Ultra-Processed People

A worthwhile reminder that the industrialised food system is not at all concerned with my health or best interests, and some fantastic interviews and ways of seeing things. Slight conspiracy theorist vibes and a few moments where it felt like the author was drawing unearned conclusions in pursuit of making a point, or drawing too heavily on metaphor and emotion (including an unironic and out of place "the Nazis loved UPF" segment). One example I remember was the chapter on emulsifiers. I was really curious about what the research said about soya lecithins because they are everywhere, and although the book mentioned them it then focused on two totally different old-school emulsifiers before saying "see!? emulsifiers can be harmful for your gut!".

Great book, a real eye opener on the so called "food" industry. Explained a lot to me about aspects of eating I had not previously understood as well.

Chris Van Tulleken tells us a lot of what's wrong with the food we eat, and he does it from many different angles. Each of them based on a personal experience, interview, or study review.

⚠️ Reading this book may affect the way you look at those edible substances or there.

This was a good read, though it was mostly things I didn't want to hear.

Before reading this, and as quite a data driven (I like to think) logical, person the concept of calories-in-calories-out made sense to me. The idea that actually food is just molecules and the fashion it's cooked or prepared doesn't matter so much appealed to part of my brain.

To read this contrasting, more holistic view that actually we've evolved as a complex organism and that you can't completely detach those years of evolution and diet from what we are now seems obvious.

It seems impossible to avoid processed food in the modern world, but there's a solid argument for reducing your consumption and eating more "naturally".

The reminder that if someone is marketing something to you, and makes money the more you eat of something, the more you should question whether their product is going to have your best interests at heart.

I liked that this book wasn't overly preachy or demand that you make a load of major lifestyle changes. It genuinely came across as someone just wanting to share their experience and knowledge.

Well written and engaging, plenty of footnotes. Takes a serious look at the science behind the things we eat, and the many ways it can affect us. Very understandable and clear, and teases out why it's been hard to pin down.

I'm off to remove a few things from my shopping list...

Recorrido por los alimentos ultraprocesados: qué son, por qué son diferentes de otro tipo de comidas, qué efectos tienen en nuestro organismo, la cadena de suministro, escrito por un médico y presentador de televisión británico.

A pesar de que me tenía por bien informado sobre el tema, he aprendido unas cuantas cosas: que los ultraprocesados son veneno ya lo sabía, pero que el aceite de girasol (el que se vende en España al menos) se obtiene mediante disolventes, nada de moler las semillas en plan bucólico; o la relación entre nuestros sentidos y el metabolismo que hace que nuestro cuerpo interprete el sabor dulce del edulcorante como que estamos ingiriendo mucha comida, soltemos insulina, baje el azúcar en sangre y nos entre un hambre atroz, entre muchas otras cosas.

Está razonablemente bien escrito y se hace ameno, aunque el truco narrativo de “viajé hasta X para hablar con Jim, granjero de vacas, que me contó tal cosa” está ya un poco visto y le sobran un par de sermones, pero es bastante digno para lo que viene a ser el nivel de los best-sellers de no ficción. Como última reflexión, considerémonos afortunados de no vivir en Anglosajonia.

A good read is of course not why you're here, but that's what you get anyway. I cannot say much about the science or legitimacy of the author's claims, but they seem very plausible to me.

The basic premise is that there are a bunch of "Ultra-processed foods" which are behind the rise in obesity levels (along with other health complications). These foods are not only addictive but mess with the body's appetite mechanism, there by shutting down the message that we have eaten enough.

There isn't really a discussion of how exactly these foods do this. Though the argument is partly based on trials, and partly a discussion of Darwinian evolution of foods. In order to survive in the gladitorial supermarket shelves a foodstuff must sell, and sell often. This evolutionary struggle has driven companies to optimise foods, not only for cost, shelf-life, but also for addictiveness. Part of being addictive is cancelling the body's natural system to signal satiety.

On the one hand, this all sounds quite plausible, on the other hand society has been through cycles of 'bad food', before, health alerts over fats, sugars, carbohydrates etc. have all pointed the blame for increasing obesity at different targets. This book argues that ironically those health drives may have made the problem worse by incentivising food companies to work around those natural food stuffs with more synthetic or processed alternatives, such as synthetic sweeteners.

Again, I'm not in a position to judge the claims of the book well, but I can tell you that the information is presented in a very accessible and enjoyable to read manner.

that pringles chapter has got to be one of the most depressing chapters I've read

wow, this is quite a revelation. We all know these foods are not 'good for us' but I doubt many of us realise just how bad they can be and the enormous money machine behind making us want more and more of them.

This book blew my mind. I did not go along with the challenge to keep on eating processed foods, as luckily I have never felt that strong of a connection to them. However, it did make me really look at the food labels more questions certain choices I've been making. It has been very enlightening and shocking with the science he explores, experiments done, some more gruesome and animal-torturing than others, and of course looking at epidemiological data as well. Can be quite full of information but still would recommend everyone to read, who does not cook every single thing from scratch.