The reasons the UK has led the way in adopting the SAD diet are two-fold, according to Henry Dimbleby, cofounder of the Leon restaurant chain and author of the National Food Strategy. While change is possible, it’s also important not to blame people if they struggle to break free of their dependency on SAD foods, both from an economic and mental-health perspective. Her new book, The Kitchen Prescription, which argues that food is medicine, contains over 100 recipes that are good for the gut. The study, says van Tulleken, highlights the role of acrylamide, a molecule produced by deep frying, which is linked to brain inflammation. “But acrylamide is just one of the ways our modern diet makes us feel sad,” he explains. “The emulsifiers affect our microbiome in ways that make our guts leak and change the release of molecules from our friendly bugs that affect our brains.” The consequences in the US are already dire; 70 per cent of the population is overweight or obese, and 40 per cent have metabolic syndrome, which means they suffer from obesity, bad cholesterol or elevated blood sugar. Seventy-three thousand limbs are amputated every year in the US because of diabetes.

Saliha Mahmood Ahmed Collection 3 Books Set (The Kitchen

Our bodies were created for periods of hunger and starvation. They’re made for processing plants and natural foods,” she says of the mismatch between our biology and SAD foods. They’re also cheap and convenient. “Refined wheat, sugar and vegetable oil are the cheapest foods,” says Dimbleby. “A lot of these foods are things mixed in different configurations with a little bit of flavour added.” In this country, 85 per cent of the portfolios of the processed food companies are products that the World Health Organisation says are too unhealthy to market to children,” says Dimbleby. Although the burger and chips give an immediate sense of comfort, Mahmood-Ahmed tries to tell her patients that they actually do very little for long-term sustenance. The more diversely we eat, the lower our risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and the more enhanced our immunity. This is a book you’ll be reaching for time and again, because these recipes are a joy to eat and fuss free, and you can feel happy in the knowledge you’ll be helping your body to stay healthy too.

Fabulous recipe book - the photographs are stunning and the food theory is so interesting. My copy arrived yesterday so today was Masala Cottage Pie (gorgeous) and I'm already putting together a menu for the rest of the week. We need to stop bombarding children 24/7 with food adverts. Also, culturally, in schools and hospitals and at home, we need to start cooking better.” While she thinks it would be misleading to say she never eats a red velvet cake or a burger and chips, they would only ever be an occasional treat. Not the everyday foods they’ve become for so many. She’s seen people whose autoimmune health conditions have reversed because of what they perceive as changes in their food levels.

Doctor’s Kitchen 3-2-1: 3 fruit and veg, 2 servings, 1 pan Doctor’s Kitchen 3-2-1: 3 fruit and veg, 2 servings, 1 pan

Eating well doesn't need to be dull food and deprivation - it should be eating a wonderfully varied, vibrant and exciting range of foods. In The Kitchen Prescription , gastroenterologist Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed draws on her love of good food and her expertise in gut health to create 101 recipes that are easy to make, incredibly delicious to eat and will effortlessly keep your gut and digestion in tip-top condition. You’re getting an insulin spike and you’re not getting the beautiful phytonutrients that you get in food: the vitamins, the minerals and the polyphenolic compounds. All the fantastic things you get when you’re eating a rainbow.” To celebrate the publication of The Kitchen Prescription, we are gifting someone a virtual fridge exploration with Saliha, and a goody hamper full of gut health-friendly items. During the 45 minute session with Saliha, you will take her through your fridge and she will suggest ways to improve what is in there for optimum gut health. The more diversely we eat, the lower our risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and the more enhanced our immunity. This is a book you'll be reaching for time and again, because these recipes are a joy to eat and fuss free, and you can feel happy in the knowledge you'll be helping your body to stay healthy too.The UK’s situation has been further exacerbated by our special relationship with America, both glorifying its consumer culture and its free market, which has allowed companies to make money at the expense of our health.