Thaindian News

London, Aug 19 (IANS) Here’s hope for all those battling the bulge - and the temptation to eat junk food. Scientists have found a way to make fatty foods like ice cream less unhealthy.
Experts discovered that by using a protein layer on fat, unhealthy foods can be made harder to digest. This helps curb the appetite, Daily Express reported Thursday.

People will feel less hungry between meals as it takes longer for food to be digested.

Experts said the findings could lead to people being able to eat what they want without having to watch their weight.

Institute of Food Research scientists discovered the method to break down fat more slowly during digestion.

When the digestion of fat is delayed and the fatty acids from food reach the final section of the small intestine, they stimulate hormones that tell the body it is still full.

“The food industry has been attempting to find some way to make food taste the same but be less unhealthy. From a clinician’s point of view, this is something they should have come up with years ago.

“It will make such a difference if we can eat the food we want to eat but for it to be a healthy version,” David Haslam, clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, was quoted as saying.

He added: “If we can eat chips and a burger and not have the unhealthy downsides, that would be great. But why has it taken so long? It has been said for a generation at least that the key to the obesity epidemic is changing the environment to allow people to exercise.”

Haslam pointed out that the “other side of the coin is food - and changing the food environment we are in at the moment so no one feels restricted being told they can’t eat certain things. This means they can eat what they want and not be unhealthy. It is a huge step if this comes off”.