Ultra Processed People/Foods

[Jaded]

Hi folks

Currently having a rather long flare up of TN.

However, and completely unrelated, I recently listened to the book "Ultra Processed People" by Chris Van Tulleken.

It is a revelation - and not in a good way - that the 'foods' we have been sold have such an impact on our bodies.

It has made me wonder how I can change what I eat because although I do mostly cook from scratch, I do have things like things like soya milk (as a latte), vegan mayo, the occasional Pret's sandwich, and much more I expect. And who knows, these things may have an impact on me. Also all those supplements I take....! I read the ingredients to a few. Plus I was eating far more of this stuff before diagnosis and especially when I was at university. I mean when the age of the microwave started I was newly wed and working to microwave meals made life much easier.

Has anyone else read this?

J

[NHE]

Hi Jaded,
I haven't read Ultra-processed People. However, I have read Dr Robert Lustig's book Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine. Robert Lustig's book sounds like it might cover similar material.

Here's some info on Dr Lustig's book.

viewtopic.php?t=32363

[Jaded]

Thanks NHE

I heard him talk in a recent podcast. Similar stuff.

Chris is a twin (and both are doctors) and has done experiments with UPF on himself. Interestingly his twin became obese in the run up to him discovering the nature of UPF. He does not call it food because he says it is industrially produced!

Here is a link to the Christmas lecture he did on the subject in 2023

[NHE]

Hi Jaded,
Thanks for the link to the video. I've ordered his book through my local library.

[NHE]

What are we feeding our kids?

[Jaded]

Ok. I think most folk, especially those with kids, really need to know this stuff.

I listened to it on Audible which was enough for me to be worried. I have cut back on the soya lattes (he says any kind of soya product apart from edamame is likely ultra processed). And having less Prets sandwiches. More time cooking and food prepping though.....

Even simple things have sweeteners or emulsifiers.

Really wondering if I can manage baking my own bread

[kujaw]

Yes, it's so crazy, I see like everything (even products not meant to be sweet) has a sweetener, be it any type of sugar or artificial one. And knowing how addictive sugar is it looks like food companies just want to make us addicted to their products. Thankfully macronutrient tables are on all products and I can find ones with lower sugar content. But it's still much work sometimes.

Baking own bread is cool, I was doing that few years ago, but now I just look for one without sugar and with surdough.

[Jaded]

Ok

Yes it is interesting about sweeteners. He says the studies show that the body tastes the sweetener and EXPECTS sugar - there is none. So it makes you hungrier.

I will get to baking my own bread but not quite there yet.

[NHE]

Yes it is interesting about sweeteners. He says the studies show that the body tastes the sweetener and EXPECTS sugar - there is none. So it makes you hungrier.

Dr Lustig writes about this in his book Metabolical. He suggests that the problem is that artificial sweeteners spike insulin levels. He cites a study involving 3 treatment groups, one that drank sugar sweetened beveverages, one that used artificial sweeteners and one that drank water. The sugar sweetened group gained weight as expected. However, the group that used artificial sweeteners also gained weight, just not as much. In contrast, the group that drank water lost weight.