A man who hasn’t eaten any ultra-processed foods in a year has revealed how he’s dropped a stone-and-a-half in weight “without trying” and experienced countless other amazing health benefits. 

Morray Dolan, 52, has always been an avid gym-goer but sought answers for health woes when he discovered he had severe sleep apnoea, a condition where breathing suddenly stops and starts during slumber. 

His breathing would stop up to 30 times per minute and it was recommended he wear a special mask at night to keep his airway open. 

Determined to find another solution, Morray looked into lifestyle fixes. He took a blood test with food intolerance testing company Supply Life, which revealed he had a sensitivity to pea protein - commonly used to boost protein content in shakes, bars and meat substitutes. 

The building company owner said: “I went down a rabbit hole of finding what could be causing my sleep apnoea because they wanted to give me a face mask and I wasn't very keen on that. 

“I looked into food intolerance to see if that could have caused an issue and it certainly did. Within six weeks I returned to the specialist who’s used me as a test case because I now have zero sleep apnoea.

“I don't need a sleep mask, I don't snore, I sleep like a baby, I don't get headaches, I get no swelling in my joints anymore, no bloating, my concentration is amazing - it's completely changed my life.”

Following his test results, Morray stripped back his diet completely to remove any foods containing sunflower oil, soya and casein which is found in milk as well as pea protein. 

This meant ditching any foods classed as ‘ultra-processed’ and sticking to a clean diet where all his meals are made from scratch. 

He said: “I never really gave it any thought before but I was just feeling a bit tired and a bit lethargic. I was having headaches, focus issues, things like that and I thought, well, I'm getting older now. 

“I spend seven days a week in the gym so I was just loading up on protein from every source. It became apparent that all these protein sources were just not good for me.
 
“So I cut them all out and it took a few months to learn how to get my weight under control again because I just dropped about a stone-and-a-half in five weeks.”

Morray says he has always eaten a healthy diet but would often pick up store-bought sauces instead of making them himself. 

“I love cooking but instead of actually making the sauces myself I probably would have cheated,” he said.

“Now I’ve gone back to basics and make everything from scratch. It's actually much more fun anyway and the flavours are completely different. I love the fact that I've done this. 

“I steer away from anything processed. I'm a builder by trade and it's very easy to sneak in a sausage roll, but I haven't had one roll in a year. It was definitely a learning curve.”

Morray, who lives near Horsham, Sussex, says he has seen benefits in all areas of his life. 

He said: “Now I probably am the healthiest and fittest I've been in my life. I have dropped a stone-and-a-half in weight with absolutely no effort, just a change in diet.

“My body has shaped up but I haven't really changed my programme in the gym.  

“I have so much energy I literally feel like a 30 year old. It has just cleared the fog and given me direction. There's always challenges in life but none of them phase me now. I just want to pursue life now because I don't feel heavy, tired and bloated.”