num_pages: 384
description: A manifesto to change how you eat and how you think about the human body.Its not you its the food.We have entered a new age of eating. For the first time in human history most of our calories come from an entirely novel set of substances called Ultra-Processed Food. Theres a long formal scientific definition but it can be boiled down to this: if its wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldnt find in your kitchen its UPF.These products are specifically engineered to behave as addictive substances driving excess consumption. They are now linked to the leading cause of early death globally and the number one cause of environmental destruction. Yet almost all our staple foods are ultra-processed. UPF is our food culture and for many people it is the only available and affordable food.In this book Chris van Tulleken father scientist doctor and award-winning BBC broadcaster marshals the latest evidence to show how governments scientists and doctors have allowed transnational food companies to create a pandemic of diet-related disease. The solutions dont lie in willpower personal responsibility or exercise. Youll find no diet plan in this bookbut join Chris as he undertakes a powerful self-experiment that made headlines around the world: under the supervision of colleagues at University College London he spent a month eating a diet of 80 percent UPF typical for many children and adults in the United States. While his body became the subject of scientific scrutiny he spoke to the worlds leading experts from academia agriculture andmost importantthe food industry itself. But more than teaching him about the experience of the food the diet switched off Chriss own addiction to UPF.In a fast-paced and eye-opening narrative he explores the origins science and economics of UPF to reveal its catastrophic impact on our bodies and the planet. And he proposes real solutions for doctors for policy makers and for all of us who have to eat. A book that wont only upend the way you shop and eat Ultra-Processed People will open your eyes to the need for action on a global scale.
language: English
title: Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind the Food That Isn't Food
publisher: W. W. Norton & Company