0:00:02 > 0:00:03This is absolute genius.
0:00:03 > 0:00:08So, sit down, buckle up and get ready for take-off!
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Each show we'll introduce you to a different genius.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16An amazing person who had a genius idea which shaped the world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18And they will inspire us
0:00:18 > 0:00:22to come up with our own genius idea at the end of each show.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24But will it be any good?
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Will it be any good? It will be Absolute Genius!
0:00:28 > 0:00:32And on today's show, we'll be exploring the power of food!
0:00:32 > 0:00:33Look at that!
0:00:33 > 0:00:36And finding out what fuels our sporting champions.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37So sit back, and enjoy the ride!
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Can I take this awful thing off my face?
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Today, we're going to introduce you to a scientist who had a real
0:01:15 > 0:01:19appetite for experiments, a genius who helped us to understand what's
0:01:19 > 0:01:23in our food, and also what food to eat to stay fit and healthy.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27In fact, her recommendations helped this country to become
0:01:27 > 0:01:29the healthiest it's ever been.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33Ladies and gentlemen, we give you... Elsie Widdowson.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34Hello, chaps.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Ah! Time for lunch.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Inspired by Elsie, we're going to be coming up with our own genius
0:01:43 > 0:01:45challenge later on in the show...
0:01:45 > 0:01:49..when we put the power of food to the test by joining the Army cadets.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Keep going. What are you made of? Do more.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56But first, let's learn a bit more about her.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Widdowson was born in 1906, in the days
0:01:59 > 0:02:03when food was something people just ate! They didn't know too much
0:02:03 > 0:02:05about what's in it and how it affects our bodies.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09These days, we all know that you're supposed to eat your five a day,
0:02:09 > 0:02:11things like apples, carrots, your greens.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13And you can see everything that's contained in food
0:02:13 > 0:02:16just by looking at the packaging.
0:02:16 > 0:02:17But in those days,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20accurate information like this didn't always exist,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23so it was hard to work out what you should be eating to stay healthy.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Our genius did something about it.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27She worked out the nutrition of food.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30What's in it, and how it affects our bodies.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34For the first time, people had accurate information about what
0:02:34 > 0:02:37they were eating, all in one book!
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Widdowson's genius idea was to write a book that told us
0:02:40 > 0:02:42what's in our food.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45It listed things like how much energy all our foods were giving us.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49She wrote it with her partner in science, Robert McCance,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52and it was called The Chemical Composition Of foods.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54- Catchy, eh! - And she didn't just look at energy.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58The book also listed important nutrients like the carbohydrates,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02protein, fats and minerals that we find in all our foods.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03Genius!
0:03:04 > 0:03:07To find out more, we've come to King's College in London,
0:03:07 > 0:03:12where Widdowson studied nutrition - the science of food!
0:03:12 > 0:03:15And to tell us about her genius work and experiments,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19we're meeting up with CBBC resident food expert, Stefan Gates.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22So what exactly is Elsie's book about?
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Well, it's basically about lots of numbers.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26- I mean, it looks really boring. - I can confirm that.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29- It really does look dull. - Like a maths book.- Lots of numbers.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33But what's inside it is absolutely amazing. World-changing stuff.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35She took foods, and basically ripped them apart,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and tried to understand what was inside them.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40This piece of Cheddar cheese. One piece of cheese.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Now, she's found out that in this Cheddar cheese
0:03:42 > 0:03:45there are 416 calories. You've got everything in here.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48A bit of chocolate? Do you like chocolate?
0:03:48 > 0:03:51- It's all right.- So we can find out what's in chocolate.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Again, lots of energy, protein, a lot of fat.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Once you know what's in food, then you can tell what you need to eat.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Would you like to be bigger, better, stronger, faster, cleverer?
0:04:01 > 0:04:03- Of course.- Oh, yes!- All of the above.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06- You're fine as you are, but yeah...- Well, me too.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09One of the most important things we need from food is energy,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11which is measured in calories.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15The average adult needs from 2,000 to 2,500 of them a day.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Widdowson's genius book told us exactly how many calories
0:04:18 > 0:04:21and other nutrients were in all the different foods we eat.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25This information became essential during the Second World War.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Food was scarce, and the government rationed supplies.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Widdowson helped work out the basic foods each person
0:04:30 > 0:04:32needed to stay healthy.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37So we're going to do an Elsie. We're going to take some food,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39and recreate the experiments that she did.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43So, really common food here. Pizza, pizza.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- A little pepperoni pizza there. And some other stuff.- Eurgh!
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Carrots, broccoli and beans, good for you.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51The thing is, all of these foods would have been very familiar
0:04:51 > 0:04:54to Elsie. I wanted to try something that she wouldn't have tested.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56So maybe we'll take her work and move it forwards.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- And look at a food of the future. Want to have a look?- Yes, OK.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Lift that lid.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04- Oh, my goodness, look at them! - It's got maggots in it!
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- These are mealworms.- 'Yes, we're going to experiment with these -
0:05:08 > 0:05:11'here's some Stefan prepared earlier.'
0:05:11 > 0:05:13- Now, these are ready to eat. - Don't look, lads.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16There's some of your mates over there. They're looking a bit crispy.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18'Time to give them a try.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21'But, as I'm vegetarian, I'll leave that to the others.'
0:05:21 > 0:05:23After three, ready, lads?
0:05:23 > 0:05:25One, two... Hang on, wait.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29- What's that long kind of brown line? - Oh, that's just its intestines.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31SCREAMING
0:05:31 > 0:05:33One, two, three, go.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- Weirdly, they're quite nice. - I mean, they're basically crisps.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- They taste very much like crisps. - They're actually pretty tasty.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- Really?- Seriously.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50Now, you can mix them with a little bit of smoked paprika,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53- it makes them taste like smoky bacon.- Smoky bacon maggots!
0:05:53 > 0:05:57- They've already got a bit of flavour to them, though.- It's not bad, is it?
0:05:57 > 0:05:59So we're going to do one of Elsie's tests
0:05:59 > 0:06:01to find out how many calories there are in it.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04- How do we do that? - Come follow me.- Want some?
0:06:07 > 0:06:11We already know how many calories everyday foods contain.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Carrots - 35 calories per 100 grams.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Broccoli - 33 calories.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Baked beans - 84 calories.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Pepperoni pizza - 250 calories per 100 grams.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25But how many calories are in mealworms?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27To help us do our own experiment,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30we've turned to genius assistant Rosie.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33She's used a nifty bit of kit called a bomb calorimeter
0:06:33 > 0:06:37and worked out exactly how many calories there are in mealworms.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Now, a little guesstimation.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42I reckon, calorie-wise, they're going to be really light.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43Something like a carrot.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Healthy, good-for-you worms.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51What's the final calorie content of those lovely little worms?
0:06:51 > 0:06:55It's not as low as you think. It's 421 calories...
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- What?!- ..per 100 grams.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01- Fantastic!- That's almost as many calories as in a big bag of crisps!
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- That's quite a lot. - Nothing like a carrot.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07- So, there you go, no more mealworms for you.- No more for me.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Just stick to pizza.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Just like Elsie, we've measured the calories in our food.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Anyone for a bowl of mealworms?
0:07:17 > 0:07:18Mmm(!)
0:07:19 > 0:07:23'The pages of Widdowson's book are full of calories, and we want to
0:07:23 > 0:07:27'learn more about what a calorie is and how much energy it contains.'
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Time to meet chemist and genius helper Professor Andrea Sella.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36- Hi, Andrea, how are you doing? - Hey, good to meet you.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39We're trying to understand the science behind food a lot more,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42and one thing that Elsie had in every single one of her charts
0:07:42 > 0:07:44is the amount of calories in food.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47But we don't actually know what that means. What are calories?
0:07:47 > 0:07:51They're a measurement of how much energy is in food.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Now, if we were to take something like this olive oil here,
0:07:55 > 0:07:59either we can eat it and burn it inside,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03use it as a fuel for ourselves, or alternatively do what
0:08:03 > 0:08:07the Greeks did, which was to actually use it in a tea light.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10'To show us the energy in food, Andrea is going to
0:08:10 > 0:08:14'burn 75 calories' worth of olive oil in this tea light.'
0:08:14 > 0:08:17'Scientists work out the calories in food by burning it
0:08:17 > 0:08:20'and measuring the heat that is produced.'
0:08:20 > 0:08:22So, when we ingest the olive oil,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25it does a very similar thing to what it is doing to the water -
0:08:25 > 0:08:29- it gives us energy and it gives the water energy, right?- Yeah, exactly.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32The only difference is, we don't have a flame inside us,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36so our bodies process the fuel much more cleverly.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38But the end result is the same,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41and the interesting thing is that you run warm, right?
0:08:41 > 0:08:45- You're hot.- Of course. Thank you! - LAUGHTER
0:08:45 > 0:08:48- Where do we go from here?- Come on, chaps, there's work to be done!
0:08:48 > 0:08:51But those 75 calories don't look like they're doing much.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53I mean, it's heating the water, which is great,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- but there's not much effect.- I know, it's not really that dramatic.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- If you want dramatic... You want dramatic?- Of course.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Then what we have to do is speed it up.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06'And to speed up the process, Andrea is going to take 75 calories' worth
0:09:06 > 0:09:09'of digestive biscuit - the same energy as there was
0:09:09 > 0:09:13'in our olive oil tea light - and mix it with liquid oxygen.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17'We're doing the same thing our bodies do - using oxygen from the air
0:09:17 > 0:09:19'to get energy from food,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22'but we're going to massively speed that process up.'
0:09:22 > 0:09:27OK, now take the biscuit and put it on the tabletop. Just here.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31- That's great.- 'Don't go setting fire to biscuits at home!
0:09:31 > 0:09:34- 'We've got an expert to help us.' - Shall we stand back?
0:09:34 > 0:09:37I think you might. We'll see. You'll tell me in a second.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Whoa! Look at that!
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Wow!
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Ooh, nice, toasty. That's amazing.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53'So, that's what calories do.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56'Widdowson was onto something powerful here.'
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Yes, food is powerful, but I'm not sure about the worms.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01'Later in the show, we'll be
0:10:01 > 0:10:05'using the energy in food to fuel our own genius challenge.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10'But first, how exactly does our body turn that food
0:10:10 > 0:10:12'and all those calories into energy?
0:10:14 > 0:10:17'Who better to tell us than our resident genius, Fran...
0:10:19 > 0:10:22'..who has a habit of popping up just when you need her most?'
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Fran, what's this?
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Well, this is going to come later, but we know, right,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29that food's got energy in it, with calories?
0:10:29 > 0:10:32And how do you think you get that energy from the food?
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- What do you do to it to begin with? - Eat it.- Digest.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Yeah, and all the digestion does
0:10:37 > 0:10:40is break the food down into the smallest bits it can.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45But then, with the smallest bits of food, it makes energy parcels.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48'We're using these bottles of lemonade
0:10:48 > 0:10:52'and some mints to create our own energy parcels.'
0:10:54 > 0:10:55Not firmly wedged.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59So we've made these little energy parcels.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02This is a representation of what you've got in your body.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05So when you digest food, it's broken down into those really small
0:11:05 > 0:11:09bits, then they react with oxygen to make little energy parcels that can
0:11:09 > 0:11:13then be moved around your body and used whenever your body needs to.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16'Energy parcels ready, time to release that energy!' Here we go!
0:11:16 > 0:11:20- Hang on.- Right, put it back. That's it, that's it.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Give it a bit of a jig.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27Release your cork, release your cork! Release your cork!
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Oh, yours isn't quite going, let's get yours going. Ready, ready?
0:11:32 > 0:11:33All right!
0:11:36 > 0:11:40It's brilliant! Fran, it's the best thing I've ever seen!
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Just to recap what's happened, we tried to do an experiment,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46and it went a little bit wrong.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49So this is mark two, trying to make it work.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53- Pretend you never saw the earlier thing.- Are you ready? Are you ready?
0:11:56 > 0:12:01- Yes... Yes...- They're dropping in, dropping in. OK, all right.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04- Leave it a bit. Go on, go on, go on.- Yeah!
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- And that's how you get the energy from food.- She did it.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Ladies and gentlemen, Fran.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17'So, that's how the body releases energy.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20'Any extra you don't use is stored as fat.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23'We've seen that food contains energy through calories,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27'but we want to find out what the best food is to power our bodies.'
0:12:27 > 0:12:30I think to do that, you need to go to one of the top sporting teams
0:12:30 > 0:12:32- in the world.- What, like the New Zealand All Blacks,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34or maybe the home of the Olympics, Athens?
0:12:34 > 0:12:37- No, no, I've got just the place. - Where?- Manchester.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41I love Manchester!
0:12:43 > 0:12:45'We've come to the Manchester velodrome,
0:12:45 > 0:12:46'the home of British cycling,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50'to learn what the top athletes eat to power their performance.'
0:12:51 > 0:12:56Well, one in particular is genius Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00She's won an incredible 11 gold, eight silver and three bronze medals
0:13:00 > 0:13:04in both swimming and cycling across six Paralympic games.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07So, Sarah, why is food so important in your profession?
0:13:07 > 0:13:08Well, in any sport,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11it's really important to have the right food, because if you put the
0:13:11 > 0:13:14wrong fuel into an athlete, they're not going to perform very well.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16It's about getting the right balance of food.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Athletes need more than the recommended five a day
0:13:19 > 0:13:21because you're burning so many vitamins and minerals.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24And then you also need some good fats, as well,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27so we're not talking about saturated fats that you find in a fry-up.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30We talking about the fat you might find in oily fish,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32yoghurt, the dairy products, that kind of thing.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36So, before a race, do you have to have a massive meal to get all
0:13:36 > 0:13:38those carbs and energy in, and then go straight out onto
0:13:38 > 0:13:41the racetrack, or do you stop eating a few hours before?
0:13:41 > 0:13:44On actual race day, you'll eat probably two or three hours
0:13:44 > 0:13:47ahead of the race, depending on the sort of race that it is.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50If you're in road racing, you'll eat during the race,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53because you may be on the bike for four or five hours during
0:13:53 > 0:13:56the race, and you need to get that sugar inside you
0:13:56 > 0:13:58so you have instant energy.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01How do you eat when you're riding in a race, and what do you eat?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Sometimes we wrap up tiny pieces of jam sandwich,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07because the bread is really good for filling your stomach
0:14:07 > 0:14:09and the jam is really good for simple sugar.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12So what would happen if you put your hand in your bag
0:14:12 > 0:14:14and pulled out a slice of pizza during your race and ate that?
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Well, you'd tell the person who put it in the pocket off, to start with.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20They should never have given you pizza in the first place.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23But you should never have those bad foods that aren't going to digest
0:14:23 > 0:14:25quickly before an event.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27But that's not to say that if you got to the top of a mountain
0:14:27 > 0:14:30and you're absolutely exhausted during a six or seven hour ride
0:14:30 > 0:14:33that you wouldn't have a can of cola and a bar of chocolate to give you
0:14:33 > 0:14:36that instant sugar hit, because if you're bonking out
0:14:36 > 0:14:38and you've got no energy at all - you're about to collapse -
0:14:38 > 0:14:41that gives you the instant hit you need to be able to carry on.
0:14:41 > 0:14:42What's it called, "bonking out"?
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Is that the professional term for when you collapse from no sugar?
0:14:46 > 0:14:48It is, cos you've got nothing left in your body.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Best get some fizzy drinks and some chocolate.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Yeah, otherwise we'll bonk out.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Top athletes like Sarah eat a balanced, healthy diet.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00They burn so much energy they can get away with the odd sugary treat.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03And here are some other foodie facts about sports stars.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05It's the Genius Top Five.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09At five, Arsenal footballers' favourite treat is banoffee pie.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13The bananas and sugar provide a great energy boost on the pitch. Love it.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16At four, Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins fuelled up
0:15:16 > 0:15:20for the big race by eating a bowl of porridge at bedtime.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25Three, at the 2008 Olympics, the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28won three gold medals while eating a diet of chicken nuggets.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Can I take your order, please?
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Fact two, Paralympic swimming star Ellie Simmonds
0:15:33 > 0:15:36eats loads of seafood to help her swim like a fish.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Just kidding, we made that one up!
0:15:39 > 0:15:42And at number one, the world's most successful Olympian swimmer,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Michael Phelps, eats more for breakfast
0:15:45 > 0:15:48than most people eat in a whole day.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52So far, we've discovered that Elsie wrote a genius book telling us
0:15:52 > 0:15:54all about what's in the stuff we eat.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58And we've seen for ourselves how the calories in food give us energy.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00THEY CHEER
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Now it's time to see how our bodies
0:16:02 > 0:16:05can use that energy through exercise.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10To get us going, it's genius sports scientist Dr Howard Hurst.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12- All right, Howard? Nice to meet you. - Good to meet you.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14So, we want to find out how much energy
0:16:14 > 0:16:16I am going to use on the track.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17OK, no problem. What we're going to do,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20we're going to fit you up with this gas analyser.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22You don't want to analyse his gas. Blimey.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25We're going to look at how much oxygen you're using,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28how much carbon dioxide you're going to produce,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30and from that we can look at what your energy expenditure is
0:16:30 > 0:16:32as you're cycling around the track.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35So if you want to pop that over your head...
0:16:37 > 0:16:39It does have to be quite tight, so...
0:16:39 > 0:16:41- Am I going to be able to breathe in this?- Yeah...
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- DOM LAUGHS - How does that feel?- Yeah, good.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47OK, so what we need you to do now is just put this final piece in.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51- Oh, lovely(!) Just to top it off. - It monitors your oxygen uptake.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Brilliant. Right, let's go and burn some.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55- Ready to go?- Yeah.- Brilliant.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03While Dick's doing four laps of the track -
0:17:03 > 0:17:04that's one kilometre in total -
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Howard can monitor the amount of calories he's burning.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Faster! One last lap!
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Give it some welly!
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Just when you think you've seen your mate
0:17:16 > 0:17:19in every possible situation, something like this pops up.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Time for the results.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Can I take this awful thing off my face?
0:17:23 > 0:17:25DOM LAUGHS
0:17:25 > 0:17:29So, Howard, am I going to wake up looking like David Beckham tomorrow?
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Um, highly unlikely. Sorry to disappoint you.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34How many calories did I burn?
0:17:34 > 0:17:38OK, so during that one kilometre, you did 21 calories.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42- 21... That doesn't sound like a lot. - Well, it's about four crisps.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- All that!- Not four packets, just four crisps.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50All that exercise. He was absolutely exhausted at the end of it.
0:17:50 > 0:17:51Around one crisp a lap.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54So to burn off that packet of crisps I ate earlier,
0:17:54 > 0:17:59all 180 calories of it, I'd have to do 36 laps of the track.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01That's nine kilometres.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06That seems like a ridiculously large amount of exercise
0:18:06 > 0:18:09for a very small... Something that we all do in everyday life
0:18:09 > 0:18:11and you don't even think about it.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Well, you're burning energy all the time,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15so just standing here now we're burning energy.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Brushing your teeth takes about two minutes,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20which is about the same amount of time it took you to do that, Dick.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24That's about six calories, so in terms of burning the energy,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28exercise is far more efficient than just sitting around doing nothing.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30And while I recover,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32here's a not-so-clever way to experiment with food.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Time for the Not So Genius Idea!
0:18:37 > 0:18:38In the summer of 2005,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42there was an attempt to make the world's biggest ice lolly.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45At 25 feet high and weighing 17 tonnes,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47it would have been a record-breaker.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51But in the hot summer sun, the kiwi and strawberry-flavoured giant lolly
0:18:51 > 0:18:54melted before it could be pulled upright.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57People were sent running from the sticky torrent,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and firefighters closed streets
0:18:59 > 0:19:02as they tried to hose away the gooey mess.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05A not-so-genius way to experiment with food.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Silly idiots!
0:19:07 > 0:19:11We've discovered how different foods can give us energy through calories.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Yes, even mealworms.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17And we've learned how Widdowson helped Britain survive wartime
0:19:17 > 0:19:20with her genius knowledge about what foods to eat.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Now, inspired by Widdowson's discoveries
0:19:23 > 0:19:25about the energy food can give us,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28we are ready to reveal our own genius idea.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31We've decided to test out our physical fitness
0:19:31 > 0:19:34by joining the Army Cadet Force.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Boots left! Left turn!
0:19:37 > 0:19:42By the front, quick march. You two, get a move on!
0:19:42 > 0:19:46For our genius idea, we're going to attempt a tough physical challenge
0:19:46 > 0:19:49inspired by Widdowson's wartime experiments.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53She tried living off rations to see if she would still have the energy
0:19:53 > 0:19:56to climb hills and mountains. So we're going to do the same.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Well, we don't have mountains,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02but we do have a gruelling assault course and shouty instructors.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- Hello.- Come on, you two, let's go.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Move! Move! OK, recruits. Come on.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09It's hammering it down with rain.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Well, you better get on with it so you can get inside.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Hurry up, boys. Your inner is flying away.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Putting up the tent is the easy part.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Time to get ready for the challenge itself.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20Here's the plan -
0:20:20 > 0:20:24our genius idea to fuel up on World War II inspired food rations.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Our challenge - to complete a series of physical tests,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31including battling an assault course and scaling a 12-metre wall.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Hopefully, our rations will give us enough energy
0:20:34 > 0:20:38to run across the countryside all the way to the finish line.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Oh, it's raining!
0:20:41 > 0:20:43But before we get started,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45let's see what our cadets fuel up on for their training.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49This is better, isn't it? Nice and warm in a very well put-up tent.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Yeah, better than ours.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54But we've got to eat some food for energy for our genius challenge.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56What kind of food do you eat in the cadets?
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Well, typically a British Army soldier would have to live
0:20:59 > 0:21:01for 24 hours off the contents of one of these ration packs.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04- This box would last for 24 hours? - 24 hours, that's correct.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07A British Army ration pack has got 4,000 calories
0:21:07 > 0:21:09and it's got your three main meals of the day that you need,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- and also you've got snacks, as well. - That's a lot of calories.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Is that because you do a lot of physical activity?
0:21:15 > 0:21:17There's actually a meal in this bag?
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Chicken, pasta and mushrooms in there.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Mm, Jess, Joe, I bet you're looking forward to this, aren't you?
0:21:24 > 0:21:25Num-num-num-num.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Well, I don't fancy a boil-in-the-bag for my tea.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Let's see what we've got in our tent.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Is that it?! A vegetable pasty?!
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Yup. There wasn't much meat around during the Second World War.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Widdowson's advice was to eat loads of fresh veg,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42like cabbage and potatoes, to stay healthy and full of energy,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45so we've got a meat-free pasty.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49There are lots of veg in there, a bit of potato. Pastry, loads of carbs.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52About 500 calories-worth.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54How are you feeling about the genius challenge?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Well, it's a lovely day for it, isn't it?
0:21:57 > 0:21:58Come on, eat it up!
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Fuelled up and ready to go,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03it's finally time to put those rations to the test
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- with our challenge.- Stand by! - If our genius is right,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09we should have enough energy to get us to the finish line.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Go!
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- 'And we're off.'- Get a good grip of that container. Let's go!
0:22:16 > 0:22:1920 star jumps. Count them out, count them!
0:22:19 > 0:22:23THEY ALL COUNT AT ONCE
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Get your containers, let's go! Keep going!
0:22:26 > 0:22:28'Oh, I'm exhausted already.'
0:22:28 > 0:22:30'I hope not - its press-ups next.'
0:22:30 > 0:22:34That wasn't a proper one. Do that again. Wait for your team-mate.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37'Come on, pasty. Give us some energy!'
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Get a grip of that. Straight under it.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Come on, come on. Drag it, keep moving.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Well done.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Keep going. Count them out.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Come on.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56THEY COUNT
0:22:56 > 0:22:58- Well done.- How many?
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Come on. Come on!
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Come on!
0:23:03 > 0:23:04What are you made of?
0:23:04 > 0:23:08- 17...- Two more! Two more, come on!
0:23:08 > 0:23:11'Yeah, the shouting really helps(!) Cheers, mate.'
0:23:11 > 0:23:12I'm soaking!
0:23:12 > 0:23:17One, two. Come on! Three, four, five.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19'Man down!' To the finish line!
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Four, five... Come on, Don.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Come on, Dom. Up you get, burn those rations.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34'And we've made it.'
0:23:34 > 0:23:36'Our rations have given us the energy
0:23:36 > 0:23:38'to battle the first part of the challenge,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40'but it's not over yet.'
0:23:42 > 0:23:44I'm wet, I'm exhausted, my muscles are aching.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47And we're only on part one.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49And I'm wearing a silly hat.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53'Hold on to your hat, because this next challenge is the 12-metre wall.'
0:23:56 > 0:23:59'The rain's coming down. We have to go up.'
0:23:59 > 0:24:02'And I'm afraid of heights.'
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Stand by. Go!
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Come on! Look where you put your feet.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Well done, keep going.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Well done, we've got one at the top almost.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Considering he's scared of heights, he's doing a really good job.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Come on, mate! That's it.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25'The energy from our genius rations
0:24:25 > 0:24:29'are still powering us on, right to the top.'
0:24:29 > 0:24:32DOM LAUGHS
0:24:34 > 0:24:38'You can laugh. Let's see how well you do trying to get down again.'
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Argh!
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Well, that's one way to save energy.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52'That was harder than I thought.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54'Good luck, Dick. Don't look down.'
0:24:56 > 0:25:00- Tell me when.- Now.- Now? - Yes, away you go. That's great.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02That's really good. Both hands on the rope.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Oh, yeah! That's it, yeah!
0:25:05 > 0:25:08DOM LAUGHS
0:25:15 > 0:25:17- Bounce.- Yes!
0:25:21 > 0:25:22It's a long way up.
0:25:22 > 0:25:23Well done, Dick.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26But the thing is, just when we think it's all over,
0:25:26 > 0:25:28we've done the assault course,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30we've climbed up this and come back down,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33I think we've still got one more thing to do.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36'Yes, the final part of the challenge is a run to the finish line.'
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Let's hope we have some energy left.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43- Are you ready?- Yes, sir.- Yes, sir. 'Come on, pasty. Not far now.'
0:25:43 > 0:25:45OK, let's go.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Come on, keep up. Take care to watch yourselves over the stile.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Keep going.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Well done, let's go.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Watch where you put your feet. Well done.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04- Loads of energy being used now. - Come on!
0:26:06 > 0:26:07'Half a mile to the finish line,
0:26:07 > 0:26:12'and it feels like we've just about used up all our energy.'
0:26:12 > 0:26:13'But with a bit of luck,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17'the energy from our genius rations will see us through.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19'Hang in there, Dick. We are almost there.'
0:26:21 > 0:26:22'I can see the finish line!'
0:26:22 > 0:26:26'Think of Widdowson - we're doing it for her.'
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Straight through, it's the finish, let's go!
0:26:31 > 0:26:34'We've done it! Absolute genius.'
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Well done, boys.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40'That's right. We battled the assault course,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43'scaled the climbing wall
0:26:43 > 0:26:45'and made it to the finish line.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50'We've had a blast learning how our genius Widdowson
0:26:50 > 0:26:51'uncovered what's in our food...'
0:26:51 > 0:26:55'Tested her genius experiments on these tasty morsels...'
0:26:55 > 0:26:59'And we've even seen how our bodies turn it all into energy.'
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Well, Elsie, it was because of your discoveries
0:27:03 > 0:27:06that we as a nation were able to survive through the Second World War
0:27:06 > 0:27:09and become the healthiest our nation has ever been.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Not only that, but we were also able to complete the genius challenge.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Elsie Widdowson, you are an absolute genius.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Oh, thank you, boys. You're very kind.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Right, double cheeseburger, triple-battered chips...
0:27:32 > 0:27:33Bogies!
0:27:38 > 0:27:42It went right through me.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44- Don't wobble it. - I'm not doing anything!
0:27:44 > 0:27:46- Just stand still then.- Oi oi!
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd