For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in health and well-being. I was strongly influenced by my childhood and by my mother, who battled with her weight. When I was quite young, my mother won the "Weight Watchers Slimmer of the Year" award. She was interviewed on The David Frost Show and won professional photography sessions, a retreat holiday and a new wardrobe. I kept some of her food diary notes, which showed that she had eaten an extremely low number of calories per day. Her diary does not reflect today's focus on macronutrients-the proportion of protein, carbohydrates and fats consumed. My mother eventually regained the weight and later underwent stomach stapling, which resulted in complications. After multiple operations, she regained the lost weight yet again. She raised me during the era of low-fat products and the now-criticised food pyramid (which promoted maximising carbohydrate intake). As I grew up, I noticed that foods like chocolate, which had once been a rare treat, became so prevalent that they were difficult to avoid. As an adult, I have tried various diets, including vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, egg-free, sugar-free and dairy-free (though not all at once!).