Processed foods should come with health warnings as they cause people to overeat, according to a leading gut health expert.

On Newstalk Breakfast, Dr Ann-Marie Eustaceryan said “ultra-processed foods” are contributing to a rise in obesity, auto-immune diseases, and dementia.

A study by the World Health Organisation has found around 60% of adults in Ireland are overweight or obese – well above the international average of 12.5%.

Ms Eustaceryan said processed foods are a contributing factor.

“The problem with processed foods is the messages don’t get to the brain, to the gut, that we’re full – and we overeat them,” she said.

“They’re soft, palatable, irresistible, and we just overeat them.

“The likes of white supermarket bread, almost all breakfast cereals, the likes of commercial orange juice; all those things are over-processed foods.”

'Downright ugly'

The gut health expert said this doesn’t mean we should stay away from these foods completely.

“People should be aware the nutritional value of it is really low,” she said.

“We all have cars, either diesel, petrol or electricity and food is our fuel, but these foods are not fuelling our body, they’re not nutritionally rich enough.

“It would be too vicious to change it on everything first but there would be a graded warning.

“There’s the good, the bad and the downright ugly.”

An aisle full of energy drinks. Image: René van den Berg / Alamy Stock Photo

Ms Eustaceryan said some foods are worse culprits than others.

“I would be hitting the kinds of things that come in ready-made packets like your chicken tikka masala straight away,” she said.

“I picked one up in a shop before and there were 87 ingredients.

“I would also hit soft drinks; they’re ultra-processed and full of sugar – nobody should buy them at all.”

Government help

Ms Eustaceryan said the issue has to be taken on by the “top-level” of Government.

“I know we’re always at our government but food companies like Nestle and Unilever are so powerful that people can’t take them on, it needs to be done at Government level,” she said.

“The warnings would say something like: ‘This food is not healthy and may cause you to overeat’.

“That’s one thing that’s ubiquitous with all of them, they’ll all cause you to overeat because the message isn’t getting to your centres.”

You can listen back here:

Main image: Ready meals for sale on fridge shelves, Waitrose supermarket UK. Image: Kumar Sriskandan / Alamy Stock Photo