If you’re on a weight-loss diet --- here’s a secret that may move the scale a little faster for you. Ditch the ultra-processed foods.In a new study, people lost twice as much weight following a diet of minimally processed foods compared to one with ultra-processed products.Think overnight oats and homemade spaghetti Bolognese versus packaged oat bars and ready-made lasagna.Researchers recruited 55 adults who took turns following each of the diets for eight weeks. Meals were delivered to their homes and they were instructed to eat as much or as little as they wanted.Both the minimally processed and ultra-processed diets were nutritionally matched in accordance with U.K. guidelines for things like fat, protein, carbs, salt and fiber.Overall, the participants lost about 2% of their body weight when eating minimally processed foods, compared to 1% on the ultra-processed diet.The lead author says that may not sound like a lot, but the results only cover eight weeks.He says, “Over the course of a year, we’d expect to see a 13% weight reduction in men and a 9% reduction in women on the minimally processed diet, but only a 4% weight reduction in men and 5% in women after the ultra-processed diet.”The researchers found people on a minimally processed diet ate fewer daily calories and had greater control over food cravings.Source: Nature MedicineAuthor Affiliations: University College London, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, University of Pavia, National Institute for Health Research, London .Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter