0:00:02 > 0:00:05OK, gang, let's find out what our task is this week.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35The Gastronuts joining me on this week's show are...
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Eating meat is good for a healthy diet.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51If I became vegetarian,
0:00:51 > 0:00:57I would miss my cheeseburger with beef and lots of cheese.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I think we should eat meat because meat does taste nice
0:01:00 > 0:01:02and it's part of our everyday life.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05It would be a disaster if I didn't have meat!
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Coming up, we find out why cow poop
0:01:07 > 0:01:11is causing such a stink amongst environmentalists.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13- Stinks!- It stinks!
0:01:13 > 0:01:17We discover how many fire engines it takes to make a beefburger.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Wow! Everyone ready?
0:01:21 > 0:01:26And the Gastronuts get pig sick when they see inside some swine.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29All that's coming up later. First of all, why do you like eating meat?
0:01:29 > 0:01:31- What's good about it? - It tastes nice.- It tastes nice?
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- It helps me grow.- That's right.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36It's got lots of protein in. It's good for you.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38So who likes roast chicken?
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Yeah? You like roast chicken? Yeah?
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Chicken's one of the world's most popular meats. Do you know why?
0:01:44 > 0:01:46- Why?- Because it's very, very cheap.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51But there's a reason for this, and I'd like to show you. Follow me!
0:01:51 > 0:01:54'Many people stop eating meat because they think it's wrong
0:01:54 > 0:01:55'to kill animals for food.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59'Many more have a problem with the conditions in which animals live.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01'The majority of chicken that we eat is raised in barns
0:02:01 > 0:02:05'where tens of thousands of chickens are cramped together
0:02:05 > 0:02:07'and never see daylight in their short lives.'
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Now, which of these pens do you think you'd prefer to live in?
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Which one would you like to go for?
0:02:13 > 0:02:16- The bigger one.- Well, it's a bit of a trick question, I'm afraid,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18because it's neither of these two pens.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22I'd like to introduce you to your new home.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25'If the Gastronuts lived like barn-raised chickens,
0:02:25 > 0:02:30'four of them would share a space this size, all day, every day.'
0:02:30 > 0:02:32In you get!
0:02:32 > 0:02:37There you go. Make like a chicken. Very good!
0:02:37 > 0:02:40OK, I'll just close you up.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Imagine it's time for your morning run. Round we go!
0:02:42 > 0:02:45'Barn-raised chickens only live for six weeks
0:02:45 > 0:02:48'before they're slaughtered, and if we divided up their barn,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52'they'd only have a space the size of an A4 piece of paper each
0:02:52 > 0:02:54'to move around in.'
0:02:54 > 0:02:55And stop!
0:02:55 > 0:02:57- How's that?- Not very good.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01- It's not very good, is it? It's a bit of a squeeze, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04In a normal barn, there'll be 20,000 of you squished in,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07and that's how much space each of you would have.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11- What do you think about that?- I'd be very cramped and want to get out.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13- Quite strange, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15After that, it might be time to go to the loo.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18- Where are you going to go? - Corner.- Yeah, in the corner.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Right here, you're going to have to go, aren't you?
0:03:21 > 0:03:23OK, do you want to find out what it's like
0:03:23 > 0:03:25to have wee'd in your own house?
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Not really, do you? Tough! I'm going to show you.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36'To give the Gastronuts a clearer idea of what it's like
0:03:36 > 0:03:38'to live in your own wee for six weeks,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41'these tea towels have been soaked in the closest thing
0:03:41 > 0:03:43'we could get to chicken urine.'
0:03:43 > 0:03:45When chickens do a wee,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49what they have is a lot of ammonia in their wee. That's ammonia.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53- And that's the smell of it. Can anyone smell that?- Yeah.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55You'll live with that for your whole life,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58because usually they don't clean the barn you live in
0:03:58 > 0:04:00until they take you off to slaughter.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03That's terrible. I just got a smell!
0:04:03 > 0:04:06And if there's too much wee, the chickens could faint.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Also, it's quite bad for you. It can burn your feet, as well.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11But you have to live in that.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13After you've done your wee, what's it time for?
0:04:13 > 0:04:16- Food.- No, it's time to do a poo.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- Where are you going to do a poo? - In there.- Right there!
0:04:19 > 0:04:22'During their short lives, the floor of the barn
0:04:22 > 0:04:25'gets filled with wee and poo, which the chickens have no choice
0:04:25 > 0:04:27'but to move and sit around in.'
0:04:27 > 0:04:28Have a little whiff of that.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33- What does that smell like? - Little sister.- Like your sister?!
0:04:35 > 0:04:40- What else is in there?- Worms. - Yeah, they're maggots.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Maggots wouldn't live long, because you'd be pleased to eat them.
0:04:43 > 0:04:44How's it going? You all happy?
0:04:44 > 0:04:50- No!- It's a bit stinky, isn't it? - Yeah.- It's a bit mucky.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53The one thing that you do have is constant access
0:04:53 > 0:04:56to as much food as you want. Let's have a little look!
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- This...- Oh, my God!- This is the food that you would have to eat.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03It's very special stuff, this, because it's got masses of protein,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07very, very high protein. They want you to grow as quickly as possible
0:05:07 > 0:05:10so that you put on weight, so they can get more money for you.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15If you grew at the same rate as a chicken over its six weeks of life,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17you would be the size of a donkey by the age of two.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- So what do you think about the life of a chicken?- Terrible.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24- Unlucky.- It is, it's an unlucky life to be a chicken bred like this.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29- You pleased to be out of there, guys?- Yeah!
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Now it's time to see how chickens bred for their eggs are kept.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38There we go.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Now, if you're kept for eggs,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45the Gastronut-sized chicken, for four of you,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48would have this much space to live in.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50- Tiny.- Horrible! - It's a bit horrible, isn't it?
0:05:50 > 0:05:53- What do you think it feels like to be inside that?- Cramped.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Cramped. Well, let's find out.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59'Caged chickens can lay up to 250 eggs in a year.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02'But when they start laying fewer eggs, they're slaughtered.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06'The meat from these chickens is poor quality,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10'so it's used in soups or cheap meat pies.'
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Time for your morning exercise. And run around in there, guys!
0:06:14 > 0:06:20It's like prison, only there's no prospect of getting out, is there?
0:06:20 > 0:06:22- What does it feel like?- Horrible!
0:06:22 > 0:06:24It's a bit strange, isn't it?
0:06:24 > 0:06:28It's time to let you out, so that you can become free-range chickens.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31'Free-range chickens have access to outside space.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34'They grow much more slowly and lead more natural lives.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37'But this good living comes at a price.'
0:06:37 > 0:06:41The thing about free-range chickens is that they're much more expensive
0:06:41 > 0:06:45than chickens that are kept in the small cage that you were in.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Free-range chickens and free-range eggs are about twice as expensive
0:06:49 > 0:06:51as normal barn-kept chickens.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Do you think it's better to pay more and get a free-range chicken?
0:06:55 > 0:06:58I would go for the barn chickens
0:06:58 > 0:07:01because they're less than the free-range chickens
0:07:01 > 0:07:03and they'll be easier to buy.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06I know we're humans and not chickens, we lead different lives.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08But it's still a shock to find out how they live.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12And yet, the Gastronuts still didn't want to give up eating chicken.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15I wonder if they could be convinced to get away from eating meat at all?
0:07:15 > 0:07:19This table is full of food that is made of meat,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22and then we've got its meat substitute.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24I want you to guess which is which.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27First of all, we have chicken and a chicken substitute.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Everyone jump in there. In you come.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32Doesn't taste like chicken.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35So do you reckon this is made of chicken or a vegetable?
0:07:35 > 0:07:39- Vegetable.- Let's try this one here.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- This is roast chicken!- The real deal?
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Next, shepherd's pie. Who likes shepherd's pie?
0:07:43 > 0:07:48- Me.- Yeah? Let's guess which one's which. Start with this one here.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Does that taste any good?
0:07:52 > 0:07:56- Vegetable.- You reckon that's made out of vegetable?- Yeah. Yeah.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58OK, let's try this one.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- That's meat.- Which one do you prefer out of those two?
0:08:02 > 0:08:04- That one.- That one?- That one!
0:08:04 > 0:08:07A bit split. So half and half.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09OK. Do you like sausages?
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Mm! That's definitely a sausage. This one's hard.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- I don't like my sausage roll. - OK, everyone grab a bit of sandwich.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19It's a sort of a bacony thing, isn't it?
0:08:19 > 0:08:23I don't think this is the real one. I think this is vegetable.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Now let's try this fella here.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31It's quite different, isn't it?
0:08:31 > 0:08:38- It's easy!- Mm! So you all guessed correctly with the chicken.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41This one here is made of soya protein. This is the real chicken.
0:08:41 > 0:08:47With the shepherd's pie, you almost unanimously went for the meat one.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49This is the meat one here.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51But, Terrell, you preferred the vegetable one?
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Yeah, it tasted all right.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57The sausage, you all guessed right. This is the vegetable one.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- And this is the real sausage. - What's in there? Is that apple?
0:09:00 > 0:09:04Again, it's a few different vegetables, but it's mainly soy.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07And over here, there was no question, was there?
0:09:07 > 0:09:10From the moment you saw it, you knew that that was fake.
0:09:10 > 0:09:11That's called "Facon".
0:09:11 > 0:09:14And the real bacon, you just knew right... From miles away.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19So do you think you can recreate the taste of meat, using vegetables?
0:09:19 > 0:09:22- Yes.- You can? Do you think you could cope without meat?
0:09:22 > 0:09:26I'd be quite upset that I wouldn't have meat, and I'd miss it, actually.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28- It's a tricky thing, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29'It's pretty hard to make fake meat
0:09:29 > 0:09:33'with the same taste and texture as the real thing.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36'But should we really bother trying?
0:09:36 > 0:09:39'Andrew Darke is head chef of Vanilla Black,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43'a restaurant that only serves vegetarian food.
0:09:43 > 0:09:44'Will the Gastronuts be happy?'
0:09:44 > 0:09:47I'm afraid, Andrew, you've got a bit of a task on your hands,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50because the Gastronuts are dedicated meat eaters.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- OK.- What do you think you could do about that?
0:09:53 > 0:09:55We can give them some interesting dishes.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59We don't use any pretend meat, we just rely on vegetables.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03Well, Andrew, the proof is in the eating. You'll have to convince us!
0:10:03 > 0:10:05- I'll try.- Let's go for it.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08OK, guys, come through and take a seat.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11So Andrew's going to bring us food without any meat in it.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- Do you reckon there's going to be something missing there?- Yes.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17You'll be going, "OK, where's the meat course?"
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Shall we guess what we're going to have for our main course?
0:10:20 > 0:10:22- Vegetables.- Vegetables? Could be!
0:10:22 > 0:10:26'But Andrew isn't just serving some tofu mince and Facon sandwiches.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29'This is high-end cuisine.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32'The two meat-free mains he's tempting the Gastronuts with, are...
0:10:42 > 0:10:45'What will they taste like and will the Gastronuts miss their meat?'
0:10:45 > 0:10:48OK, guys, tuck in. Wow!
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Is this the sort of thing you would choose at a restaurant?
0:10:50 > 0:10:52No. Not really.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59- I'd choose burgers!- I'd choose pizza!- You're a pizza kind of chick?
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Do you miss the fact that there's no meat on here?
0:11:01 > 0:11:03- No, not really.- No, not really.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09The mushroom tart does taste a little bit like it has meat in it.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11I just wondered if you felt differently about it,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15because nothing's had to be killed to go on our plate here.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Does that change how you think about eating?
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Yeah! I think I could go for these meals,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26because now I find that I don't really care
0:11:26 > 0:11:28if there's no meat on my plate.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32I thought there was meat in there, in the mushroom thing.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- I still want my burger! - You still want your burger?!
0:11:35 > 0:11:38What we've discovered is that we have a natural expectation
0:11:38 > 0:11:41to see meat on our plate, especially in a posh restaurant.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44But, if you've got a chef who can really play with the flavours,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46you don't notice when it's not there.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52'We're asking whether we should eat meat.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56'So far, the Gastronuts have been cooped up like chickens...'
0:11:56 > 0:11:59- There we go.- Ooooh! - Have a little whiff of that!
0:11:59 > 0:12:01- What does that smell like?- Ooh!
0:12:01 > 0:12:04'..and tried spotting which dishes have got meat in them
0:12:04 > 0:12:06'and which ones are porky pies.'
0:12:06 > 0:12:08- That one.- That one?- That one!
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Everyone ready?
0:12:10 > 0:12:14'And later on, the Gastros show they've got guts
0:12:14 > 0:12:17'by getting entwined in some pigs' intestines.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21'But first, we're going to find out the surprising effects
0:12:21 > 0:12:23'eating meat can have on the environment.'
0:12:23 > 0:12:26So, Gastronuts, what causes global warming?
0:12:26 > 0:12:30- Cars?- Cars.- Vehicles. - Yeah, vehicles.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- Well, fuels.- The use of fuels is a big problem, isn't it?
0:12:33 > 0:12:36It creates greenhouse gases,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39and that's part of the big problem with global warming.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41However, there is one other surprising thing
0:12:41 > 0:12:43that causes a lot of global warming problems.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47And I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54This is Gary, and Gary's holding Decanter.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59'Animals provide us with meat, dairy and eggs,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02'but what they eat, and what comes out the other end,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05'produces more greenhouse gases
0:13:05 > 0:13:07'than all the world's planes, trains and cars put together.'
0:13:07 > 0:13:11- Poo!- It's poo! OK, let's see what it feels like.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Here you go, pop some of them on.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16Eugh!
0:13:17 > 0:13:20- It stinks!- It stinks! Now, to create poo,
0:13:20 > 0:13:24lots of things have to happen inside the cow, in the digestion.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- What do you associate with poo?- Gas.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Gas. OK. Let's go and have a look at some gas.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32'So, we've all seen cow poo before,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34'but when you see how much gas is made by a cow,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37'it will blow your mind.'
0:13:37 > 0:13:42OK, guys, it's time to talk about farts. How many farts do you do?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44- About twenty?- Twenty farts?- Yeah.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48- Twenty-five.- About nine? - About nine farts? OK.
0:13:48 > 0:13:54On a daily basis, most people will create...this much gas.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57That is two litres of gas.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01- However, you're a bit smaller than a cow, aren't you?- Yeah.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03How much do you reckon a cow produces every day?
0:14:03 > 0:14:06How many litres do you reckon a cow produces?
0:14:06 > 0:14:08- Ten litres?- Ten litres? OK. Well, let's have a little look.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14There you go, hold on to that for me, Terrell.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19- OK, how much gas do you reckon's in here?- 15 litres.- 15 litres?
0:14:19 > 0:14:25That, my friends, is 500 litres of gas produced every day.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28And a lot of that will be methane and carbon dioxide,
0:14:28 > 0:14:29which are greenhouse gases.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33- Crazy.- That's disgusting. - It is disgusting. It's crazy.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- It's quite damaging to the environment, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39So when you eat meat, you're kind of bringing a lot
0:14:39 > 0:14:40of greenhouse gases into the world.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44'So cows produce a lot of gas.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48'But the amount of energy, water and food required to feed them
0:14:48 > 0:14:51'also creates a huge drain on resources.'
0:14:51 > 0:14:55- OK, what's this, guys?- Hamburger. - Do you like burgers?- Yeah.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Yeah! They're great, aren't they?
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Now, I want to take a look at how much food a cow is given
0:15:00 > 0:15:03to be able to create one burger.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08So, using that cup, put into that bowl the amount of cattle feed
0:15:08 > 0:15:10you reckon it takes to create Billy the beefburger.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12- How many cups?- The whole bowl.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14I'd say about half.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17- No, three quarters.- Three quarters? Well, you're nearly there.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20I'll show you how much food it really takes.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38It takes seven and a half kilos of cattle feed to create one burger.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42- Oh, my God!- Wow, that's a lot. - Do you think that's a lot?- Yeah!
0:15:42 > 0:15:44So what's the alternative to a meat burger?
0:15:44 > 0:15:46- A veggie burger?- A veggie burger!
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Let's have a look at a veggie burger.
0:15:49 > 0:15:55The thing is... Your veggie burger still uses up resources.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00How much water do you think has to go into creating a veggie burger?
0:16:00 > 0:16:03- Two litres.- You reckon two litres? - I thought, four.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07- Four litres? Two of those? - No, one and a half of those.
0:16:07 > 0:16:08It's a little more than that.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16In there are 302 litres of water,
0:16:16 > 0:16:21and that is what goes into making one of those little veggie burgers.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23That is wrong!
0:16:23 > 0:16:28So if it takes this much water to create one veggie burger,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32how much water do you reckon it takes to create one beefburger?
0:16:32 > 0:16:36- How many litres do you reckon? - About 700... 704?
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- 704?- 900.- 900?- 1,000.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Well, I think I'd better show you.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43OK, Michael, bring in Flora.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47'To create a beefburger, a cow obviously has to drink some water.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51'But water's also needed to grow the enormous amount of food
0:16:51 > 0:16:52'the cow eats.'
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Gastronuts, this is Flora. Let's go and have a look.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03- Wow!- Wow!
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Have you ever fired a fire hose before?
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- No.- No? Would you like to try?- Yeah!
0:17:09 > 0:17:10- Can we?- Of course.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19'It takes 2,400 litres of water to create just one beefburger.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23'Flora the fire engine only holds 1,600 litres of water,
0:17:23 > 0:17:29'so you'd need one and a half Floras to create just one burger.'
0:17:32 > 0:17:34See if you can you get all the way across the field.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Well done!
0:17:41 > 0:17:48- Now, a normal cow will create 1,133 burgers.- Wow.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52OK? But to get a cow from birth all the way to slaughter,
0:17:52 > 0:17:57it takes 1,500 fire engines' worth of water...
0:17:58 > 0:18:02..and 135 sacks of cattle feed, a huge amount.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05So what else do you reckon you could use those resources for?
0:18:05 > 0:18:11You could use the fields for farming.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12So instead of growing beef,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16you could use it for vegetables and just eat vegetables instead.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18But would you be able to cope with that?
0:18:18 > 0:18:22With just eating vegetables and giving up the meat?
0:18:22 > 0:18:24- No! - You're big meat eaters, aren't you?
0:18:24 > 0:18:28I always knew that cows needed food and they needed water,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30but actually seeing the amount required
0:18:30 > 0:18:33to create one beefburger is a huge shock.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Why does meat shrink when you cook it?
0:18:44 > 0:18:45Let me show you.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49What we have here are two identical steaks,
0:18:49 > 0:18:50and what I'm going to do,
0:18:50 > 0:18:54is drop one of them into this frying pan and see what happens.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59The pan is really hot,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02and it's making the water boil away out of the steak.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07And that's the first thing that's going to start to shrink it.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10But there's something else. Meat, as you know,
0:19:10 > 0:19:16is made of protein, and protein are wonderful long snake-like molecules.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21And as you cook them, what these are doing is they're coiling up
0:19:21 > 0:19:24and they're shrinking down,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27So gradually the entire steak is going to pull together.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29I'm sure you've seen this.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34If you're cooking thin slices of something like bacon or of chicken,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36they curl up as they start to cook.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39They start... The technical word is to "denature".
0:19:39 > 0:19:42And if you look at the steak, you can already see
0:19:42 > 0:19:47the way the front face has actually contracted down, it's shrunk.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52And now the same is happening to the back side. So my steak is done.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Let's go and compare it with the original. Have a look.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01And you can see that it's actually gotten an awful lot smaller
0:20:01 > 0:20:02than what we started with.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06That's because the protein contracts, the water leaves
0:20:06 > 0:20:08and the meat shrinks.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Some people say that we eat meat because our bodies were designed to,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16that we have to do it.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17Now, is that true?
0:20:17 > 0:20:20I've got somebody who can tell us all about it.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24But first, you all need to put on some of these.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27- Everyone ready?- Yeah!- OK, let's go!
0:20:27 > 0:20:29- Hi, Gastronuts.- Hi!
0:20:29 > 0:20:31- So, Gastronuts, this is Stephanie. - Hi!
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Stephanie is a brilliant nutritionist.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- She knows what goes on in our body after we've eaten food.- Right.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40So, we've got a question for you.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42- Are we designed to eat meat? - That's a good question.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45We're going to start by thinking about teeth,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48because that gives us a good idea whether we were meant to eat meat.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Look what I've got under here.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54- What do you think these are? - Skeletons. Skulls.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Skulls, that's right. Two different skulls from two different creatures.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02- Now, what do you think this is from? - An animal?- Yeah, what kind?
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Yeah. It's actually a sheep.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07And look at the shape of the teeth.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10What about this? You'll probably recognise this.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12- Human.- A human skull, that's right.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14It's a human skull. Now, what interests me
0:21:14 > 0:21:18is the shape of the teeth of a human skull
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- compared to the shape of the sheep. Now, what do sheep eat?- Grass.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- Do they eat anything else?- Erm, hay?
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Which is dried grass. And their teeth reflect that.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31Look, they have lots of big, wide teeth for grinding up the grass,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33and these little sharp teeth here,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36they're for nipping off the grass when they first eat it.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41When we look at a human skull... Who wants to hold this and have a look?
0:21:41 > 0:21:45At the back, we have these flat teeth, just like the sheep.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49And we know that we're designed to eat vegetation like the sheep,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53because we have these flat teeth for grinding up grasses and vegetables.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56What about these front teeth? They're sharp and very strong.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59These teeth are like carnivores' teeth,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01like meat eaters' teeth, like dogs and cats.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04So we're definitely designed to eat meat, as well as vegetation.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Why do we need these big ones at the front? What do we do with them?
0:22:08 > 0:22:09We tear the meat off the bone.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12These days, of course, we have a knife and fork to do that.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14That's what goes on in our mouths.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17But is there a big difference between our intestines,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- between the human and a vegetable eater?- Very much so.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24You can tell from the sheep's teeth that he's supposed to eat grass.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26You can also tell from their stomach,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28and from our stomachs, we're supposed to eat meat.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31All the way through our intestinal tract,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33there are things to digest meat in our bodies
0:22:33 > 0:22:35and not in sheep's bodies.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39It's a weird idea to look at our digestive system, it's inside us.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Only one way to do it... Look at a digestive system. I've got one here.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46'If you don't like seeing pigs' guts laid out on a table,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50'then this might be a good time to pop out and make a cup of tea.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52'And rethink your career as a butcher.'
0:22:55 > 0:23:00This, my friends, is the entire digestive system
0:23:00 > 0:23:02of a pig.
0:23:02 > 0:23:03- Really?- Yep.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06'Like us, pigs are omnivores,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08'they eat meat and vegetables,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11'meaning we have very similar digestive systems.'
0:23:11 > 0:23:13- Pass it along.- Get in there!
0:23:13 > 0:23:15- I'll go first.- Go on, then.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18No, no, Anda needs to pass it along to Terrell.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- Go on, get it along there. - Come on, it won't bite you!
0:23:27 > 0:23:28What do you think all these bits are?
0:23:28 > 0:23:32- All of these bits are part of the digestive system.- Disgusting!
0:23:32 > 0:23:33Let's have a look what we've got.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Now, look at all these amazing long tubes.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40Look, it goes on and on and on and on.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Do you know what? We have seven metres of this inside our tummies.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47This is the small intestine. So when the food is passed from the stomach,
0:23:47 > 0:23:52passes into the small intestine, it travels through all these metres
0:23:52 > 0:23:56of small intestine, lots of wiggly, wiggly bits of small intestine.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58And during this time, the food is being broken down
0:23:58 > 0:24:02and absorbed into our bloodstream, so all the goodness from the food
0:24:02 > 0:24:04can go into our bodies to nourish us.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07What do you think this bit is? Look at this long, big, fat tube.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- The large intestine?- Very good! It's the large intestine.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12It's called "large",
0:24:12 > 0:24:15even though it's shorter than the small intestine, it's much wider.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19So once all the food has travelled through the small intestine,
0:24:19 > 0:24:20it goes to the large intestine, then where?
0:24:20 > 0:24:24- That's a bit of a clue. - What have we got there, guys?
0:24:24 > 0:24:25Now, think of a pig.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30- At one end you've got its snout... - Tail, tail.- It's kind of a tail.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32- Its tail would be about here.- What did you say, Olivia?
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- Its bum?- Its bum! That's his bum.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39It's an amazing, amazing system, and ours is very similar to this.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44And so, is there a particular area where the meat is dealt with?
0:24:44 > 0:24:47The meat starts to be broken down in the stomach,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49where the hydrochloric acid, a very strong acid,
0:24:49 > 0:24:55starts to break down the meat, also digestive enzymes break it down.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57But the digestion of meat continues
0:24:57 > 0:24:59all the way through the small intestine.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02It takes a long, long time to break down meat.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04What's the difference between the digestive system
0:25:04 > 0:25:07of something that eats everything and one that just eats vegetables?
0:25:07 > 0:25:10The biggest difference is in the stomach.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13An animal that only eats grass, like a sheep or a cow,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16they have four separate compartments. Instead of the food
0:25:16 > 0:25:19just passing straight from the stomach into the small intestine,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22the food gets pushed back up into the mouth,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24after it's been chewed a bit, for some more chewing.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26This is all designed to eat meat,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- so what would happen if we don't eat meat?- That's a very good question.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32We need protein and that's what meat provides.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35You can get good-quality protein from non-meat sources.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38You've got to be much more careful about where you get that food from.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42If you look at the history of mankind,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- have we always been designed to eat meat?- We think so.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49If you look at monkeys and how they eat, they're omnivores like us,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51they have meat-eating and grass-eating teeth,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54and we've developed from monkeys,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57and our digestive systems haven't changed much.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59So in the history of mankind,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03we would have been eating meat and vegetables for a very long time.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06'We share a common ancestor with monkeys,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09'so what better way to show how similar we are
0:26:09 > 0:26:10'than by sharing lunch with one?'
0:26:23 > 0:26:24It's cute!
0:26:24 > 0:26:27So, Sam, who have you got there?
0:26:27 > 0:26:28This is Dougie,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30he's a squirrel monkey from South America.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33- Does he eat meat? - He does, yes, he eats meat.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37He eats lizards and young birds, and he'll also eat insects.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42- So adorable! - What's he eating there, Sam?
0:26:42 > 0:26:44That's a little bit of minced beef,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47which we don't give him too often, but a couple of times a week
0:26:47 > 0:26:49- we give him a bit of minced beef. - Does he need it?
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Well, he needs quite a lot of protein in his diet.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Doug's eating some beef. Why don't we join him?
0:26:54 > 0:26:56We've got some Bolognese here.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58You're eating like a monkey!
0:26:58 > 0:27:00How about that?
0:27:02 > 0:27:05There's the proof. We were designed to eat meat, but don't have to.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Now we've seen the whole story, the journey from the farm to our plate.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12The decision's yours. Should you eat meat?
0:27:12 > 0:27:14I will feel differently about eating meat,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17because animals are getting killed just for human purpose,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20and we don't need to always have meat.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I was surprised about the way chickens live their life
0:27:24 > 0:27:26in cages and in barns.
0:27:26 > 0:27:32And smelling the chicken poo was really horrible and bad.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37The most shocking thing was when I had to touch the pig's organs.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41And I didn't really know that a monkey could eat the same things
0:27:41 > 0:27:42as humans could eat, as well.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49Being a Gastronut has made me think about food a bit differently.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53And I think I could try vegetarian options instead of meat.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:09 > 0:28:12E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk