London

A drinking lesson in The Cock Tavern

The Cock Tavern, Great Portland St, 9pm
Nicole has not encountered Sam Smith’s Old Brewery Bitter before. She eyes it suspiciously.

‘It’s real ale,’ I say. ‘You know… terroir… slow food movement… natural ingredients.’
‘That’s a whole pint. Just drinking one 350ml bottle of beer a day will, if you are not exercising it off, lead to 15lbs weight gain in a year.’
‘But that’s more than a stone!’

Nicole looks at me: ‘You might have a water.’

Michael’s choice
Bitter (180Kcals).
Nicole’s choice
Water (0Kcals). Feature continues

Trying to make the right choice between water and wine

The Vintage House Malt Whisky Centre, Old Compton St, 10.30-ish
Nicole stops outside: ‘Whisky?’
‘Don’t worry, they sell wine as well.’
‘Wine?’
‘Yes,’ I say as we enter Soho’s premium bottle shop, ‘we’ll need something to drink at home.’
‘That’s madness; you’ve eaten a minimal amount of food and drunk too much alcohol.’

At this point the manager hands Nicole a 25-year-old Islay ‘welcoming glass’ which, almost accidentally, she tries before pulling a face. I’m not sure she likes it, so I drink it for her.

‘How many measures was that?’ asks Nicole.
‘Three?’ hazards the manager.

‘That’s 75ml! So about 155Kcals there and three units of alcohol. And if you did get through half of that 750ml bottle of wine, that’s another 270Kcals and three-and-a-half units. Adding up your evening, your total is 1,220Kcals without wine, 1,590Kcals with wine. Nine-and-a-half units of alcohol without wine, 13 with wine.’
‘So, I’ve stayed within my calorie limit, and had a healthy evening.’
‘Not really. With 1,300Kcals to use up after lunch, you could have had a good nutrient-packed day with a snack after lunch, a filling meal, some fruit, and a snack after dinner, loading you up with protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals – instead of using up your energy requirement from energy-dense alcohol.’
‘I blew it didn’t I, Nicole?’
‘Yes. But we had fun.’

Nicole leaves looking as radiantly healthy as when she arrived. The photographer looks at me. ‘Pint?’
‘Go on then.’

Michael’s total 1,220Kcals.
Nicole’s total 655Kcals (plus a sip of whisky).

To book a session with leading nutritionist Nicole Berberian, contact www.moveyourbutt.com or call 0700 340 1379 to speak to one of its health experts.