Health
What I Learned from the Journey of a UK Doctor Switching to an 80% Ultra-Processed Food Diet for 30 Days
A call to adopt mindful eating practices and proactively make informed and intentional food choices that prioritize overall health and well-being.
In our fast-paced modern world, convenience often trumps health when it comes to food choices. The allure of ready-to-eat meals and packaged snacks is hard to resist. These packaged, ready-to-eat meals have become staples in our diets, promising quick fixes for our hunger pangs.
However, Dr. Chris van Tulleken, an infectious diseases doctor from London, has taken it upon himself to peel back the glossy packaging and explore the hidden truth behind these processed foods.
Join me as we uncover the valuable lessons and discoveries that arose from his month-long journey to consume 80% ultra-processed food in his daily diet.
First off, let’s understand the classification of food.
- Minimally or unprocessed (e.g., tomatoes)
It has advantages like being nutrient-rich with authentic flavors.
However, they have drawbacks such as shorter shelf life, longer preparation time, and seasonal availability.
- Processed (e.g., tinned tomatoes)
Processed foods offer convenience, quick preparation, and extended shelf life, reducing food waste.
However, they may lack essential nutrients, contain unhealthy ingredients, and pose health risks due to additives and excessive processing.
- Ultra-processed (e.g., store-bought tomato pasta sauce).
Ultra-processed foods are convenient and widely available.
But have poor nutrition, leading to health risks like obesity and heart disease.
In the United Kingdom, it is estimated that more than half of the energy obtained from dietary intake is attributed to ultra-processed food products. There are concerns these foods lead people to eat more and put on weight. Statistical data reveals that approximately one in four adults and one in five children between the ages of ten and eleven are classified as obese in the UK.
Dr. Chris’s curiosity led him to swap his usual intake of 30% ultra-processed foods to 80% for four weeks.
“It sounds extreme, but it’s the diet one in five people in the UK eats,” he says.
Ready-to-eat snacks, sugary treats, and processed goodies took over his plate. At first, it seemed like an exciting adventure, but soon enough, the illusion of convenience started to crack.
The things that I learned from the results of his 30-day-long challenge are:
It makes you feel older
Chris reported poor sleep, heartburn, unhappy feelings, anxiety, sluggishness, and low libido. He also had piles from constipation.
“I felt ten years older”, he says, but “didn’t realize it was all because of the food until I stopped eating the diet”.
It makes you gain weight
Chris gained almost 7kg in the four weeks and moved from a healthy weight to overweight. “If the weight gain continued at that rate for six months, I would have gained six stone,” he says.
It makes your thinking cloudy
Dr. Chris noticed something else, a connection between food and our mental well-being.
His mood swung like a pendulum, and his thinking became cloudy. This led him to explore the intricate gut-brain axis, the hidden connection between our gut and our brain.
What we eat can directly influence our emotions and cognitive function, and that’s a revelation worth noting.
It triggers the addictive behavior
He says “Eating ultra-processed food became something my brain simply tells me to do, without me even wanting it”.
He compares this brain response to the addictive behaviors associated with substances like cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs.
“If it can do that in four weeks to my 42-year-old brain, what is it doing to the fragile developing brains of our children”, he says.
It causes a disturbance in hunger and satiety hormones
Blood tests further indicated:
- Increase in the hormone responsible for stimulating hunger.
- Decrease in the hormone that induces feelings of fullness.
Chris’s personal experience aligned with these results as his hunger hormone increased by 30 percent during the experiment, potentially contributing to overeating.
It disturbs the gut microbiome
These foods disrupt the delicate balance of beneficial bacteria, paving the way for harmful microbes to thrive.
A disturbed gut microbiome has been linked to a range of health issues, from digestive disorders to mental health problems.
Should we completely avoid unprocessed food?
The question of whether to completely avoid all ultra-processed foods is nuanced.
Ro Huntriss, a dietician suggests that a healthy diet is about finding a balance. While it’s advisable to limit the consumption of ultra-processed foods, enjoying them occasionally is unlikely to pose a significant risk to overall health.
Striking the right balance and incorporating a variety of minimally processed and whole foods into one’s diet is key to promoting good health.
Conclusion:
As we navigate a world flooded with convenience foods, his story serves as a poignant reminder to prioritize our health over convenience and choose nourishing, whole foods to thrive in this fast-paced modern era.
Let us embrace the knowledge gleaned from Dr. van Tulleken’s adventure and embark on our own transformative journey.
Together, we can shape a healthier future, one mindful bite at a time. As we step into this new era of conscious eating, we hold the power to nurture not only our bodies but also our minds.
Happy eating! Stay Healthy!
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