Is eating well a luxury? A new book looks at how companies keep us wanting more junk food. Now some experts say that it cannot be called food at all.
Food industry is killing us warns top doctor
Is eating well a luxury? A new book looks at how companies keep us wanting more junk food. Now some experts say that it cannot be called food at all.
What's happening?
Sanjay buys a packet of crisps. He tells himself he will save them for later. But within two minutes he has eaten the whole packet.
In his book Ultra-Processed People, Chris van Tulleken explains why Sanjay is unable to stop himself from eating the crisps. Food companies have spent years making sure he cannot.
The book is about ultra-processed foods - UPFs for short. These include chemicals which trick the body into thinking it needs more food.
UPFs are found in takeaways and ready meals. But things we eat every day like cereal, ice-cream or cheap supermarket bread, can also be UPFs.
Chris van Tulleken spent a month eating UPFs. By the end of it, he writes: "I was aching, miserableSad. and angry."
Find out more
Many point out that eating UPFs is not always a choice. They are often in cheaper foods. Sometimes, UPFs are some of the only foods people can afford to buy.
Yes! It is always good to tell people what is in the food they are eating. But many families cannot afford anything else.
No! UPFs may be cheaper than other foods, but they end up costing people more in the end. Eating too many can cause health problems.
Is eating well a luxurySomething that makes your life very comfortable or pleasant. ?
Keywords
Miserable - Sad.
Luxury - Something that makes your life very comfortable or pleasant.
Food industry is killing us warns top doctor
Glossary
Miserable - Sad.
Luxury - Something that makes your life very comfortable or pleasant.