LETTER OF THE DAY: Real answer to obesity is real food

This came off the back of Cancer Research UK recently saying obesity is a direct cause of cancer.

Both may be well intentioned but fail to address the real reason the western world is getting fatter and sicker and it has very little to do with calorie consumption.

The calories in versus calories out theory is based upon a belief that if we consume less calories then we burn, we’ll lose weight. And if we consume more, then we put on weight. Simple, right?

Well, actually it’s a lot more complicated than that.

Imagine we visit a fast food outlet and eat one of their meals and you may consume, say 1,000 calories depending on what you eat. That’s fine isn’t it because men can consume 2,605 calories a day so you’ve got loads left.

If we ate the same level of calories in healthy foods such as fresh vegetables and a nice steak it would be the same wouldn’t it? So why are we getting fatter?

Sadly, whether we lose or gain weight has far more to do with the quality of food we’re eating and what the PHE fail to address is that we’re eating far more junk and processed food than ever before.

In the UK alone the average person now consumes 50 per cent of their diet in this way. The body is looking for nutritiously-dense foods such as meat, vegetables and healthy fats to keep it working effectively and will carefully manage our weight if we do so. Instead we fill our freezers with frozen meals with boxes of cereals and jars in the cupboard full of sugar and refined carbohydrates.

No-one will dare tell you it’s a silent killer because there’s too much money being made.

It’s now estimated that your average supermarket is 80 per cent full of these items which we willingly fill our trolleys with each week. And we get sicker and sicker.

The real answer to obesity and all it’s associated diseases such as cancer, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease is to eat real food.

Let’s get back in the kitchen and make simple meals from scratch.

A year or so a go I couldn’t cook and I had Type 2 diabetes. I now follow simple nutritious recipes low in sugar and refined carbs and my diabetes has gone after having it for six years. And not only that but I feel so much healthier.

Go on, give it a go and if you need a little help to get started, please get in touch.

Mark Hancock

Public Health Collaboration Ambassador

for Portsmouth