Ultra Processed Foods

A clean whole food approach to preparing and consuming food is the gold standard. It allows your body to more easily absorb nutrients, and avoid additives your body does not need or that can be harmful. One doctor in the UK, Dr Chris Van Tulleken, decided to see just how much ultra processed foods would change his body and brain. His documentary “What Are We Feeding Our Kids” comes out later this month, where he uses his own body to experiment the effects of eating 80% ultra processed foods for four weeks.

Ultra processed foods are commonly made in a large factory setting and have additives for flavor, preservation, fillers, etc. In the UK one in five adults consumes processed food as 80% of their intake, children and teens vary between 60-65%. Many of these foods are easy, pre-made meals or snacks that are typically higher in calories, sugar, and fat but lack other nutrients your body needs. As consumption of processed foods increased, so did obesity. Since the 1980’s the US obesity rates have tripled, and in the UK they have quadrupled.

Scans on Van Tulleken’s brain during his experiment revealed similar patterns of addictive behavior towards processed foods that addicts have to drugs. Up to six weeks after the diet was stopped scans were repeated, and still showed areas of the brain actively searching for the processed foods, making it increasingly difficult to reject those foods in the future. This makes it extremely challenging to make positive changes and follow a healthy lifestyle if a person has been consuming processed foods for long periods of time. The manufacturing industry has made this possible by perfecting the chemistry behind hyper-palatability - the science of creating the ideal flavor, mouth feel, and smell to keep consumers needing more.

Even while only eating when hungry and trying not to over eat, Van Tulleken actually consumed more because it took extra processed foods to satisfy his body’s hunger. Because the food was addictive, it was very common to have seconds or not be able to stop eating. Research studies have shown that those who consume more processed foods on average consume more calories, resulting in high weight and body fat. Dr Van Tulleken says that “Ultra processed foods bypass our bodies’ natural understanding of hunger and fullness.” A study referenced in the upcoming documentary completed by Dr Hall of the U.S. The National Institutes of Health, showed ultra processed foods are consumed 30% faster.

During the month-long experiment Van Tulleken had gained more than 14lbs. With the weight gain there was also constipation, sleep problems, heartburn, and decreased libido. In addition to the physical changes there were emotional changes as well, as evidenced by brain scans. He experienced a dramatic increase in anxiety, sluggishness, and mind fog after just a few weeks of diet change. Directly after stopping the experiment, many side effects immediately resolved and the rest soon after. These were all short term effects. Long term effects include chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some types of cancers.

Dr Chris Van Tulleken completed this experiment to see just how much processed food affects the mind and body and to show if it can be this detrimental to him, children must be affected by this significantly as well. Growing up consuming mostly processed foods will lead to poor health outcomes, and make it more difficult to change to a healthy lifestyle due to the addictive characteristics of these foods. The documentary that airs later this month on BBC will go more in depth with uncovering all the ways processed food has affected our current society and the damage it has caused to our health over the past few decades.

“Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6001a15.htm#:~:text=The%20prevalence%20of%20obesity%20in,adolescents%20(2%2C3).

Van Tulleken, Chris. “Look What a Month of Eating Processed Food Did to Me!” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 18 May 2021, www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9588967/What-month-eating-ultra-processed-food-did-me.html#v-2707844652356552224.