The UK tops the league table of 19 European countries for eating highly processed food – and, not surprisingly, it’s having a detrimental effect on our waistlines. Just over half of all food bought by UK families is now factory-made and classed as ‘ultra-processed’. In Portugal, just 10.2% turn to these options and in Italy the figure is 13.4 %. Researchers found that with each percentage point rise of ultraprocessed foods in households there was a 0.25 percentage point rise in obesity, plus a raised risk of diet-related diseases. This research suggests that cooking from scratch could be one of the most important steps you can take in reshaping your future health. Start with our recipes in this month’s issue…