Ultra-Processed People: Why We Can't Stop Eating Food That Isn't Food

I had never heard of Dr. Van Tulleken before this book; however, he is clearly well known in the UK. Some Brits saw me reading this on the subway and started telling me about how much they enjoyed his television work, and asking me what I thought about the book. I would be interested in seeing what he is like on TV because, frankly, I think he nearly undermines his points with mediocre writing. On the other hand, what he has to say about ultra-processed food is so compelling that I couldn’t put the book down. On one level, what he has to say about food isn’t all that surprising. He discusses various levels of food processing, and he isn’t saying all processing is bad. Roasting meat over a fire is processing. Refining grain into flour and baking bread is processing. What he points out is that ultra-processing—breaking food into chemical components and building it back into more recognizable forms—is likely very bad for us. He takes us through a lot of interesting history and science. Ultra-processing has its roots in the 19th century with things like the creation of margarine but reached an apex in the 1970’s until many people in the West today eat almost 80% of their calories as ultra-processes food. The appeal of ultra-processed food is easy to see. It’s much cheaper to produce and keeps much longer, which is an advantage to both sellers and consumers. What Dr. Van Tulleken tries to make clear, however, is that the processing itself is creating health problems in those who eat it as their primary diet. Growing evidence shows that it is not just the number of calories in food that matters, but how our bodies are able to digest those calories; that just getting the right collection of vitamins and minerals is enough. Our bodies have evolved to extract those calories and vitamins in a certain way, and ultra-processing interferes with that. It’s not necessarily that we’re eating too many calories, it’s that those calories are coming in a way that our body cannot deal with effectively. He does point out, too, that ultra-processed food is designed to make us eat more, faster. It has an almost addictive appeal because of the way our body is not designed to digest it. And that goes beyond the simple presentation appeals of food like ice cream that doesn’t melt quickly (if at all) and food that can stay on the shelf for weeks (or longer) without spoiling. If this book has a weakness, it is in Dr. Van Tulleken’s writing. Though I liked some of his anecdotes, particularly with his daughter, I was turned off by his stories about his twin brother and I heartily dislike the “super-size me” approach of trying different diets on myself and seeing what happens. (Yes, his approach was more scientific, but it doesn’t change the optics.) He also has that “the evidence seems to show…but…” approach to presenting information which is very wishy-washy prose. I know he’s trying to be balanced in his presentation, but he can do that while still being firmer. In the end, though, I find this book to be endlessly fascinating. It’s one of the rare books that has made me seriously examine what I’m putting into my body. As a child of the seventies, I grew up eating these foods, and I still love them—the breakfast cereals, soft drinks, and the like. I don’t know if I’m up to long-term change, but I am actually trying to do better. If I can make myself a little healthier, I’ll thank Dr. Van Tulleken for that.

This was a bit of a dry read, but it has a lot of good information. It really made me think differently about ultra-processed foods or just processed foods in general and how they affect our eating habits. Worth reading if you’re interested in the topic and don’t mind a more research-heavy style. It is definitely an eye opener in regard to what we are putting in our mouth

The book was easy to read and follow and I enjoyed learning new information. I have been interested in health as it relates to food since my husband had cancer, so some thingS I knew from previous reading. Although I have always read labels I have been paying more attention to those foods that are not in my pantry as UPF and realize that I have become lazy in certain areas with making some of my food instead of buying already prepared foods. The part I found questionable was in the middle of the book on the climate crisis. Though our simple existence here on earth affects the climate to some degree it was almost as if the author wanted to inject his personal opinion on climate change in the book along with a few other political bias and it appeared not to really fit with the rest of the book. In fact I almost put it down but decided to plow through until I got beyond it. Overall I enjoyed the read.

I read this book a little over two years ago. It has completely changed the way I view anything I put into my mouth. And the motivation for that change has only deepened over time. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY DIET/HEALTH/NUTRITION BOOKS I HAVE CONSUMED. I could have passed on ALL OF THEM from the past 3 decades if I'd only had this book. As I recently read in an article in the UK Telegraph from one of the "celebs" over there, "COUNT CHEMICALS NOT CALORIES"—and aim for zero, I would add. Gradually, over time, your food preferences will change as you feel better and many physical, mental, emotional challenges and difficulties fade away. It wiil not be EASY to integrate the deep changes the information this book will, hopefully, motivate you to make, but it is quite SIMPLE. If you want a REAL HIGH QUALITY LIFE eat REAL HIGH QUALITY FOODS that are not laced with chemicals, preservatives, sawdust (yes)! NATURAL FLAVORINGS are anything but what most of us think of when we see the word: NATURAL. One of the most concrete things I experienced as I was reading this book was noticing the SOFT TEXTURE of these ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS. Once I connected that to the sawdust, modified starches etc. it became so obvious how fake everything was and there were many food stuffs that I used to "love" that now GROSS ME OUT! These days join the real revolution and eat real food. BIG AGRICULTURE, BIG FOOD, BIG PHARMA, BIG MEDICINE, etc will sorely miss your $$$—and if you're one of those, the FREE MARKETING you provide by pushing this CRAP on your family, friends and business associates—but as your palate changes you will no longer miss them.

About food being “specifically engineered to behave as addictive substances, driving excess consumption.” -the inside flap of the book cover. I’m APPALLED!!! But not really, because I already know about sugar addiction. Foods are created to cause us to be addicted to it so we buy more and provide more profits to the corporations. Same as pharmaceuticals. Same as face creams. Same as weed killer. They don’t solve the problems they claim to fix. It’s all temporary. To get you to keep buying it! Anyway, the book is GREAT so far! It exposes so much! And I’ve only read the first 76 pages!!! I’ve been off processed foods for awhile. But I had no idea about ULTRA-processed foods. The book is VERY eye-opening! And I’ll do everything I can to point people to reading it. And to promote it. And all I can say is, I’m SO GLAD I’m not a sample lady at a certain big-box store anymore, promoting all this crap! READ THIS BOOK!!! Help spread the word! Let’s get back our health! And get rid of obesity disease!!!

This is the best book that I have read about healthy eating and the implications of ultra processed foods, and I’ve read many books and articles on this topic. The author is clear and compelling thanks to a rigorous commitment to the scientific evidence. It is not the easiest read, but the payoff is large. You will live a longer, healthier, and higher quality life if you can manage to reduce or eliminate ultra processed foods from your diet. This book will save lives.

There is a lot of useful info here. I admire the author's willingness to experiment on himself and to carefully examine potential bias in studies. Couple of things that I did not like: the author opens with the idea of an arms race everywhere, including plants, which has been debunked long ago. A very tired way of framing things, and it undermines the entire argument. Also, on pages around 365-367, he starts referring to FDA as FEMA. This blunder is especially glaring because just a few pages prior, he blast (deservedly) a chemical company for submitting a graphic of a wrong molecule while trying to get FDA approval for their version of corn oil. I hope this error can be easily corrected in the electronic editions and any future editions.

Amazing book with tons of knowledge and interesting ideas. This book reveals a lot of information. Buuuuut..."exercise doesn't help weight loss." This is where the author got lost in the sauce. Extraordinary scientist, unfortunately, you don't need scientific studies to prove this wrong. Go from no exercise to exercise and maintain the same diet, same calories, and see what happens. You don't need an MD, PhD, or whatever. A shocking line that almost made me stop reading but most of the book has some very interesting information.

Canoas da Nestlé pelos igarapés, distribuindo alimentos ultraprocessados, para viciar desde indiozinho-baby? Nutrição e Doença merecem tratamento sério.

If you haven’t read this, it’s well worth the time. And what I love best is it’s more information and not judging those of us who have lower incomes, it gives information to help people buy better food, if they can. Extremely insightful and easy to understand. Good companies do NOT want you to read this.

Shipped fast and was in perfect condition. Looking forward to a fascinating read.

Very informative. Many facts I was not aware of.

It's an easy read. Interesting. Filled with science. And you read food labels differently. If you are in your 20s it's huge. If you are in your 70s it's probably too late to make a difference but on the other hand, you can coach the kids about the grandkids and maybe make a huge difference. Importantly, it's a nice book to read. Informative but not nerdy.