Ultra-Processed People

“It’s really not our fault that we struggle with our health, we have to look to the system around us and hold them accountable.”

In our fast-paced world, convenience is king where food is concerned and many of us are now fuelling our bodies with an entirely novel set of substances called Ultra-Processed Food. In today’s episode, we’re taking a closer look at this industrially processed food (which is designed and marketed to be addictive), and asking the question: do we really know what it's doing to our bodies?

Our guests, Chris van Tulleken (infectious diseases doctor, TV Presenter and writer) and Christina Adane (social campaigner, Bite Back campaign) explore why exercise and willpower can't save us, and how ultra-processed food is affecting our bodies, our health, our weight, and the planet.

You can find out more about this topic in Chris’ newly released book, Ultra Processed People from all good booksellers like this one https://thebookery.org.uk/product/ultra-processed-people/

Chris van Tulleken is an infectious diseases doctor at UCLH, and one of the BBC’s leading science presenters having worked on many flagship Health & Science programmes. His research focuses on how corporations affect human health especially in the context of child nutrition and he works with UNICEF and The World Health Organisation on this area. Chris co-presents CBBC’s Operation Ouch! alongside his twin brother Xand van Tulleken. Chris’ recently released book Ultra-Processed People explores the world of ultra-processed food and the affect it’s having on the health of the public.

Christina Adane is a social campaigner who led the Bite Back campaign to extend free school meals into the holidays during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Passionate about tackling food injustice and the climate crisis, her work has been recognised by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who welcomed Christina as a guest on their podcast, and by the BBC, who named her in their most inspiring 100 women of 2020. In 2021, she won the Diana Legacy Award for her efforts with Bite Back in fighting for a fairer food system.

Discover more about Bite Back and its campaigns for a fairer food system at https://www.biteback2030.com/

Public Health Disrupted with Rochelle Burgess and Xand van Tulleken is produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative, find her on Instagram: @decibelle_creative and here: https://www.decibellecreative.com