From cocktail sausages to ready-to-eat meals, ultra-processed foods have long been suspected of being nutritionally inferior. But it’s missing something important, says physician, researcher and TV host Chris van Tulleken in his new book. Highly Processed People: Why do we eat things that aren’t food, and why can’t we stop?
What really determines a meal’s nutritional value is how it’s made—at home or in the factory, says van Tulleken. Rather than spotlighting individual ingredients, this idea focuses on how how they are processed, reconditioned and cooked affects our health. The industrial techniques used to make many modern foods not only add unhealthy ingredients, but also change the way the food itself interacts with our bodies, says Van Tuleken. increase. For the West, the impact on global health is devastating.he says new scientist What can we do to change this trend.
Claire Wilson: Why are ultra-processed foods worse than home-made foods?
Chris van Tulleken: The industrial processes involved in food manufacturing change its chemical and physical structure. They reduce food crops to core ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup made from cornstarch and hydrolyzed vegetable protein from soybeans, then reconstituted into highly delicious and caloric substances. process removes fiber and micronutrients. Then ingredients are added that our bodies haven’t evolved to deal with…
