Meet the experts

Dr Emma-Jane Down trained at Manchester University and currently juggles her time between being a part-time GP in central London and raising a young family.

Having spent a few years training in adult general hospital medicine before becoming a GP, this remains her area of special interest. She also has a particular love of psychiatry and occupational medicine, and is passionate about her work in general practice.

She will often be seen cycling to work and home visits, trying to lead by example, and show her patients how to lead a healthier life-style.

Lyndel Costain is one of the best known registered dietitians in the UK. With over 20 years experience as a registered dietitian and nutritionist both within the NHS and as an independent consultant, her passion is to promote good food for overall wellbeing.

Awarded Health Professional of the Year in 2001, and author of five books, she writes for magazines, broadcasts on radio and television (e.g. was expert for BBC1 Diet Trials, UKTV Farm of Fussy Eaters), consults for weight management and food businesses, and trains other health professionals. Her clinical specialties include weight management and eating disorders. Lyndel is an active member of the British Dietetic Association, Dietitians in Obesity Management and the Association for the Study of Obesity.

Lyndel's practice is in Birmingham and her clinical specialities include eating disorders and weight management. Lyndel is a past nominee for the Caroline Walker Trust Nutrition Award for an individual. Lyndel has been Chairman of the BDA PR Committee and a member of Council for the BDA. She has contributed to nutrition journals and the Manual of Dietetic Practice.

She is a nutrition expert has contributed to The Daily Mail, The Mirror, Zest, Top Sante, She, Woman & Home, Women's Running and Health & Fitness magazines, along with websites such as BBCi Health and Weight Loss Resources.

Sarah Schenker is one of the most high profile and influential nutritionists in the UK.

She has been quoted in every daily national newspaper on numerous diet and health issues as well as appearing regularly on TV and radio, from news programmes to reality shows. Sarah regularly writes for magazines, newspapers and journals.

Sarah is a qualified Registered Dietitian, Accredited Sports Dietitian and Registered Public Health Nutritionist. Sarah is a member of the British Dietetic Association; The Nutrition Society; The Guild of Health Writers and has served on both professional and government committees.

Sarah has worked as a consultant to Norwich City Football Club and Delia Smith.

Sarah's knowledge and understanding of nutrition science means she is able to respond quickly to breaking news stories, providing background information and context. Her unique skill is translating scientific nutrition principles into simply talking about food. Sarah understands the importance of delicious food and is a keen and adventurous cook.

Lucy Wyndham-Read is a highly successful personal fitness trainer based in the south of England. She began her career in the British Army, and over the last ten years as a trainer has worked with people from all walks of life, from people looking to lose weight or increase their fitness, to celebrities and even an entire football team.

Qualified in personal training, antenatal and postnatal fitness, aerobics, aqua aerobics and women's fitness, Lucy specializes in designing personal programmes that her busy clients can do at home. For Lucy, motivation is key, and she certainly practises what she preaches - she also walked 120 miles across the Namibian desert with British inventor Sir Trevor Bayliss in aid of MAG, which works to clear landmines, one of the charities supported by the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

Lucy's commitment to well-being has also lead her to create a fitness concept for children, to help combat childhood obesity - a serious health issue that many Western governments are now beginning to address.

Lucy has written fitness articles for newspapers and magazines, including British national newspapers The Guardian and The Sun. She has appeared on radio and television as a fitness presenter, and as a fitness consultant for the hit lifestyle show Extreme Makeover. A major feature on her life and work appeared in the health pages of The Sunday Telegraph (25 September 2005).

Dr Alasdair Wright has a unique, modern, conscientious and patient-friendly approach to General Practice. He takes a holistic view of medicine and believes that there is a psychological basis to most illness. He is currently a full-time GP in a semi-rural practice where he has cut down his working day in order to spend more than the typical seven minutes with his patients.

Dr Wright has a keen interest in complimentary therapy, and although he is not a specialist practitioner in any particular therapy, the complimentary approach is something that fits comfortably with his style of medicine, and he has taken it upon himself to keep up-to-date with the latest therapies and treatments. He is very keen on preventative medicine, offering advice on how to stay healthy and take care of yourself before becoming unwell.

Health and fitness are topics that hold particular interest to Alasdair; he was a national team tennis player and also a coach on the national junior squad. This experience gave him valuable insight into the effects of lifestyle of physical and mental health.

As father of three young children, Dr Wright has particular interest in all aspects of family health and holds a diploma in child health. He conducted research into cardiology and was winner of the American Federation of Clinical Research, Young Investigators Award during a stay in the States. He also holds diplomas in family planning and sports medicine.

Dr Sarah Jarvis trained at Cambridge and Oxford Universities, and a GP and GP trainer in London. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the RCGP spokesperson on women's health.

Dr Sarah Jarvis writes extensively in the medical and consumer press, and is a regular contributor to Good Housekeeping, Women's Health, Pregnancy and Baby and You magazines. She is the BBC's One Show resident doctor and the Radio 2 doctor, appearing on the regular health slot on Jeremy Vine's radio show.

She also appears regularly on GMTV and Radio 5 live. Sarah has a particular interest in cardiology, and after 12 years on the advisory board of Update and Doctor, is now on the advisory board of the British Journal of Cardiology and the patient services board of Heart UK (the cholesterol charity).

She has written extensively on cardiology and the new GMS Contract. She has also been closely involved with the development of integrated care pathways for asthma. Dr Sarah Jarvis has authored A Younger Woman's Diagnose-It-Yourself Guide to Health, Diabetes for Dummies, Pregnancy for Dummies and Children's Health for Dummies.

Jason has dedicated his life to exercise development with over 20 years experience. Jason is based in Twickenham, London where he runs his own personal training business. He also acts as a consultant to the Fitness Industry and holds workshops for training organisations and club chains.

• BAWLA Leaders Award
• Diploma in Fitness Instruction and Gym Management
• IIHHT Diploma in Sports Therapy
• Diploma in Advanced Personal Training
• Pre and Post natal, Fit To Deliver
• Personal Training Solutions Certificate in Resisted Movement Training
• Personal Training Solutions Certificate in Movement based flexibility
• Master Functional Trainer, Faster
  Oriental Body balance, Fit To Therapy
  Extreme Kettlebell Instructor 

Dr Bell is a full time partner in a busy practice which has about 12,000 patients. He has an interest in communicating medicine in an understandable, but hopefully not patronising, way to non medical people; be they patients or a wider public. He also has a particular interest in high blood pressure (hypertension).

Dr Martin Bell qualified at the Royal London Hospital in 1982 and has been in General Practice in North Essex for 18 years, after doing a number of hospital-based jobs including gaining extra qualifications in obstetrics, gynaecology and anaesthetics.

His areas of specialism include: high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems such as angina and heart attacks, common gynaecological ailments, and different types of arthritis. Dr Bell is married with two teenage children.