The daily diet eaten by most families contains hidden dangers which are helping to make unprecedented numbers of people fat, and which are storing up appalling health problems for the future.

Busy lifestyles, lack of exercise, the growth of fast food – all play their part in making the nation more obese than ever.

But the growth of processed foods also poses dangers many people are blind to – massive levels of fat and salt in foods which do not necessarily appear unhealthy.

Every day people reach for pre-packed sandwiches which contain half the salt an adult should be eating in a whole day, and grab readymade pasta salads with more than half the daily recommended amount of fat.

In the home, foods such as jars of sauces and ready-meals increasingly take the place of fresh ingredients, and the result is bigger waistlines, higher blood pressure, and clogged arteries.

Today The News can reveal:
People are eating more than 30 per cent more salt than they need to, putting themselves at greater risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes;
Children are getting about 17 per cent of their daily calories from sugar – they should be getting no more than 10 per cent;
Poor diet is a major factor driving the obesity epidemic locally;
Portsmouth is the worst area locally – 52 per cent of adults in the city are overweight or obese, and by the time children start primary school, one in eight is already obese. By the time they finish primary school the figure is a shocking one in four.

Denise Thomas, head of nutrition and dietetics at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: 'We eat more processed foods than we did 40 or 50 years ago.

'That is purely because of time constraints and working arrangements in the family. Mum is much more likely to come home and open a jar of cooking sauce than make it herself.'

She said revolving your diet mainly around processed food could lead to
long-term health problems.

'Obesity, heart disease, diabetes – they are all part of the same problem, and processed food is a contributory factor.'

Nutritional therapist Liz Copeland said: 'A processed food has been cooked before it even ends up in your freezer.

'Natural flavourings like fresh basil don't survive the processing, so manufacturers cram these foods full of sugar, salt and fat because they are the only things that survive the processing.

'These foods taste good, but it can be quite a shock when you look on the label.'

See the next page for the two families' three-day diets