Here’s Why You’re Addicted to Ultra-Processed Food | Chris van Tulleken | TEDxNewcastle

[@SuzieMendes]

Have just finished reading his book, I thought I ate a healthy diet, I had no idea a lot of what I consumed was ultra processed. It’s completely changed what I feed my children and family. The work he and others are doing to educate in a way that allows us to realise it’s not our fault is so important to not create a blame culture but just awareness to make informed decisions.

[@zaratheexplorer8290]

Easy. But things out of a package. Fruits veggies ... And even meat chicken..

[@robertwilson214]

I hear you. I loved mayo on my salad....then I read what was in mayo.

[@CindyPak]

Same here!! I have taken reading ingredient lists more seriously and I'm rereading his book!!

[@mrjonnydz]

Love how Chris is talking about this topic. Something I have heard him say which i can relate to is essentially: become disgusted by this food, then its easier to stop. I walk past things in the supermarket now with a disgust, thinking about how these few companies are screwing us all over. Power to you Chris - keep shouting.

[@sarahRA86]

Yes! It’s how I quit Diet Coke. For years I tried and would never last more than a week. After watching his talks, I started calling it chemical juice and now no longer want it and don’t feel deprived!

[@mrjonnydz]

@@sarahRA86 Nice going. That's the way. I havnt had a coke for years. On the wall In the waiting room of my dentist, there are bottles of various drinks - from water, flavoured water, kids fruit shoot, lucozade, redbull and coke.... And each one has a plastic bag hanging underneath filled with the sugar content of each. Water being empty obviously. That always refills my disgust levels when I go....

[@elmeradams8781]

How do you deal with interacting with people? I'll see people eat stuff at work, and I can know they can tell I'm disgusted. If they offer me a doughnut (I know they mean well), but I can't help but react negativity toward the food. I do just say no thanks, but I know they see it in my body language.

[@mrjonnydz]

@@elmeradams8781 I usually just say no thanks. If they say nothing, then it just passes over, but if they respond with a why or need more information on how I could possibly say no to this fantastic food, Then i will engage and we can debate from there. Some people literally think that diet coke is ok because it says diet on it. People don't generally like you preaching to them about this stuff, but if they want more info on my disgust, then i will join in no problem.

[@crimper264]

I totally agree

[@shahidshabbir8]

dr chris van tulleken.. is an actual superhero... a real one! 🛡️

[@dopeymark]

My brand new primary care doctor that I met with just this past Friday recommended that I read this book.

[@callicordova4066]

A supermarket I used to go to had the store bakery right by the processed meat section (lunch meat, bacon, sausage, frozen chicken tenders, etc.) I thought of it as "death row." Most of the aisles in grocery stores are "death rows."

[@sarahsnowe]

Very well put! Thanks for this addition to my critical vocabulary.

[@sarahsnowe]

Many people are psychologically addicted to junk food, especially carbs and most especially sweet stuff. It's comfort food, and people turn to it because they're unhappy for all kinds of reasons. I found it easy to eat less and eat better when I retired: no more work stress, more time to shop and cook properly, and much less sense of needing to "give myself a treat" because the rest of my life was difficult.

[@Liusila]

I feel you. I’m unexpectedly having an easier time with work this year and for the first time recently I’ve stopped to check why I’m still buying myself the sugary and other comfort foods, and honestly it’s become a habit. It was an automatic choice for any comfort and it takes a lot else to be going right to see it for what it is.

[@Anotherhumanexisting]

Interesting about noticing this after retirement. It’s all by design imo. Many companies know their workers would be just as productive with only a 4-6 hour workday. But the required 8-12 hour workday ensures an exhausted population. More likely to spend what little free time and money they have on convenience foods, retail therapy, paying for entertainment media instead of having hobbies like crafting or going outdoors. Because we are often at work until sundown half the year, and just utterly exhausted by the end of the day/week.

[@Liusila]

@@Anotherhumanexisting What do we do? Especially for the generations that won't get to retire now?

[@ChaseHartgraves]

A recent video I watched used the term "Pre-Digested Food" as in pre chewed and requires no real work for your body to digest it. The word "Slurry" has also caused me to think more about my food. I am a delivery driver on a gig app during my free time and have found that being exposed to other peoples bad eating habits strengthens my resolve and helps me to see I am doing better than most when it comes to being food conscious.

[@philipw]

Funny that. working at dominos made me want pizza far far less haha maybe there's something to it

[@robbo03]

I have to remind myself often that I eat a better diet than like 90% of the population just because I avoid UPFs 😅

[@sarahsnowe]

@@philipw I sometimes wait at a bus-stop outside a Domino's outlet, and the smell makes me gag.

[@amymuse2004]

This is excellent. I discovered how ultra processed food was a huge part of my life during the pandemic. The farmers in my area got very creative and began working with local bakeries and coops, and they created drive-throughs of food, with recipes. It changed my life! I still love the occasional bag of potato chips, but learning to cook and bake has helped me so much. I also talk with my parents, who lived on meager farms during the Depression, and how they still cook and bake from scratch because it is ultimately cheaper. But not everyone has this education, and working 3 jobs kills the necessary time. Ugh. Excellent Ted Talk.

[@AudreyCormier]

Not long ago, I had a medical treatment that affected my tastebuds for a few weeks. The more highly processed a food item was, the worse the taste, for me. But I could eat fresh fruits and veggies no problem. It's no surprise to me, there are so many chemicals that are in processed foods. We hardly know yet how they impact our health.

[@SLAYINGVR]

Oh they know...they really know

[@C.MeyerGulledge]

Great talk, I really hope we start seeing tighter regulations on what is included in food and how it is marketed, especially here in the US. My dentist recently remarked that the only way to avoid certain issues with my teeth was to avoid processed sugar, but that that's basically impossible these days.

[@bobadams7654]

Unfortunately artificial sweeteners are often substitude for sugar - thus allowing misleading health claims, and leading to serious health issues. The only positive is they don't cause tooth decay. But that is not a good reason to consume them.

[@edwarddjan8319]

I guess, in a way, as a lot of food (that is not natural), contains processed sugar.

[@compulsiverambler1352]

It's only impossible if you're supporting the ultra processed food villains creating this slop. Buy all your own fresh ingredients, organic as much as possible, learn to use herbs and spices, buy bread from bakers that bake it on the premises on the same day you buy it, and "process" everything into a meal in your own kitchen from scratch instead of letting factories concoct it with chemicals that shouldn't be anywhere near the human body. It's amazing, everything tastes better but is easy to stop eating when you're full, win-win.

[@edwarddjan8319]

@@compulsiverambler1352 I guess.

[@karenlin-mahar3403]

So important and relevant! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 have been following Chris’ and Tim’s (Spector ) work for some time. So critical to improving our knowledge on health, UPF and research in understanding nutrition.

[@janetarrant]

Loved talking alongside you Chris and therefore getting to watch you live. You set the bar for something people haven't thought enough about. Keep up the great work!

[@RemainStoic22]

I'm weaning myself because to just suddenly stop eating ultra processed/ unhealthy food after that being your normal is difficult to form a habit. I make small changes. Best off starting with everything you drink. I drink only things i believe have some health benefit to them. Water, lemon water, teas, coffee, milk, beetroot juice, hot choc using caocao powder, for alcohol i have red wine and guinness both have health benefits and they're only a rare treat anyway. All stuff i enjoy and there's health benefits to them all. Then make small changes with food. Trying to make more food from scratch, which i am doing slowly. What i would like to get into is meal prepping that way i could get rid of a lot of the processed rubbish.

[@bobadams7654]

Chris on the money - as always. Keep up the great work!

[@DNixter]

Best intro yet Chris! Keep up the good fight.

[@HollanderEdewing]

All day everyday I constantly watch the videos on KZbin on the harms that these ultra processed foods do to the body it helps alot. I now eat one meal a day and drink vegetable and fruit smoothies throughout the day everyday. It works.

[@koosfockens1707]

excellent presentation! I've got the book. Great read!

[@MarcoSilesio]

wonderful video. Great thinker

[@JadaXie]

More people should see this. Upvoted and commented. :)

[@susannagroppello751]

I just recently discovered that there is 100% dark chocolate, no sugar nor anything else in it, just chocolate beans...and it's just as exquisite as usual chocolate, once you understand what sugar does to you and get used to the healthy alternative. But what really astonished me was the fact that once I wasn't perceiving chocolate as a prohibited food anymore, the addictive factor completely lost its power on me. I now surprisingly can have a chocolate tablet in the fridge and eat it a little square after lunch at the time. No sugar, no prohibition, no addiction.. It's a very liberating sensation...

[@charleswillcock3235]

"100% dark chocolate" to save me and no doubt a lot of other people could you share the name of this chocolate please?

[@susannagroppello751]

@charleswillcock3235 Oh, I don't know where you live...here in Europe there are different brands producing "100% dark chocolate", most of them are organic brands, but there are also some known brands as the Swiss Lindt offering this alternative. You actually just have to look for a chocolate made out of 100% cocoa, with nothing added. That's what they call 100% here in the EU. But I guess you can find it also in the US and elsewhere, probably in some organic store. And probably more expensive than industrial chocolate...but believe me, you will eat much less, much slower, and enjoy it much more...☺️

[@roseb7490]

Fantastic talk, he ends with an alternative definition of UPF "industrially produced edible food substances"😮

[@DLFfitness1]

You nailed it here. I share your book all the time with my clients.

[@edwarddjan8319]

It was a nice TED session.

[@sabrinafair4965]

It's a fantastic book. Everyone should read it (I got it on audible) Ultra processed food is not made to nourish us or with love and care. It's made for profit and has little nutritional value. Is it difficult to wean off as it's cheap and easy, but it's deadly and life limiting . It's not a treat. it's a punishment for our bodies. This weekend I have donated my processed food to the local foodbank. I was amazed that my coconut milk had xantha gum in it yuk amongst other things I was horrified. 😢

[@therese3960]

Wow.. Chris, your face has changed tremendously since your earlier videos... proof right there! Looking sharp.

[@hippygoat75]

Chris's work must be the number one most important social issue of our time. When food has overtaken smoking and drinking as the biggest killer, surely its time to listen and take action. This modern addiction is shortening out children's lives and those responsible should be held accountable.

[@Hana9916]

I read Ultra-Processed People and really recommend it

[@slomotrainwreck]

Are you trying to tell me that the whole box of cereal is NOT a single serving!

[@emmacassidy8482]

Half a box is a serving!

[@GlorifiedTruth]

Lucky Charms are magically delicious? More like TRAGICALLY delicious, amirite?

[@DrunkenDemon]

Ive wittled it down to the baked goods section and its brutal to break that habit. I knowingly do it, and it leads to additional purchases . I thought regular chocolate was hard, but noooo its the refined flour. But, in time i will win. Simple as that.

[@ParadoxalDream]

Sugar IS addictive, claiming the contrary is antiscience.

[@bhaldurgumbo1256]

He's also trying to bring light to the fact that all the other additives are more addictive than sugar by itself alone

[@personalsigh]

No it's not

[@stevebanham4475]

Sugar causes dopamine levels to rise, creating a positive, happy feeling when it is ingested5. Your brain can adapt itself to the frequent stimulation of your reward pathways, and as a result, you develop a tolerance and need more to achieve the same rewarding feeling

[@keztukariri]

"The Coolade Man" hahaha brilliant 😂

[@aliceosborne3866]

Brilliant…

[@TheZZZAAA333]

Great information- as a teacher I want to empower my students and parents to be educated consumers. Would you be open to developing curriculum?

[@debbiemoore2747]

Reading the book now. I have always had an interest in mood and food, as i was determined to help my depression and anxiety without big pharma help. Its took a long time but my mood is way improved. If i eat a pizza i notice the difference and the last time i ate a McDonalds the bread was way too sweet. I cannot get out of my head that Xantham gum is noted to be like slime in a dishwasher as in the book 🤢 horrified.

[@loot6]

Isn't xantham gum the one he said is the slime that insects produce to stick to walls? I told that to my gf and she avoids anything with that in like the plague now.

[@frglaf4187]

I hadn’t considered before that in the UK “Corn Pops” makes no sense because “corn” is a generic term for grain. I guess “Maize Pops” doesn’t have the same cachet.

[@Idaho-Idaho]

I can't remember the last time I bought a box of cereal, a candy bar, or a bag of cookies. These are not food, these are solidified concoctions of chemical compounds. Yum (not). I try hard to eat a whole foods, plant-based diet. My foods come in a peel not a cellophane wrapper.

[@therealcaldini]

Drops packet A on the floor. Doesn’t stoop to pick it up. Continues as if nothing happened. Consummate professional right there!

[@ami.o3574]

Operation ouch!

[@최다미-o7w]

All sweet food is addictive. As are all carbs.

[@robbo03]

I definitely wouldn't say that all carbs are addictive. I eat fruit and veggies but am not addicted to them.

[@최다미-o7w]

@@robbo03 Stop eating them for two weeks and if you have no problem then you are not addicted.

[@robbo03]

@@최다미-o7w been there, done that no problem. Bit of a logical fallacy to suggest that to be honest.

[@최다미-o7w]

@@robbo03 Good luck with your future health problems.

[@nickseccombe1357]

Is Nestle watching this? Time to change...

[@RevDiscarnateEntity]

I love your book and think I have been lucky. We were brought up poor in a single parent family. My mum was a vegetarian before it was fashionable. However, she taught us that, although we were vegetarian at home, we could choose to eat whatever we wanted outside, for example at school, a restaurant or friend’s party. We were poor and she didn’t like fancy cooking so we were brought up on beans on wholemeal toast, egg on toast, cheese on toast, tomatoes on toast, homemade chips with eggs, tomatoes or beans. We had an occasional bit of fish or bacon because of potential “B12 deficiency”and a chicken at Christmas. We had an apple or an orange every day and a plain yoghurt with a sprinkle of sugar. Out of the house we had school meals and scoffed anything our friends’ mothers provided. I remember munching through steak whenever my grandparents took us out for dinner. She would never buy fizzy drinks ..they are poisonous “. Sweets were “bad for your teeth”. Cake and biscuits were for special occasions only, such as a birthday or Easter. I think she was ahead of her time. She is 93 and still going strong.

[@danielgolarz674]

Ted I'm the author of EIGHT DAYS IN AN INNER CITY SCHOOL please talk about the out of control OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING for k-12 teachers that's why we have teacher shortages

[@hq3607]

Good talk! He doesn't really address the issue of food insecurity and how one of the reasons people turn to these products is not only because they are everywhere, but also because in a lot of cases these are the only things people can afford to eat.

[@compulsiverambler1352]

Binge-eaters who are also poor, can become food-insecure because they binge on so much of what they buy, that they find they have much less food left some days than other days, and worry about it because they think they will starve if they don't eat for a few days (fasting is actually good for you for several days even if you are a healthy weight, let alone if you are overweight, but it feels like torment if your system is dysregulated by the NOVA 3 and 4 products the video is about). If they didn't binge, they wouldn't be food insecure, but they only binge because these substances are DESIGNED to make people do that, and binge eaters are the unlucky ones especially genetically vulnerable to the metabolic and other abnormalities that ultra-processed "food" causes, which makes them experience the cravings and emotional disturbances much more. The "food" causes them to be poorer because they compulsively eat and spend an obscene amount of money on food, compared to what is actually needed. They also have a warped sense of how much food they need, because the toxic fake food makes them feel ravenous after just half a day without calories, and because they have been raised in families where this tragedy has gone on for generations and they don't know any different, they don't know how little food you can buy and feel full on if it is real food. This is also true of most poor people who don't technically binge but consistently eat too much, i.e. most obese people. Overeating, due to this criminal mass poisoning of society with addictive substances we were not informed about, and were lied to about, causes poverty in this way, like other addictions do, but of course it's not the only cause.

[@pennyk1943]

TOTALLY DISAGREE! I will give you my family’s example. My parents were immigrants to a Western country, they got paid very little so we grew up poor. There was no EBT card to buy groceries. They always took the food they could get and cook it at home and made it delicious and enough to feed all of us. Dad passed away at 86 years old and had never tasted McDonalds or any other fast food. They grew up during the war where they would take a malnourished chicken and feed twenty one mouths. It’s all how we choose to live. Everything was made at home by mom & dad. Of course, us kids got an education and had money etc and started eating out etc. now we have to cut this habit of eating addictive junk and take our parents example. We have to make conscious choices and show our kids before it’s too late ❤️

[@deanmbrunk1]

Another reason for eating prepackaged or processed foods is the lack of time. The time to shop for whole foods. The time to make the meal from scratch.

[@rcisneros310]

It's the food AND it's you.

[@trentpratt6187]

Don't you parents with children know how to tell your kids no

[@WestOfEarth]

I may or may not be addicted to UPFs...but I don't care. When you're poor, what's the point of extending a miserable life? When you're poor, you have few options for nice things...no vacations, no movies, no dining out (except maybe fast food) at healthy restaurants, few opportunities for entertainment, living in run down apartments in run down neighborhoods. Yeah, I'm gonna eat UPFs. The posh people can live longer and good for them as they live a life worth extending.

[@emward6858]

You need to change your outlook on life. People can be poor/ unhappy and still eat better.

[@WestOfEarth]

@@emward6858 why?

[@CindyPak]

I know where you are coming from, potato chips for me are like alcohol to alcoholics. However eating the ingredient list and considering I'm only getting 61% in potatoes, it's a bit of a rip off. Why give money to people who are already super rich by trading in our health? Spend the money on real potatoes and fry them myself. Without all the extra additives and I'm giving money to farmers instead of ...

[@roseadiaz]

You deserve to live a long happy life, regardless if you’re poor. Don’t you want to have a family and see your children and grandchildren grow up and be there for them. There is more to life than food. Music, art, culture, flowers, literature. Just the simple joy of a sunny day off relaxing is better than say Doritos. I really recommend you see a therapist and nutritionist. I used to be addicted to UPF and I found this helped. Believe me after you change your diet, your taste buds will change and you’ll find natural foods make you feel better. Eat healthy foods you enjoy. I used to eat pop tarts, cheetos, reese’s, and chips everyday now I’d rather have strawberries, cashews, eggs, avocado, salmon, sautéed veggies. There’s hope.

[@CassidyEiler]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@robpage9025]

Disadvantaged people in the U.K. are not forced to eat UPF. Many vegetarians in the developing world are poor and eat health non UPF food. The issue is an inability or wiil to cook wholesome food because they are too busy on socal media or other less important issues and they like UPF more than lentils!

[@nancym687]

Look up urban food deserts. It isn’t always lack of will or skill. It is many times lack of availability.

[@loot6]

It's not just that it's all the advertisements everywhere and particularly how they are marketed to kids. Very hard to avoid. You can barely walk anywhere without either seeing UPF or adverts for it. It's also all ready to eat directly without any effort and whether people can afford it or not, the fact is it's cheaper.

[@capablanc]

Blaming social media, typical boomer mentality. Many poverty stricken parents are some of the hardest workers you'll ever meet. They work LONG gruelling hours doing tough, soul crushing jobs and then when they get home you expect them to stand in the kitchen for hours preparing and cooking fresh food for a big family, and then blame social media. This isn't the 1950s where women stay home all day doing house chores and cooking for everyone, often both parents rarely get a moment to themselves nowadays. You're a joke and clearly overly privileged. I'd wager you're over 50 and completely out of touch.

[@personalsigh]

This is the worst take I've ever read on the internet.

[@loot6]

@@personalsigh Yeah it pretty much is.

[@md.rakibul2609]

So, tell me why the f*** am I addicted to Ultra-Processed Food?

[@최다미-o7w]

Sugar is not addictive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS

[@loot6]

Which type of sugar are you addicted to - brown or white? And which brand of sugar?

[@John75Mulhern]

As he mentioned about the sugar in a bowl, it's not addictive as it doesn't look or taste good. If you stick it into the food we like then we can shovel it down our mouths and bang...addiction

[@최다미-o7w]

@@John75Mulhern its called sarcasm as in . are you seriously saying that sugar is not addictive.

[@최다미-o7w]

@@loot6 all sugar is addictive.

[@loot6]

@@최다미-o7w Post some reports about people eating sugar from a bowl all day every day. Otherwise I might as well say all vegetables are addictive. Equally valid.

[@MuhammadAli-hr1bj]

The same rationale can be applied to the military industrial complex and how the israeli state controls british institutions, from piliticians, police forces, survailence tech, BT etc..

[@rbwirth12]

No one is "addicted" to ultra processed foods. They choose to eat it because of convenience, taste and/or price.

[@thesilentgeneration]

This is a scam because all food is UPF if you make only a slight change which does not change it in any way

[@megvander2231]

No then it is processed not ultra processed , that is definitely not the same