Dr Michael Mosley: Healthy foods that do more harm than good

More and more foods claim to be low in fat, or free from "unhealthy" ingredients, but according to Dr Mosley, a large amount of these foods don't contain all the goodness we think they do.

He admitted that it can be "confusing" to know which foods are best to buy when you're trying to navigate the supermarket aisles where many items claim to be healthy.

Mosley wrote on the Fast 800 blog last month: "In a world full of food manufacturers, with clever marketing and a lack of science behind their claims, it can often become confusing to know exactly which foods are healthy when you're navigating the supermarket.

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— Michael Mosley (@DrMichaelMosley) March 15, 2024

"With huge signs at the end of each aisle, telling you exactly why the latest products will turn your health around, it's easy to fall into their well-set traps and spend a fortune on 'healthy' foods that are not so healthy."

To help you understand more about what is healthy, Dr Mosley has shared four foods that he believes aren't worth parting with your cash for - but are marketed as healthier alternatives.

Vegetable crisps and 'low-fat alternatives' among foods not recommended by Mosley

First up are vegetable crisps, an alternative to the potato variety. However, according to Mosley, these thin slices of veggies aren't big enough to provide any real nutritional value and aren't any healthier than those made with spuds due to the amount of sunflower oil they're fried in.

As an alternative, the health guru recommends opting for raw vegetables, nuts, seeds, or gut-boosting sauerkraut and kimchi.

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Another thing he warns against are products sold as 'low-fat alternatives'. In recent years, scientific research has provided a plethora of new evidence that recognises the health benefits of full-fat foods.

He said that low-fat items are often stripped of their nutrients and crammed with sugar and additives to make up for the flavour loss by making them fat-free, and this can lead to blood sugar spikes, causing further cravings.

Dr Mosley explained: "A study, carried out by researchers at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute, tracked the diets of 20,000 women over 20 years.

"The study found links between the consumption of full-fat dairy products (milk and cheese) and weight loss. Over a ten-year period, the women who regularly consumed full-fat milk saw a lower BMI."