Processed food contains a lot of calories; it’s tasty and addictive. But it’s not the calories in the processed food that cause some people to struggle with obesity. As we have learned in this chapter, certain elements inside processed foods act on our bodies to increase our weight setting. Sugar and refined carbohydrates plus vegetable oils lead

In short, higher levels of omega-6 derail the leptin messaging system and can therefore cause us to gain weight.

Omega-3 and omega-6 have opposite effects on our bodies. Omega-3 damps down inflammation and promotes cellular signalling, helping insulin to function normally. Omega-6 increases inflammation in our bodies and hinders cellular signalling, meaning that insulin does not work effectively. If insulin does not work effectively, then more of it is needed

The processing of modern foods means that the balance of omega-3 to omega-6 in our diet has shifted dramatically towards omega-6. This means that the ratio of these oils on our cell walls has also moved. Historically, a normal omega-3 to omega-6 ratio would have been between 1:1 and 1:4, favouring omega-6 slightly. Recent studies of populations of

The two types of essential oils are omega-3 and omega-6. These fats are found on every single one of our cell walls, and affect insulin signalling and inflammation in our bodies. In order to work together effectively, omega-3 and 6 need to be present in a healthy balance. Too much of one or the other can affect the way our bodies work and lead to

Nature provides us with two types of essential oils. We all know the mantra ‘you are what you eat’, and this is certainly true for these products. They are essential to us in our diet because we cannot make them within our own bodies; instead we are reliant on consuming them. They are similar in this respect to some vitamins, which have to be eaten

While the dose of fructose in fresh fruits is not enough to trigger the fructose weight-gain switch, concentrated natural fruit juices, if taken in in excess, can be a trigger to unhealthy weight gain via the fructose pathway.

We now know the reason fructose increases the chance of weight gain and diabetes. Fructose is processed differently in our bodies to other carbohydrates. When fructose enters a cell, it is metabolized to produce energy. This energy is then either stored or used up immediately. This is the normal process that all food goes through when digested,

Professor Richard Johnson, author of the book Nature Wants Us to Be Fat, is convinced that the evidence for this is overwhelming, and he thinks the biological fat switch is contained in fructose. In hibernating and migratory animals, as well as in humans, Johnson has discovered the fructose package. When this package is unwrapped in the cell, it