AMA with Dr Chris van Tulleken, expert on Ultra-Processed Food and award-winning broadcaster

[NicolaDMumsnet]

Hi everyone,

We’re pleased to announce that award-winning broadcaster, author and practicing NHS doctor Chris van Tulleken will be doing an AMA this evening. Following his BBC One documentary ‘What Are We Feeding Our Kids?’ and the chart-topping podcast ‘A Thorough Examination – Addicted to Food’, Chris has become the UK’s go-to expert on Ultra-Processed Food (UPF). In his most recent book ‘Ultra-Processed People’ Chris marshals the latest evidence to reveal what UPF is really doing to our bodies and the planet.

Ultra-Processed People
‘Drawing on his own experiment of eating an 80% UPF diet for one month, Chris explores the invention of UPF and its impact on our health and weight – from altering metabolism and appetite, to an increased risk of serious health problems like cardiovascular disease and dementia. He shows that almost all our staple foods are ultra- processed – bread, cereal, biscuits, desserts, dairy products and condiments; explains why exercise and willpower cannot prevent obesity and ill health due to UPF; and provides solutions for individuals, policy makers and the food industry.’

Please post your questions below. Chris will be answering questions this evening.

As always, please remember our guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil.

Thanks,
MNHQ

Separately, I'd like to thank you and your brother for Operation Ouch. I can't tell you what it meant to my kids, when young, to see some of the things they themselves had to deal with demystified with such good humour. They saw Ng tubes, cochlear implants, gastrostomies, epipens, catheters - and on one memorable occasion, my son's neurosurgeon operating on an child with epilepsy.

Thank you.

I'm interested your point re activity levels not affecting weight in Ultra Processed People. I run 40/50 miles a week and my weight is stable, as undoubtedly my calorie intake. I'm fortunate genetically too re size/weight. Win win.

That said, there's no denying that those athletes who choose to participate in extreme endurance events have a certain build. Ultra runners, marathon runners, long distance cyclists, swimmers to an extent. Many of these really do consume a lot of calories! Is there an explanation for this? I'm struggling to square that circle! 🙂

Love the book and podcasts btw.

Your message about upf is delivered really well. What do you recommend as a calcium rich alternative for dairy intolerance?

Eat a lot of calories but are very slight I mean!!

I found your book shocking as someone who would have considered their diet relatively healthy, thank you for raising awareness, we need action at a national government level.

I have the same problem as PP’s with gluten, sadly I have recently been told I am pre-diabetic and I partially blame the UPF gluten free food when you realise the huge number of ingredients in “free from” products and their lack of fibre and excess of sugar. I have given away all the gluten free flour and xanthan gum etc from my cupboards.

I have now completely cut them out as I am eating low carb and don’t think any of them fit with that. I would also be interested in any gluten free alternatives to bread that you could suggest.

Hi Dr Chris.

Thank you for all the work you do trying to educate the public regarding UPFs.

I eat barely any UPFs myself, but notice that many people around me eat them regularly, but see nothing wrong with them, thinking they are just "normal food". For example the following menu for a day would be thought totally normal for a large percentage of the population:-

Breakfast - bowl of cornflakes with milk, slice of (supermarket bread) toast with low fat spread and low sugar jam.

Lunch - sandwich made with supermarket bread, low fat spread and processed cheese slices, plus packet of crisps, low fat yoghurt and an apple, plus a fizzy drink.

Snack of a couple of factory made biscuits.

Dinner of a ready meal with a factory made doughnut to follow.

About the only things on that list which aren't UPF are the milk and the apple.

How do we go about changing people's perceptions of what is real/normal food?

How can I avoid UPFs? I'm disabled and on a budget, so can only prepare food my carers can do in 10(ish) minutes.

Hi Chris

What is your opinion on school meals? They are touted as being healthy.

Here the options comprise of Quorn items - nuggets, sausages, burgers. They started offering this to stop children eating so much meat! Other offerings tend to be versions of pasta or pizza, chicken nuggets, beef burgers. And potatoes in different forms like chips, wedges etc.

If this is the daily offering at school, then what hope do we have for shaping children's choices? Or educating adults about what is acceptable?

I'm coeliac, with pancreatic insufficiency and have had microscopic colitis. Despite this my diet is reasonably good (largely plant based, organic, no alcohol, no caffeine, no artificial sweeteners) but I struggle with breakfasts, especially as I don't like eggs and try to avoid too much bought gf bread. I struggle too with high fibre due to the colitis.
Is there a protein powder that is least bad, which I can add to my smoothie breakfast (carrot, banana, flax, psyllium, spirulina, cacao). I get on best with soya powder but I think the processing is very upf!

In essence, is there a protein powder which is least bad or are they all as bad as each other? Thank you

Hi Dr Chris.

I have really enjoyed seeing interviews and things about UPFs and have made a few conscious decisions about removing some items from our diets, mostly baking more etc.
My main concern is my child with CMPA. She has oat milk and dairy free cheese and yogurts and these are all fortified with various nutrients. How concerned should I be about inclusion of these in an otherwise varied diet (eggs, pasta made of yellow pea/red lentils, fish, lots of fruit, but no meat)? She's 3.

Thank you

I'm enjoying your book (if enjoy is the right word!) I'm vegan and concerned about all the fake food that's around. I know how to cook veg and how to make cheese from nuts. But what can I do about non-dairy yogurt? It all seems to be full of rubbish. Are there any that aren't?

Hi, I use bulk whey protein after workouts, most flavours have xantham gum and sucralose. One version they have is just two ingredients, whey protein concentrate and sunflower lecithin. Do you think broadly the benefits of boosting protein intake to help build muscle outway the negatives of UPF protein powders like this? I loved the book, thanks.

We love Operation Ouch & I'm really enjoying your book on UPFs.

Our biggest problem is trying to get the children to eat vegetables and less UPF - would you consider doing an Operation Ouch style programme on the drawbacks of UPFs & how to eat more healthily?

They might listen to you!

I’m a state registered dietitian and I know we are not a particularly popular species with some media doctors who have a USP in nutrition. I haven’t read your book but heard you speak on radio and really can’t quarrel with anything you say. You also helped open my eyes to the cozy relationship that exists between hospital feed companies and some of my colleagues.

Not Dr Chris, but this is a soya yogurt with no crap, we get it from the health food shop https://sojade.eu/en/produits/natural-soya/

Hi Chris - I have coeliac disease and IBS so the foods I can eat are really limited (no sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine, alcohol or potatoes or the skin of tomatoes).

One thing I can eat is rice so I stick to wholemeal. However, in order to avoid UPF I don't eat GF bread so my main go-to for breakfast and lunch carbs is rice cakes.

What's your thoughts on rice cakes as I eat a lot of them! At the moment I'm thinking, well it's the only processed thing I eat.

That was for @choppolata

My daughter has Crohn's. I am gutted about the amount of UPF food she has eaten all her life, so much of it "healthy alternatives" - low fat foods, sugar free biscuits etc. In other ways she was not exposed - she's my 4th kid, breast fed until 2 1/2, I never worried too much about dirt, always had pets etc.

Having researched the possible link between certain emulsifiers and gums and the explosion in IBD in children eating Western diets we are trying much harder to avoid most upf foods, but I am shocked at media teaching about things like vegan meat alternatives and plant milks being marketed as "healthy" when they are full of, frankly, crap.

I would love supermarkets to change food labelling to reflect the UPF/ emulsifier/ gum rating of their foods so that it's easier to make choices without having to read every label. And it us possible to buy common foods without these ingredients - for example haagen das vanilla ice cream is literally just cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla iirc, whereas other brands are full of gums etc.

My question- do you think supermarkets will ever start labelling for emulsifiers and gums in a more obvious way, so people can make choices to buy products as little interfered with by preservatives, gums and emulsifiers as possible?

Thanks @VernonScrips! 🌱

What are your tips for reducing the quantity of UPFs in the diet? For me it is often time that leaves me reaching for ready made hummus or dips rather than making my own UPF free ones. Would you back the 4 day week campaign to free up more time for adults to prepare better meals?

Hello Dr van Tulleken,

This might be outside the remit of your book but I'd be really interested to hear your opinion on the effect of UP foods on our endocrine systems and in particular auto immunity. I know year on year diagnoses of Type 1 diabetes are increasing (and other autoimmune diseases) but no one seems to be able to pin point why (or don't want to point the finger too vigorously).

My own pet theory is artificial sweeteners could be to blame as I've read they can be endocrine disruptors and impact gut health (and links to ulcerative colitis) but I'd be really interested to hear if you have an opinion of this.

I saw/heard a programme you did where you had before and after blood tests and I seem to remember your liver enzymes were disrupted after eating UPF. Do you think UPF could be responsible for inflammation and then increased auto immunity in the population?

Sorry if you've covered this in your new book - my dad has the family copy and he hasn't passed it on yet!!

Thank you :)

Hi Chris,

Definitely trying to reduce consumption of UPF recently in our household. Do you have any examples of breakfasts, lunches and dinners you eat that are low in UPFs? Would love some food inspiration!

Thanks for the valuable work that you do!

Hi Chris, just wanted to say thank you so much for Operation Ouch, I use clips from it teaching in Sweden and the kids love it so much.

Do you think it would be possible to bring pressure on the government to spend more on school meals so that our children get offered less processed food? I know Jamie tried hard but I'm not sure things have improved! Thank you again!

The UPF programme was fascinating and I look forward to the book.

Is your body back to normal now.

What would you say is the most important thing the government could do to help limit upfs

If you throw two stock cubes into a stew made with fresh ingredients, does it make the meal ultra processed?