Lecturer advises Ch4 on Pringle penchant

An interview with Richard Marshall, Principal Lecturer at School of Human Sciences part of the Faculty of Life Sciences, was featured in Channel 4 programme My Big Fat Diet Show on 14 January 2010.

The January diet is, for many, an annual ritual as the excesses of the festive season rest heavily on the nation’s waistlines.  My Big Fat Diet Show hosted by Anna Richardson ‘grabs the UK by its love handles’ and shows viewers how to lose pounds with calorie counting and exercise.

The programme aims to uncover myths about the diet industry and investigates how the food industry encourages shoppers to buy unhealthy products with supermarket offers and bargain deals.

London Met expert Richard Marshall, a food scientist who specialises in analysing food and the effect the ingredients have on our taste buds, was interviewed by Anna Richardson in the fourth programme in the series. Anna asked Richard whether there might be a scientific reason behind her love for the salty potato snack Pringles.

Richard said: ‘Pringles are made from Maltodextrin, dry potato, vegetable oil, flour and salt. Fat receptors in the mouth are activated when fat in ingested, telling the brain that the food is good.’
Richard believes that our desire and is part of our genetic make up. ‘Sugar and fat were things we needed back when we were hunter gatherers, and our bodies still  identify them as good food. Manufacturers are aware that we can’t resist these snacks and rely on the fact that we will continue to eat and purchase their product.’

Episode 4 of the 'My Big Fat Diet Show’ broadcast on 14 January 2010 is available to view on the channel 4 website. Please click here to view. Richard is featured at 17minutes 28seconds into the show.

20 January 2010