42: Ultra- Processed Foods: Just How Worried Should We Be?

In the 24/7 world we now live in, ultra-processed foods are cheap, convenient and yes, often tasty significant part of most people’s diet!

But what if we’re paying a much higher price for these “ready in two minutes”, highly palatable dishes than we initially realized? What if those two minute dishes are actually sentencing us to a (shortened) lifetime of ill health?

We hope you’ll enjoy this new episode where we discuss all things ultra-processed, as much as we enjoyed putting it together for you, our lovely listeners.

And as always, tell us what you think about this conversation and let us know what you’d like us to cover in future :)

EPISODE RESOURCES:

For a straightforward overview of what’s a ultra processed food (UPFs) and how to spot them, check out this article.

Click here to be shocked just How much of these UPFs we’re actually eating!

For an overview of the potential health risks of UPFs as well as some great suggestions for healthier snacks, take a peek at this article from the Guardian newspaper.

Want confirmation of those horrendous ingredient lists we mentioned? Click on the foodstuff of your choice: Old El Paso corn tortilla, “Beyond Meat”, Planet Smoothie, Grenade protein bar, Quest protein bar - or don’t if you want to keep eating this stuff in blissful ignorance!

 And if you’re now fascinated to read how corn goes from being a NOVA level 1 food to an ultra-processed corn tortilla, here’s the link to further enlightenment!

 For that research on erythritol, check out these articles. And if our discussion of sucralose has got you wanting more, take a look at this link.

For more on the relationship between the increased consumption of UPFs and various diseases, click on each of the following diseases: cancer, dementia, depression, diabetes type 2 and last but definitely not least, heart disease.

But despite the growing body of research showing the health costs of these foods, when they are so cheap per calorie, reducing our reliance on them is going to be a huge, societal challenge. And if you’re a worried Brit, why not contact your MP to tell them of your concerns, you can use this link .

And finally, ready to dive deeper? Check out this article about how Dr. Chris Van tullekan, author of “ultra-processed people” avoids UPF’s and what he eats instead.