Sliced Bread

Latest Episodes:

Sliced Bread - Series 3: Personalised Vitamin Plans May 12, 2022

Show notes

The vitamins market is growing fast, with many companies now offering bespoke vitamin plans that claim to produce the perfect personalised prescription just for you.

Our listener Gareth wants to know if this could be a quick fix for his low energy and poor diet so Greg is going to find out. He’s got his sights on the popular companies suggesting personalised plans based on a simple online questionnaire that builds up a picture of your vitamin deficiencies via questions about your exercise, stress levels, diet and more.

But these personalise plans comes at a premium - some go for close to £25 per month. Greg tests the questionnaires, speaks with nutritional experts, and sees whether Gareth thinks personalised vitamin plans are the best thing since sliced bread, or marketing BS.

This season we’re testing YOUR suggested wonder-products. If you’ve seen an advert, trend or fad and want to know what the evidence says drop us an email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or drop Greg a message direct on his social media where he’s @gregfoot

PRESENTER: Greg Foot PRODUCER: Simon Hoban

Sliced Bread - Series 3: Running Shoes May 05, 2022

Show notes

They cost anything from less than £20 to more than £250. So how do you pick the right pair? And will paying more make you run faster?

With the ‘Couch to 5K’ app breezing past 5 million downloads, and marathon season well underway, two listeners ask Greg: What will they get for the extra money? A shoe more suited to their running style? More cushioning and fewer injuries? And will a top of the range pair with a carbon plate in the sole make them faster?

Greg Foot gets the answers from biomechanist, Dr Hannah Rice and sports technologist Professor Mike Caine. Plus, running writer, journalist and world record holder [for the fastest marathon in a full body animal costume (female)], Kate Carter.

Presenter: Greg Foot

Producer: Julian Paszkiewicz

Sliced Bread - Series 3: Air Source Heat Pumps Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

One of your most requested ‘wonder-products’ so far. Heat pumps are promising to not only make our houses greener but to also cut our energy bills. But will they? The Government says every home could have one and have reintroduced grants to help buy them. However Nick wants to know if an air source heat pump would be suitable for the 1930s house he’s about to move into with his family. Given the higher cost of the unit and the extra insulation he needs, will he actually be better off with a new combi boiler instead? Greg speaks to experts, does a survey on his own home and gets Nick answers so he can decide if a heat pump, for him, would be the best thing since sliced bread. Do you have a suggestion of a ‘wonder-product’ making a bold claim that Greg can investigate next?

Send us your suggestions to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or send it to Greg direct on twitter or instagram where he’s @gregfoot

PRESENTER: GREG FOOT PRODUCER: SIMON HOBAN

Sliced Bread - Series 3: Wagyu Beef Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

For many beef connoisseurs, a wagyu steak is the tenderest meat money can buy. They say it literally melts in the mouth. But Pete wants to know, if a Wagyu steak can set you back £100, how can supermarkets sell Wagyu burgers for around £3.50 a pair? How much of what makes wagyu beef so prized trickles down into a burger?

Greg speaks to meat scientist, Martin Anderson, visits a Wagyu farm in Yorkshire, and sets up a blind taste test. All to find out if Wagyu burgers are the best thing between sliced bread.

Do you have a suggestion of a ‘wonder-product’ making a bold claim that Greg can investigate next?

Send us your suggestions to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or send it to Greg direct on Twitter or Instagram where he’s @gregfoot PRESENTER: GREG FOOT PRODUCERS: JULIAN PASZKIEWICZ & KEVIN CORE

Sliced Bread - Series 3: Sustainable Jeans Apr 14, 2022

Show notes

“Make better. Buy better. Wear it longer.” Lots of fashion brands are including claims like this in their adverts and one item of clothing that’s really getting the stamp of supposed “sustainability” is jeans.

Maddie has asked Greg to look into what “sustainability” actually means when it comes to denim. Is it a term that marks genuine eco-impact, or is it more marketing BS? And, as adverts claim, do “sustainable” jeans last longer?

Greg speaks to an organisation that rates clothing brands’ sustainability credentials and visits Manchester Metropolitan University to hear the results of their ‘rub test’. Do you have a suggestion of a ‘wonder-product’ making a bold claim that Greg can investigate next?

Send us your suggestions to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or send it to Greg direct on Twitter and Instagram where he’s @gregfoot

PRESENTER: GREG FOOT PRODUCER: JULIAN PASZKIEWICZ

Sliced Bread - Series 3: Electric Cars Apr 07, 2022

Show notes

Read Greg's blog for more info on the considerations and calculations made in this episode:

https://www.gregfoot.com/post/should-you-switch-to-an-electric-car

Electric Vehicles: Should you switch? In the first of this new series Greg runs Julian’s suggested wonder-product through the evidence mill and asks whether electric vehicles (EVs) really are the best thing since sliced bread? Julian has heard that switching his old petrol-guzzling banger for a shiny new EV will make him greener? But will it? Electric cars are said to be ‘cleaner’ and ‘cheaper’ to run, but with a higher purchase price than their petrol equivalent - and a greater environmental footprint of manufacture - how many miles would Julian need to drive before his fuel savings off-set these initial costs - both financially and environmentally? Greg tests one of the most popular cars in the UK and hears from experts including Mike Berners-Lee & Vicky Parrot to conclude whether electric vehicles are worth the hype, and your money. And he wants YOUR suggestions for what to investigate next!

Is there something you keep seeing on TV - or hearing about on a podcast? Have you spotted something trending on Instagram or TikTok and you want to know if it delivers?

Send us your suggestions to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or send it to Greg direct on twitter or instagram where he’s @gregfoot PRESENTER: GREG FOOT PRODUCER: JULIAN PASZKIEWICZ

Sliced Bread - Series 2: Noise Cancelling Headphones May 06, 2020

Show notes

Whether it’s cutting out the background chatter to hear the radio, or drowning out the snoring coming from the room next door, the promise of noise cancelling headphones is enticing. But do they live up to the marketing hype?

Are they The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread, or BS?

Greg Foot is joined by BBC 6 Music DJ & Host Mary Anne Hobbs, who lends her professional ear to a pair of noise cancelling headphones. While acoustic engineer Professor Trevor Cox unpicks the science fact from the science fiction.

Presenter: Greg Foot Producer: Beth Eastwood

Sliced Bread - Series 2: Teeth Whitening Apr 29, 2020

Show notes

Teeth whitening toothpastes, strips and gizmos are more popular than ever. But what is the evidence that any of them actually work? And what about the HiSmile Teeth Whitening Kit that's been doing the rounds on social media?

Are these products The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread or marketing BS?

Greg Foot talks to fashion commentator and broadcaster, Grace Woodward about her experience with these products while Professor Martin Ashley, Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at the University Dental Hospital of Manchester, is on hand to separate the science fact from the science fiction.

Presenter: Greg Foot Producer: Beth Eastwood

Sliced Bread - Series 2: Sunscreen Apr 22, 2020

Show notes

We all know that sunscreen helps to protect our skin from the sun’s burning rays, but are you sure you’re using the right one? Do you struggle to untangle the UVAs from the UVBs, and the SPFs from the star-ratings?

Greg Foot talks to Antonia Mariconda, beauty writer and founder of the Safety in Beauty Campaign, who knows just how baffled consumers are.

On hand to decode the sunscreen labelling is Dermatologist, Dr Andrew Birnie, from East Kent Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust. Common claims, such as ‘waterproof’ and ‘reef safe’ are also put through the evidence mill.

Producer: Beth Eastwood

Sliced Bread - Series 2: CBD Products (Cannabidiol) Apr 15, 2020

Show notes

CBD, short for cannabidiol, is one of the big buzzwords in health and well being products. A naturally occurring molecule of the cannabis plant, it’s popping up in everything - aside from the CBD oil tinctures, you can now eat it, down it in drinks, vape it, lather it on your skin and soak in it. You can even buy sports leggings infused with it. Consumer interest in CBD-based products shows no sign of abating, with enthusiasts claiming a whole host of benefits from relieving anxiety, to easing pain and helping us sleep.

The theory behind how CBD might work seems promising - CBD shares similarities with endocannabinoids, produced naturally in the body, which help to regulate stress, sleep, metabolism, memory, inflammation, and immunity. Given the deluge of different CBD-based products, should we really believe the hype?

Greg Foot talks to beauty columnist Sali Hughes and Saoirse O’Sullivan, an expert in cannabinoid research, to find out if these products really are The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread. Produced by Beth Eastwood.

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