Leading health expert Michael Mosley has shared the benefits of avoiding ultra-processed foods or takeaways in the latest episode of Just One Thing on BBC Sounds
Health guru Michael Mosley has dished out a simple weekly routine that could slash the risk of piling on the pounds.
The diet expert, famed for his 5:2 and Fast 800 diets, has highlighted the massive health benefits of home-cooked meals over ultra-processed grub. In the latest instalment of his BBC Sounds series ‘Just One Thing’, Mosley pointed to a damning BMJ study linking processed food to a host of health woes. The research, which took in data from nearly 10 million participants, established a stark connection between diets laden with processed foods and 32 medical conditions.
Mosley shared: “A recent umbrella review published in the BMJ, involving nearly 10 million people found a clear link between diet high in unprocessed food and 32 harmful health effects including high risks of heart disease, cancer, type two diabetes, poor mental health and early death.”
That’s why Mosley is championing the switch to scratch cooking, using wholesome ingredients like legumes, wholegrains, fruits, and veggies. He cited another piece of research showing that ditching ready meals for home-cooked dishes can make a significant difference to your waistline.
Michael revealed: “A study of over 11,000 people found that those who eat home cooked meals more than five times a week were 28% less likely to be overweight than those who cook from scratch three times a week or less. Not only were their meals healthier, but researchers say home cooking also improved their eating behaviour. They snacked less, ate smaller portions and had more shared mealtimes.”
Dr Emily Leeming, a nutrition scientist from King’s College London, weighed in on the impact of ultra-processed foods on our gut health, reports the Daily Record. Dr Leeming explained: “Ultra processed foods tend to really be defined by three things. They tend to be packaged foods foods that you would find on the shelves in a supermarket, they tend to have a long lists of ingredients, and also they tend to have ingredients that we don’t necessarily recognise in the kitchen such as emulsifiers and additives.”
She added: “So the difference between that and minimally processed foods are that there tend to be whole foods – things like fruits and vegetables, or yoghurt that hasn’t necessarily had lots of things added to it. I think the key thing to remember about these ultra processed foods is that they’re really made and engineered to taste delicious.
“And we know that the things that make food taste good – it’s higher sugar and higher fat, and those aren’t necessarily bad things in themselves, but they do tend to mean that it’s much easier to for us to go over our energy needs and that’s when it becomes a problem.”
Dr Leeming pointed out that a staggering 60 per cent of the UK’s diet is made up of ultra processed foods which can have detrimental effects on both physical and mental health. She referred to a “landmark” study where 20 individuals were given two different diets one ultra processed and the other consisting of homemade and whole foods which significantly affected their weight.
The expert remarked: “What they found was that when they were on the ultra processed diet they ended up eating 500 calories more a day than when they were on the minimally processed diet. So in this actual study, they weren’t able to show why this was happening.
“But there have been two studies since and what they’ve really highlighted is that actually it’s that we’re eating these foods much quicker and we’re not necessarily perhaps getting this signal back to our brains that we feel full. I saw at the end of the study that the people on the ultra processed food diet gained one kilo and the people when they were on the middle of the minimally processed diet, they lost a kilo.”
Michael quizzed Dr Leeming on how novices can dive into home cooking, and she advised: “I think it’s so important not to be too hard on yourself and just start small. So I think if you can find a recipe that works for you, it can just be something really simple it can have four ingredients. But if you’re being able to do that, you know once a week, then that is something small and significant.”
For more kitchen inspiration, tune into the full podcast available on BBC Sounds.
