who's in charge of the website.

Azmina – On the AXA-PPP-healthcare site we've got qualified experts; we're all qualified to a high level in not only understanding the science, but in translating the science. We're governed by a code of conduct: I'm not allowed to say anything that's doesn't stand up to scientific scrutiny.

Azmina – So if you're looking for nutritional advice, look at the registered members of the British Dietetic Association or the Nutrition Society. If you're looking at fitness, make sure they've got all the right letters after their name. And with someone in the Mind category, Nina, our expert on the AXA-PPP-healthcare site, is very well qualified in neurolinguistic programming and in behavioural therapy.

Azmina – It's very important to get the right advice and to be discerning about that advice. So you know you can trust your GP; you know that if your GP refers you to a registered dietician, you can trust them. But it's when you walk into a clinic where you've no recommendation and lots of advertising - you know, very tempting, but be careful; you're probably spending a lot of money but make sure they've got the right qualifications.

Of the 3 profiles, do you feel mental well-being gets too little attention?

Matthew – Of the three sections that make up the profile, which do you feel is most concerning for you in modern society? Do you feel there is one particular area where as a nation or a generation we tend to be particularly weak? For example, fitness and healthy eating, both very topical, but in my opinion there's a lack of focus on mental well-being.

Azmina – I'd agree with you there, Matthew, I really would. I mean, mental well-being is one of the government's priorities for the near future. We always talk about heart disease and cancer as being really high up there. The government is now looking at mental illness because we're not coping. You know, our lifestyles are getting stressful, we're just not coping. So for me, that would be the one that tends to be missing.

Azmina – If you look up lots of internet sites, if you're a web person and you're often scanning the web to see what advice you can get, that's the one that's missing usually, isn't it? You do get the nutrition and you do get the fitness. And that is why having everything under one roof, if you like, you actually get everything that you need, and that's the one that needs to have a little bit more, because you can't look at these things in isolation – we're a whole person.