I’d long been aware of processed food and knew that it wasn’t great. I knew that adding chorizo to my pasta wasn’t as good as having chicken. I was aware that a ready-meal lasagne, although convenient, wasn’t as nutritious as a home-cooked one, and that an even better option was a veggie one. I’d pretty much always get my ‘5 fruit and veg a day’ and I kept on top of my hydration. I generally considered myself to be a relatively healthy eater.
However, it was only when I read physician Chris van Tulleken’s 2023 book Ultra Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food… and Why Can’t We Stop? that my whole appreciation of what UPF actually is, and of the harm that it does, made me realize that a dramatic shift was in order.
