The latest thinking on food argues that Ultra Processed Foods are not all as bad as each other, and that a little bit of what you fancy does you good (occasionally).
Helpfully, researchers at the University of Michigan in the US have undertaken a detailed analysis of the impact on health of a vast range of different foods, which means we can pick and choose with the science at our fingertips.
The result, the Health Nutritional Index, classifies almost 6,000 foods according to the number of minutes they take off, or put on, your life.
Fancy a cheeseburger? That will shave off eight minutes and eight seconds. A serving of bacon? Six minutes and 30 seconds. Pizza? Seven minutes and eight seconds, while a single hotdog scores a scary 36 minutes. That’s because hot dogs are likely to be high in salt, saturated fat and additives that pose an increased risk of cancer.
All is not lost, however. If you want to tip things in your favour, a portion of broccoli will add 11 healthy minutes to your life, and a handful of nuts, an impressive 26 minutes.
According to Olivier Jolliet, one of the study authors, this sort of analysis is essential as bad diet is responsible for more deaths each year than tobacco, alcohol or drug use.