Professor Tim Spector's 'harmless daily habit' warning - eat these 6 things instead

A UK professor has issued a warning over a 'harmless daily habit'. Professor Tim Spector, co-founder of the Zoe app, and Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London and Honorary Consultant Physician at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, is a familiar face on BBC and ITV .

He also regularly features on the Zoe health podcast. In a recent Instagram post, he revealed he had decided to "have a closer look at some of the world's most popular snack bars."

The clip shows him adding ingredients to a jar relating to an unnamed snack. He said: "I don't know about you, but seeing all the ingredients laid out like this doesn't make me want to reach for one."

He admitted that during his time as a hospital doctor, he would routinely reach for a chocolate bar or chocolate digestive most afternoons. He added: "I thought it was a harmless daily habit, but in the short-term, snacks like these will leave you hungrier due to spikes and crashes in blood sugar, and in the long-term, can lead to problems like inflammation."

He then went on to list six healthier alternatives, saying: "Nuts, fruit, vegetables, yoghurt, cheese or a couple squares of dark chocolate are all simple snacks that can keep you satisfied and support your health. If you get into the habit of reaching for basic whole foods, you really can't go wrong."

His followers were quick to respond, though not everyone was ready to ditch their favourite treats. One commented: "I'm sticking to all things in moderation I think - some a bit more moderate than others."

Another asked: "But healthy eating IS eating a treat and not denying and restricting any food. Is this post saying not to eat any treats?"

In the video, he adds a series of ingredients to the jar, starting with oats before including others.

"Let's see what's in the UK's leading snack bar," he says. The other ingredients are sunflower oil, sugar, honey, molasses, sunflower lecithin and sodium bicarbonate.

He concludes: "So there you have it. That's what's in your average healthy snack bar. Now the oats might have some health benefits. The rest of the ingredients none at all."

The NHS website encourages people to look at The Eatwell Guide . It shows that to have a healthy, balanced diet, people should try to:

The NHS says: "If you're having foods and drinks that are high in fat, salt and sugar, have these less often and in small amounts. Try to choose a variety of different foods from the 5 main food groups to get a wide range of nutrients."

The site warns that most people in t Britons are consuming far too many calories, along with excessive amounts of saturated fat, sugar and salt, while falling short on fruit, vegetables, oily fish and fibre, according to the health service.

It does point out, however, that The Eatwell Guide does not apply to children under the age of 2, as they have distinct nutritional requirements. The NHS advises that once children reach the age of 2, they should gradually transition to eating the same foods as the rest of the family, in the proportions outlined in the Eatwell Guide.