Michael Mosley's top tips to ditch junk food as guru hails diet friendly swaps

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A cheeky packet of crisps or a bar of chocolate can cheer you up during a busy or stressful day at work.Even getting a takeaway at the end of the working week can be the highlight for some, and occasionally, junk food can be harmless.However, some people can struggle to resist temptation, and that's where Michael Mosley claims the problems begin to arise.

Craving junk food can often trap you into a cycle that can mimic an addiction, with many desperate to kick this habit to the curb - but don't know how.While the main focus for many to give up junk food is through willpower alone, diet expert Michael Mosley has noted that it's not as simple as just powering through.The expert, who created the Fast 800 and 5:2 diets, has highlighted that in order for people to ditch junk food, you have to understand why you love it so much.A blog on the Fast 800 says "there is something about junk food that seems to override our normal feedback mechanisms and encourages us to overeat."The site explained that junk food can trigger the same receptors in our brains that addictive substances do, so overeating can become common.

Excessive consumption can also result in health issues, like obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.The Fast 800 noted that giving up the stuff requires more than just willpower, and "there are psychological and physiological factors that can make quitting difficult".As junk food can be a "mood booster" in the brain, our minds can crave them when we are tired or working away on a task mindlessly.

According to the programme, however, you can reverse such cravings in realistic, achievable ways.Read on below for top tips from Michael Mosley's Fast 800 on how to quit the junk food for good.Not sleeping enough can play