Dr Michael Mosley says cutting out one food can slash risk of heart disease and cancer

Dr Michael Mosley has suggested that eliminating one particular food from your diet can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. In his BBC podcast Just One Thing, the renowned TV doctor explained how this single tip could also enhance mental health, help shed a few inches off the waistline, and even save money.

Dr Mosley was discussing the advantages of home cooking and eliminating ultra-processed foods from our diets. According to the NHS website, processed food is defined as something that 'has been altered in some way during preparation'.

It further explains: "Ingredients such as salt, sugar and fat are sometimes added to processed foods to make their flavour more appealing and to extend their shelf life, or in some cases to contribute to the food's structure."

On the other hand, Dr Mosley defines cooking from scratch as 'making real food with real ingredients, whether fresh, frozen or dried'. He asserts that home cooking can decrease calorie intake, improve mental health, and benefit your gut microbiome.

The UK is among the worst culprits in Europe for consuming ultra-processed foods. While estimates vary, some suggest that as much as two-thirds of the calories consumed by the nation come from ultra-processed foods, reports Wales Online.

Dr Mosley has said that most people are eating unhealthily despite watching more cooking shows. He stated in his podcast: "Despite watching more cooking shows than ever, we eat worse than ever," and "Two thirds of our calories from ultra processed food foods typically made in factories with five or more ingredients like sweeteners and emulsifiers that you don't normally use in home cooking."

He also added: "They can be a quick and easy option but they are often an unhealthy one. An umbrella review published in the BMJ found a clear link between a diet high in ultra-processed food and 32 harmful health effects, including higher risks of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, poor mental heath and early death."

However, the doctor provided some good news as he said that cooking from scratch could have a positive impact.

He said: "But the good news is cooking from scratch more frequently can have a big positive impact particularly on your waistline. A study of more than 11,000 people found that those who ate home-cooked meals more than five times a week were 28 per cent less likely to be overweight than those who cooked from scratch three times a week or less."

He also said home cooking can improve someone's eating behaviour. He said: "Not only were their meals healthier, but researches say home cooking also improved their eating behaviour. They snacked less, had smaller portions and more shared meal times."

Dr Mosley also believes that being creative in the kitchen can boost someone's mental health.

He said: "And getting creative in the kitchen can also boost your mental health. Studies in both healthy volunteers and cancer patients have found learning to cook has a big impact on well-being. This could be because when cooking from scratch, you tend to make healthier food choices. Simply learning a new skill will boost confidence, which elevates self-esteem."

Dr Emily Leeming, a nutrition scientist from King's College London, has supported this view. She explained: "Ultra-processed foods are made and engineered to taste delicious, and we know that the things that make foods taste good are higher sugars and higher fat. Those aren't bad things in themselves, but they do tend to make us go over our energy needs, and that is a problem."

"Sixty per cent of our diets in the UK come from ultra-processed foods, and that displaces foods that our gut bacteria really enjoy. That is foods that are full of fibre that plant roughage in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes. That then starves our gut bacteria from being able to do all those beneficial things that we know they do for our bodies."

Dr. Leeming goes on to say that when people cook their food from scratch, they also tend to consume more fruits and veggies - a trend that has been confirmed by studies. One study carried out in the USA required participants to eat only ultra-processed or whole, home-cooked foods for four weeks.

The study found that individuals who consumed ultra-processed meals took in an average of 500 extra calories per day compared to those consuming whole foods, resulting in weight gain of around 1kg. Conversely, those in the whole food group lost an average of 1kg.

Moreover, lower salt content usually means reduced risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.

Lastly, Dr. Leeming noted that nearly 70% of the salt we consume isn't directly added to our meals from a container; it's 'invisible' salt, already present in the foods we cook and eat.

Her top advice was to keep your freezer stocked with frozen fruits and vegetables. She explained that in today's world, food is often frozen rapidly after being harvested, which helps it maintain a lot of its nutrients.