Category: BBC Shop Reviews

Product reviews for the BBC shop

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DNAFit Results Review

dnafitLast year I took a genetic test through 23 and Me and was impressed by the results. I was recently approached by DNA Fit who offered to process my 23 and Me DNA results and send me their fitness and diet reports (normally £79 each) in exchange for a blog review. I’m interested in the way our genetic make-up affects the way our bodies interact with food/exercise, so I agreed.

DNA Fit Premium (£79)

DNA Fit Premium gives five results:

  • Power and Endurance Potential
  • Post-Exercise Recovery Speed
  • Injury Risk Profile
  • Recovery Nutrition Needs
  • Aerobic (VO2 Max)

I suspect that those who train in a gym will have more interest in the results than I did. I am reasonably active, but I prefer to walk my dog or go for a bike ride with my children than do any more serious training. It was mildly interesting to know that I should do an equal mix of power and endurance training and reassuring to discover that I have a low risk of injury and a fast recovery time after exercise, but overall I was a little disappointed in the amount of data given. I think £79 is far too much to charge for this information. I’d be happy to recommend it if it cost less than £10.

Potential DNA Diet Premium (£79)

The diet package was more interesting to me. It contained much more information for the same price:

  • Your Ideal Diet
  • Carbohydrate & Saturated Fat Sensitivity
  • Lactose & Gluten Intolerance Risk
  • Suggested Shopping List & 12-week Eating Plan
  • Your Detox Ability
  • Your Anti-Oxidant Needs & Micronutrient Intake
  • Caffeine Sensitivity

The only problem was that most of the information followed advice I was already aware of. It told me to limit my caffeine, salt and sugar intake and increase my omega-3 consumption – something we all know is important.

The 12-week eating plan contained some good recipes. I’m not interested in following the diet, as I prefer to be spontaneous with my cooking, but I will try some of the recipes – the grilled vegetables stuffed with pistachio nuts looked especially nice.

Overall I found the information far less interesting than my original 23 and Me results as most of the advice is common sense. I’d have been prepared to pay about £25 for both sets of results, but at their current price they are far too expensive.

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Earthflight by John Downer

Earthflight

Earthflight is a stunning picture book created to accompany the recent BBC series. Using groundbreaking technology the programme makers managed to follow birds into the air and see the world through their eyes.

The book covers a wide range of birds from around the globe, capturing each in action in their natural surroundings. The majority of the book is made up of whole page photographs, organised by continent, with small captions describing the bird pictured:

ARFICAN FISH EAGLE: Victoria Fall, Zambia – Zimbabwe
Some fish eagles migrate seasonally to avoid areas affected by particularly heavy rain, while those in drier areas stay put all year round. The Victoria Falls offers especially rich pickings.

The photographs are a combination of traditional close-ups, taken from ground-level, and images of birds in flight, taken from the air. These aerial shots offer a new view from the bird’s perspective, but many of them were of a lower quality; either because they were taken using smaller cameras attached to the bird or because the ground was blurred/less interesting.

I thought some of the photographs were impressive, but as I’m not an ornithologist I began to lose enthusiasm as I leafed through dozens of photographs that were essentially the same, but each with a different species of bird. For this reason I think it has less appeal than books like Frozen Planet, where almost every picture was outstanding.

 

The final chapter detailed the techniques used to capture the images, explaining how people with special relationships to individual birds encouraged them to take to the air using microlights and how model planes/gliders were adapted for photographic use. This section was the most interesting to me and I enjoyed reading about the problems faced by the team and how they overcame them.

This is a good accompaniment to the series, but I’d only recommend it to people who have a special interest in birds.

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This book was given to me by the BBC shop in exchange for an honest review.

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BBC Shop Reviews

Frozen Planet – A World Beyond Imagination

Frozen Planet

This beautiful book is the perfect accompaniment to the BBC Frozen Planet series. There are stunning photographs throughout and all the memorable moments from the series included.

The book has a chapter for each of the four seasons, as well as a section on climate change and its impact on the people who live at the poles.

Each page contains beautiful photographs, some of which must have taken months of planning to obtain.

 

The text clearly and concisely explains each photograph, but I can’t imagine anyone buying this book for the words. It is the images that grab the attention. I stared at them for a long time and many were so impressive that I had to show them to friends and family.

As well as full page photographs the book also contains many pages with a sequence of smaller shots to show the action captured by the filmmakers.

My favourite section of David Attenborough’s recent series has been the “making of” section and I’m pleased to see that the book also explains how filming occurred and the difficulties faced by the team battling against freezing temperatures to capture these images.

My only criticism is that this book only contains a short foreword written by David Attenborough. I’d have preferred to see him having a greater involvement in the book, perhaps giving his opinion on other sections, but this is a minor quibble in an otherwise stunning book.

Frozen Planet – A World Beyond Imagination is the perfect coffee table accessory for fans of the Frozen Planet series.

This book was given to me by the BBC shop in exchange for an honest review.