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Jamie King CO-FOUNDER OF Mango Wellbeing says we should all read this life-changing book, and tells us why…
The genius of Van Tulleken’s book, Ultra Processed People is to make you realise that Ultra Processed Food, UPF, is strategically and intentionally designed to be addictive and to stimulate the genes in many of us who are a little obsessed by food and need no encouragement to overeat. It is made by unscrupulous organisations who do not have your health in mind. This realisation has helped me to focus my attention on the food industry as a whole and to make some changes to my eating habits. I have not knowingly eaten UPF for 4 months since reading the book.
UPF refers to highly profitable, hyper-palatable products designed to displace fresh whole foods. Use these two rules to identify UPF: Was the food made with love to nourish you, and do you have the ingredients in your own kitchen? If not, it’s probably UPF.
Ultra Processed People
In the first 3 to 4 weeks of eating no UPF, I felt irritated and frustrated, as if I had tried to go on a fad diet or stop drinking for dry January. I suspect my body was craving the salt, sugar and fat contained in most UPF.
After 4 weeks, the agitation subsided and I started to ease into my new diet, aware that the bread from the local sourdough bakery or our home-made variety is very chewy and reassuringly time consuming to eat. This ‘chewability’ of food is also a marker to identify UPF. UPF dissolves quickly in your mouth and is consumed too readily for the body to process, and deliberately stops you feeling full so causing you to overeat.
The list of associated increased health risks is devastating; cardiovascular disease, cancers, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver and bowel disease, colitis, Crohn’s, irritable bowel, and dementia.
The strongest message in the book for me was to understand why you can’t outrun a bad diet and obesity is not a choice, it’s a food industry created epidemic and it’s really not your fault. These products are designed to be addictive. But of course cooking is time consuming and for many it can be challenging.
Sally King
Last year Sally from Mango Wellbeing launched ‘Good Mood Food’ cooking classes in Southsea (in addition to her Pilates Core&Calm classes at CourtX); teaching people how to create wholesome, delicious meals from scratch. Launching in September is their brand new ‘Gold Membership’ 1:1 lifestyle coaching program – See website for further details.
Upcoming ‘Good Mood Food’ Cooking Workshops:
For more details visit www.mangowellbeing.com
Instagram @mangowellbeing
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