Dr Rangan Chatterjee, a presenter on Channel 4's Live Well with the Drug-Free Doctor, has stated that if you struggle with snacking, it is 'not your fault.' He offered a simple strategy to tackle the issue: eat only foods your grandmother would recognise, meaning minimally processed foods close to their natural form.
Fight Back Against Food Addiction
Encouraging people to 'fight back,' Dr Chatterjee explained that one patient, Chris, struggled with snacking and weight gain despite genuine efforts. 'I don't think Chris' food addiction was his fault. And if you struggle to regulate your eating, I don't think it is your fault either,' he said. He noted that the amount of low-quality, high-calorie food available is 'staggering.'
Dr Chatterjee recommended checking ingredient labels: 'When you buy something, flip it around. Look at the ingredient label, and if you don't recognise something on it, it's probably best not to eat it.' He added that the ultra-processed food industry is worth around $1.9 trillion globally, and these companies profit from such foods.
Hidden Sugar in Carbohydrates
The documentary revealed that Chris, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, didn't develop the condition from sweets but from starchy carbohydrates. Dr Chatterjee said, 'When Chris got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it wasn't because he was having a huge amount of sweets. It was actually because he was eating loads and loads of starchy carbohydrates.'
He highlighted that even small portions of carbs can spike blood sugar: a handful of pasta can have the same impact as six and a half teaspoons of sugar; a sandwich portion of processed white bread contains eight teaspoons of sugar; and a small portion of white rice can affect blood glucose like 10 teaspoons of sugar.
Impact on Health
Dr Chatterjee noted that eating minimally processed foods 'keeps your blood sugar stable and prevents the overeating driven by ultra-processed foods, which are linked to an estimated 14 per cent of early deaths in the UK.' The advice is part of the first 10 minutes of the documentary, available on the Channel 4 website.
