Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food

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If you only read one diet or nutrition book in your life, make it this one.. . . Without a hint of finger-wagging or body shaming . . . Chris van Tulleken lays out what ultra-processed food is and why it is the single greatest problem with modern diets.” —Bee Wilson, award-winning author of The Way We Eat Now and Consider the Fork Unsettling and deeply important. . . . [ Ultra-Processed People] integrate[s] concepts of detailed food science and global market forces, showing how these affect individual humans. Tulleken weaves these threads together in a way that is evidence-based, compelling and humane. . . . A tremendously important book that will help readers choose less processed, better food.” —Vincent Lam, Toronto Star Of course you can’t design national food policy without speaking to industry,” he adds. “But you can make sure that none of the people who write and develop the policy take money from the industry they seek to regulate. The relationship cannot be one of partnership.”

Dr van Tulleken also believes we should see excess weight as a disease - and say people 'have obesity', rather than 'are obese', as it frames the condition as a disease (Image: PA) Firstly OpenFoodFacts have a database of food products from all over, and the key thing is they show the NOVA score for most stuff. A fearless investigation into how we have become hooked on ultra-processed food. . . . [van Tulleken’s] key message will have you scurrying to your cupboards. . . . And, if there is any justice, this gripping, well-evidenced exposé will shame policymakers and shake the food industry to its money-driven core. . . . [ Ultra-Processed People] is more than just a great science book: it breaks down a complex issue of cultural, social, economic and political importance with clarity and sensitivity but without moralising; it competently evaluates the scientific literature; and it roams the globe in search of answers.” —Financial Times UPFs are destroying the planet. most farmland is used to produce six staple crops, which depletes soil quality, driving up use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. most of these grain outputs are used to feed animals, instead of humans, which is a large waste as well. global supply chains also destroy the environment. frankly, the vectors through which UPFs destroy the environment are innumerable, but the chapter on the book that discusses it does a good job of pointing out the tip of the iceberg. Definition of ultra-processed food: 'If it's wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn't usually find in a standard home kitchen, it's UPF.'

Customer reviews

We have entered a new age of eating. For the first time in human history, most of our calories come from an entirely novel set of substances called Ultra-Processed Food. There's a long, formal scientific definition, but it can be boiled down to this: if it's wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn't find in your kitchen, it's UPF. In Ultra-Processed People, a persuasive mix of analysis and commentary, [Chris van Tulleken] shows how [ultra-processed] foods affect our bodies and how their popularity stems in part from shady marketing and slanted science Matthew Rees, Wall Street Journal

We have entered a new age of eating. For the first time in human history, most of our calories come from an entirely novel set of substances called Ultra-Processed Food. There’s a long, formal scientific definition, but it can be boiled down to this: if it’s wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen, it’s UPF. Chris van Tulleken is an infectious diseases doctor at UCLH, and one of the BBC’s leading science presenters having worked on many flagship Health & Science programmes. His research focuses on how corporations affect human health especially in the context of child nutrition and he works with UNICEF and The World Health Organisation on this area. Chris co-presents CBBC’s Operation Ouch! alongside his twin brother Xand van Tulleken. Chris’ recently released book Ultra-Processed People explores the world of ultra-processed food and the affect it’s having on the health of the public. These products are specifically engineered to behave as addictive substances, driving excess consumption. They are now linked to the leading cause of early death globally and the number one cause of environmental destruction. Yet almost all our staple foods are ultra-processed. UPF is our food culture and for many people it is the only available and affordable food.Some ultra-processed foods may activate the brain reward system in a way that is similar to what happens when people use drugs like alcohol, or even nicotine or morphine.” Of course he uses stats to powerful effect, like the fact that each of us ingest 8kg of additives per annum on average. Or that one third of 12-year-old UK children have an overbite as they no longer need to chew as much, noting a similar and remarkably rapid evolutionary development in the jaws of Aboriginal people in only 100 years. How much of our daily caloric intake comes from ingesting substances that, technically speaking, do not meet traditional definitions of “food”? Chances are, if you’re eating something that came wrapped in plastic and contains a funky ingredient you don’t have in your kitchen, it’s most likely—almost definitely—ultra-processed food, or UPF. More than the principal obstacle to “eating right,” UPF has been linked to metabolic disease, depression, inflammation, anxiety, and cancer, while the production, distribution, and disposal of UPF and related products globally is known to cause devastating environmental damage. At the same time, UPF represents the dominant, nigh-unavoidable food culture for millions upon millions of eaters. In this book, Chris van Tulleken, father, scientist, doctor, and award-winning BBC broadcaster, marshals the latest evidence to show how governments, scientists, and doctors have allowed transnational food companies to create a pandemic of diet-related disease. The solutions don't lie in willpower, personal responsibility, or exercise. You'll find no diet plan in this book-but join Chris as he undertakes a powerful self-experiment that made headlines around the world: under the supervision of colleagues at University College London he spent a month eating a diet of 80 percent UPF, typical for many children and adults in the United States. While his body became the subject of scientific scrutiny, he spoke to the world's leading experts from academia, agriculture, and-most important-the food industry itself. But more than teaching him about the experience of the food, the diet switched off Chris's own addiction to UPF.

This audiobook contains exclusive bonus content between Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken, where they deep-dive into what you've just listened to at the end of each part. I’ve been reading about the research done by Hall and Monteiro for years, so I was eager to read more in depth about it. But the description of Hall’s experiment actually made me question the validity of the experiment in the first place. I figured the UPF meals and unprocessed meals would look somewhat similar, but in reality it was pitting Spam sandwiches against fish and vegetables. I’m still glad the study was done and think the results do favor eating actual food rather than processed foods, but it seemed less rigorous than I had previously understood.

this was a book providing knowledge, and a message, for me, and for many other ultra-processed people out there who possibly have no idea of what they are eating and what it could be doing to their body. Police granted extra powers across parts of Manchester after serious stabbing - map of areas affected Thanks to "Ultra-Processed People," I'm now committed to reducing my consumption of UPFoods. The book has empowered me with knowledge and a new perspective on the food choices I make. I can't emphasise enough how valuable this book is for anyone who cares about their health and the quality of the food they put into their bodies.