Topics: Health, Science, Food and Drink, Podcast, UK News, World News
A doctor has issued a warning against a food group you may want to steer clear of if you want to keep healthy.
Dr Chris van Tulleken shared his views with Steven Bartlett on his Diary of a CEO podcast, warning listeners against consuming a group of food which can (sadly) include bread, dairy items, and desserts.
According to Dr van Tulleken, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are filled with ‘industrially manufactured substances’ that can trigger inflammation in the body and lead to poor health.
"Poor diet has overtaken tobacco as the leading cause of early death on planet Earth,” he said.
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By ‘poor diet’, van Tulleken means a diet that’s rich in UPFs.
These foods are very commonly found in supermarket aisles, and can encompass products like industrial sliced bread, cereal, cookies, dairy products, and sauces.
Dr van Tulleken showed concerns, as one in five people’s diet is made up of 80 percent UPFs, and that can come with a whole side of health issues.
"If it comes in plastic packaging and contains at least one ingredient that you wouldn't typically use in your own cooking, it's considered a UPF,” he said.
"In the UK, 80 percent of calories for one in five people come from ultra-processed foods,” he added, saying that UPFs can stunt children’s height by nine centimeters compared to other countries.
Consuming UPFs can also affect one’s mental health, as it leads to a disrupted hormonal responses to meals.
It can impact brain connectivity associated with the process of habits and rewards.
But there's no need to panic just yet; Dr van Tulleken has found that scaling down on ultra-processed foods, or even removing them from your diet altogether, can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases linked to unhealthy eating, such as cardiovascular issues and dementia, by as much as 60 percent.
For the health expert, opting for UPFs has very little to do with personal choice and a lot to do with wealth distribution.
"I have almost no interest in personal responsibility. This is about social justice," he said.
"People without money are forced to eat bad food. If you got rid of poverty, you would get rid of around 60 percent of the problem of diet-related disease," he added.
Dr van Tulleken recommends incorporating more fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and nuts to your diet, following the examples of diets found in regions like East Asia, South Asia, and the Arctic, as well as the Mediterranean, where olive oil is preferred over other oils and fats.
