Ultra processed foods, do you eat them, avoid them, or limit them?

Windigo

Windigo

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So I have read the book Ultra processed people by Chris van Tulleken, and I was quite impressed about how insidious these foods are and what the effects on our health are.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62586003-ultra-processed-people
A manifesto to change how you eat and how you think about the human body.

It’s not you, it’s the food.

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.

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.

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.

In a fast-paced and eye-opening narrative he explores the origins, science, and economics of UPF to reveal its catastrophic impact on our bodies and the planet. And he proposes real solutions for doctors, for policy makers, and for all of us who have to eat. A book that won’t only upend the way you shop and eat, Ultra-Processed People will open your eyes to the need for action on a global scale.
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I was already aware that these foods weren't the healthiest, but I had no idea they lead to a cascade of issues for many of us. Given that I have an auto-immune disease it gave me much to think about. I have reduced my intake significantly over the last month, and I now read every label.

Do any of you do the same, and have you delved deeper into to it too?
 
I probably do eat ultra-processed foods from time to time; things like ketchup, or Cheez Whiz, or whatever, but it's rare. I was brought up after the 2nd World War and there was only fresh stuff available; in season. That meant a very limited diet (my mum was a good cook, but with very limited resources) which was mostly vegetables , salads, chicken (on Sundays) and occasionally, minced beef.
When I moved out to my own place, I was mostly vegetarian, so all my food was prepared from scratch from fresh produce. When I moved to Venezuela (where they eat meat, meat and more meat) I frequently had to prepare my own food, and since there was very little processed food (and it's the same today), I simply carried on with fresh. That's what I cook these days.
Anyone who is unfortunate enough to suffer from an auto-immune disease as you do absolutely HAS to modify their diet , otherwise the consequences are horrendous. I've got two friends who have the same condition as you do: when they come to visit, I always cook for them, nothing processed and previous consultation. One of them has a diabetic husband and an autistic son, so her life must be walking on a tightrope. I cook for her whenever possible; she's got her problem well under control, fortunately.
The whole "processed food" thing is evidently a 1st World invention; make it easy, no need to cook, quick to prepare, and "tasty". Convenience, which I can understand but don't neccesarily share.
A radical thought. What would people do if "ültra-processed foods" were suddenly withdrawn from the market?
 
karadekoolaid said:
The whole "processed food" thing is evidently a 1st World invention; make it easy, no need to cook, quick to prepare, and "tasty".
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Generally yes but I do notice that Korean, Chinese and maybe Japanese cuisines use a lot of ready made sauces. Are they UPFs? Many contain MSG and other additives.
 
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I certainly eat them, but I also try and limit them somewhat. There was a time when my diet was probably something like 80% processed/ultra-processed foods.
 
medtran49 said:
Oddly enough, there was a segment on colon cancer in young adults and ultra processed food this morning in the news.
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That is a bit alarming, isn't it? And if that doctor's research is just in the US, I wonder how it's reflected in other parts of the world?
Morning Glory said:
Many contain MSG and other additives.
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True, but the Japanese eat loads of MSG (ajinomoto) but also have the highest longevity in the world. Maybe it's the fish that saves them.
 
Morning Glory said:
Generally yes but I do notice that Korean, Chinese and maybe Japanese cuisines use a lot of ready made sauces. Are they UPFs? Many contain MSG and other additives.
Click to expand...
UPF are most easily defined as 'edible food like substances' that can't be produced at home. Think of things like cake with a shelf life, basically anything that you can't do at home and keep as long. Soy sauce is considered a processed food, but there's a difference between general processed foods and ultra processed foods.
Bread you buy at a bakery is technically a processed food, but it's not bad for us. Some of the most healthy foods in the world are processed, like olive oil.
But the difference is the word 'ultra' and ultra processed foods are their own category. Most breakfast cereals, candy, and biscuits/cookies etc are UPF. If the ingredients on the package are what you use at home, the ingredients aren't ULTRA processed. But are they filled with preservatives and unknown things then it's probably UPF.
 
karadekoolaid said:
I probably do eat ultra-processed foods from time to time; things like ketchup, or Cheez Whiz, or whatever, but it's rare. I was brought up after the 2nd World War and there was only fresh stuff available; in season. That meant a very limited diet (my mum was a good cook, but with very limited resources) which was mostly vegetables , salads, chicken (on Sundays) and occasionally, minced beef.
When I moved out to my own place, I was mostly vegetarian, so all my food was prepared from scratch from fresh produce. When I moved to Venezuela (where they eat meat, meat and more meat) I frequently had to prepare my own food, and since there was very little processed food (and it's the same today), I simply carried on with fresh. That's what I cook these days.
Anyone who is unfortunate enough to suffer from an auto-immune disease as you do absolutely HAS to modify their diet , otherwise the consequences are horrendous. I've got two friends who have the same condition as you do: when they come to visit, I always cook for them, nothing processed and previous consultation. One of them has a diabetic husband and an autistic son, so her life must be walking on a tightrope. I cook for her whenever possible; she's got her problem well under control, fortunately.
The whole "processed food" thing is evidently a 1st World invention; make it easy, no need to cook, quick to prepare, and "tasty". Convenience, which I can understand but don't neccesarily share.
A radical thought. What would people do if "ültra-processed foods" were suddenly withdrawn from the market?
Click to expand...
They would be alive I suppose. Not all processed foods are ultra processed. Bread, olive oil etc are just processed foods.
I can't imagine living on UPF only, though apparently some people have 80% of their diet based on them. They would have to learn to cook or live like medieval peasants did, mostly on bread, dairy and fruit and veg. Would be healthier for sure.
 
Packaged thin chips came to my mind first. Peanut crisps or pops. Depending on circumstances, probably 4,5 x a month, to snack on.

Gluten free long shelf bread/toast, regularly, if I don't get to bake my own, or it's too hot to use the oven.

Gluten free cookies, same as bread, when I don't get to bake my own.

Canned tomatoes, although only when their price is lowered, most often the tomato sauce is in cardboard boxes.

Store bought pickles.

Salami, pepperoni...

The rest is mostly fresh and cooked from scratch. I think.
 
I don’t eat a lot of ultra-processed foods, but they do sneak in from time to time.

I don’t eat a lot of premade cookies, candy, frozen meals or processed meats, although I do consume them every now and then). I do occasionally eat ice cream, canned soups, or breakfast cereal.

Not all processed foods are ultra-processed, though; stuff that’s minimally processed is often still pretty healthy and I do eat a lot of them (canned vegetables, canned beans, frozen fruit, etc).
 
I avoid it for my family's health but for me I'm not so fussed, if it tastes good I'll eat it but I read the ingredients on every single packet I buy so I'm well aware if I'm eating rubbish and only eat it in moderation.
I think it's easy to focus on UPF's (and rightly so) but there are 'dangers' lurking in all sorts of foods, traditional preservation methods, smoking, salt petre (or the modern equivalents) boat loads of sugar or salt making it inhospitable to bacteria. Or basic things like cheese are all on the baddies list.
Date wise I'm not against long life foods that have been sterilised (like in tinned goods) or ultra filtered to remove bacteria like they do with some dairy products.
Personally I think a varied diet is the safest option.
And plenty of gin, alcohol kills most things right? 😜
 
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