Do you think you know enough about ultra-processed foods (UPFs)? Think again! This book is totally worth your time if you are interested in feeling really clear about the pervasive influence of these foods on our lives, and how to avoid them.
A lovely client of mine recommended it (thank you Wendy!) and I am happy I followed the advice. It is extremely well-researched, with great insights in every chapter.
For example, did you know that the UK diet is made up of, on average, 55% UPFs? While these include the obvious ready meals, baked goods, cereals and fizzy drinks, other foods are less obvious, such as all commercial breads, which are now nearly all made with UPFs.
The impact on population health could not be clearer: in parallel with the growth of UPFs in the UK and USA from the 1980s onwards, obesity and diabetes (to name two of the most obvious manifestations) have exploded. What about the rest of the world? Eight-fold rises in obesity were seen in China and fifteen-fold rises in some African nations as their local foods found themselves in competition with cheap imported UPFs.
What exactly are UPFs?
UPFs are heavily industrialised and modified products, designed for convenience, affordability, taste, and long shelf life (and NOT for nutrition, to be clear). They can be so removed from real food that it is not far-fetched to say that they can’t be considered food at all.
This is what happens in the production of these ‘foods’: natural ingredients get replaced with complex mixtures of cheap synthetic compounds. In most cases, they are produced from refined, bleached and deodorised fats, which are the waste products from soya oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil or sunflower oil, whichever is cheapest at the time. And because these tend to taste disgusting, all the flavourings, sugars and salt are added in extra abundance. No wonder then that the author gained a lot of weight quickly and felt horrible when he decided to experiment with a 80% UPF diet for a period of time!
Because this month we are talking about gut and the microbiome, I want to add just one other piece of info (and hope you’ll be intrigued enough to decide to read the book :)... something I often warn my clients about: emulsifiers (for example carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate 80).
Emulsifiers are ubiquitous in UPFs (they should be listed in ingredient labels), and they have been found (preclinical studies) to cause dramatic changes including leaky gut, bacteria in the bloodstream, inflammation, weight gain and forms of colitis. Even small amounts can cause disturbances in the gut microflora, and the real concern is that these changes are observed at concentrations lower than what we normally encounter in common UPFs.
Perhaps the most dangerous part of it all is that these foods are engineered to trigger reward systems in the brain, making it difficult for people to stop consuming them. The combination of salt, sugar, fat, and additives in these foods creates cravings that override the body’s natural hunger signals. The relentless advertising, low cost and easy access is doing the rest to create the perfect storm that is fuelling the chronic disease crisis we live in today.
Thankfully Chris van Tulleken is very clear about the need for stronger regulations on the marketing and production of UPFs.
I believe it is also very important to say that there is a lot that we can do as individuals, starting with being very aware of what is offered on the shelfs and more conscious of our choices:
Focus on whole foods, this is the easiest way to avoid many of the additives and artificial ingredients found in UPFs
Read labels carefully, and opt for products with shorter ingredient lists
Cook at home, preparing meals from scratch allows you to control the ingredients
Be sceptical of marketing claims that tout health benefits or use buzzwords like "natural" when often the product still contain harmful additives
Support local and sustainable foods and buy from local farmers or markets that offer fresh, less processed foods
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