Dr Chris Van Tulleken: Why We Crave Junk Food and How to Stop

Рет қаралды 50,244

Күн бұрын

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Renowned doctor, researcher and advocate, Chris Van Tulleken joins Jake and Damian for a candid conversation on the impact of ultra-processed foods on our mental and physical health.
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He shares his insights on how certain foods not only harm our bodies but also mess with our minds, leading to anxiety, depression, and a lack of control. He explains his own 30-day junk food experiment and its effects and describes the physical and mental toll of such diets, highlighting their effects on sleep, mood, and digestion.
Chris expresses the urgent need for systemic changes, such as warning labels on food and removing financial ties between the food industry and government committees. He shares how his book ‘Ultra-Processed People’ aims to empower readers and spark a grassroots movement for better food policies.
He offers practical advice for families looking to make healthier choices now, without waiting for policy changes. This episode encourages us to channel our frustration with the food system into activism and policy change to create a healthier future for everyone.
0:00 Introduction
1:02 What Is High Performance?
3:55 UPF Could Increase Depression
8:35 🚨 Eight Sleep
9:27 Junk Food Addiction
20:27 Mental Health & Diet Links
25:53 80% UPF Diet
28:47 🚨 Manual
29:49 Sweet Treat Stigmas
33:22 Food Warnings
39:54 Food Industry Corruption
47:27 Links Between Tobacco & Food
51:20 Was This Made By Someone Who Loves You?
52:51 Quick-Fire Questions
#HighPerformance #ChrisVanTulleken #UPF #diet

Пікірлер: 116

@HighPerformancePodcast Ай бұрын

What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? 🧠

@andhutch9113 14 күн бұрын

My biggest takeaway was a triple Big Mac. No! This is great stuff. If it isn’t real don’t eat it. ❤

@GregoryKodolanyiRitter 10 күн бұрын

Did he ever mention personal responsibilities, or was it all about those terrible TNCs?

@GregoryKodolanyiRitter 10 күн бұрын

Did he ever mention personal responsibilities? Oh, those evil TNCs!!!

@spacechannelfiver Күн бұрын

Chinese

@Magical_Makeup_UK 19 күн бұрын

Knowledgeable without being patronising , a rare skill.

@amalyakurnia7323 28 күн бұрын

I love this guy a lot, every time I wanna go eat ultraprocessed food, I watch him again and it made me stop to eat

@daveseville7394 18 күн бұрын

Good idea. I'm actually good do this now. I love when I make a quiche or something healthy from scratch 😅

@AndrewPawley11 19 күн бұрын

Dr van Tulleken is a superb science communicator. He deserves a much wider audience.

@DJBlakeyUk 18 күн бұрын

Chris is doing gods work. What he is saying will be seen as some of the most important research and work around public health in our lifetimes. Keep doing what you’re doing Chris and thank you

@Shelleysnail Ай бұрын

I like Chris Van T, he speak s a lot of sense. Excellent interview, thank you.

@matthewhook3375 10 күн бұрын

This time last year I weighed 173kg and had full blown type 2 diabetes. Saw a health coach/dietician who started educating me about UPF, then soon after the algorithm figured it out and started showing me Dr VT. Went through my cupboards and fridge and tossed everything ultraprocessed - full scorched earth elimination. In the last year I've shed 47kg, resumed training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 3x a week and started running 3x a week. The diabetes is now in remission and I no longer need to take any meds to regulate blood sugar levels. Chris is doing the Lord's work, along with the likes of Tim Spector and Rob Lustig. Their messaging has been absolutely instrumental in turning my situation around and keeping me out of an early grave. Still need to drop another 20-30kg but I'm on the right track now.

@clareoflynn2986 8 күн бұрын

Totally agree on Robert Lustig and Tim Spector and can I add Jason Fung too

@Liusila Сағат бұрын

Wow, good going!

@markg6953 Ай бұрын

Chris ,you are hope personified. legend !

@Liusila Сағат бұрын

I’m glad this guy acknowledges how a lot of his accomplishments are due to luck in his circumstances. That’s an enormously difficult thing to keep in mind for people considered successful and those feeling useless.

@jonathanobrien1058 11 күн бұрын

Chris, please keep going with your campaign. Recently stopped drinking, gone low carb, and trying to eat only real food. We need to win this battle!

@paganqueen1 5 күн бұрын

The part where they talked about being laughed at and ridiculed for talking about this really resonates with me. I have stopped trying to tell my family that the food they are eating is bad for them because they treat me like I'm a conspiracy theory nut. It's extremely frustrating because I have 5 grandchildren under 8 years old, from 3 daughters, who are being fed these substances and I can't do anything to stop it. I just hope things change before it's too late for them.

@tutacat 11 сағат бұрын

Parents have to teach this. We all know junk food is bad, but it's not taught so much, and a lot of people don't realise or don't care that much. It's especially hard because it's got stupid amounts of funding to be addictive.

@smith2229 26 күн бұрын

As I listen to this, I'm making my daughter and her kids a lasagna. She is getting over covid. From start to finish I'm looking at many hours before it's ready. It's totally understandable why time-poor people opt for the same meal in a box.

@jacquelineclauson4891 25 күн бұрын

But you can put veg in yours grated and it’s healthier.

@Elspm 25 күн бұрын

Totally. Absolutely it's understandable, this is why we have to make systemic change. The idea that we all have free choice about our food when the poorest and busiest people have so much less time and money than the richest and least busy is just silly.

@carolkinch 22 күн бұрын

food doesn't have to take a long time or be expensive. But the person cooking it does have to have some knowledge of food. I learnt from my mother and school also taught us how to prepare useful dishes not the thing's they do now. Also it's not only the poor who eat ultra processed food, I take issue with that!

@berniestephens4506 13 күн бұрын

@@carolkinchit’s quite boring but I like chicken/fish/beef some rice and veg - I’d happily eat that 4-5 time a week 😂

@thethoughtfulpeanut6662 13 күн бұрын

@Elspm We need to stop thinking in black and white terms about advantage and disadvantage, opportunity and lack of opportunity when it comes to achieving a healthy diet across the socioeconomic strata. Just because a person makes more money doesn’t necessarily mean that they have more time to cook than those who have less money (they often do not). Just because someone is low income and doesn't have access to some food products that are affordable and accessible to people of greater income doesn’t mean they don't have any resource to do better at all.

@CAEO416 27 күн бұрын

I live in Australia where we also have a health / obesity crisis. I recall spending a month in Rome with extended family many years ago. The entire time, everybody had smaller portions than what I was used to. Nobody snacked between meals. They ate their food slowly, putting their fork down between bites savouring their meals with the occasional glass of wine. My cousins children did not eat any ultra processed food. I saw “one” boiled lolly being eaten by a 5 year old. She asked for another one and her mother said “Basta”….(enough in Italian) I was shocked. They are all thin. Many go for slow walks after dinner. I also saw ice-cream being eaten once. It wasn’t in their freezer. They had to go and buy it. Everybody had 2 scoops. Not a large bowl full of icecream as I see being eaten here in Australia. They eat real food, Period. Where have we gone wrong?

@LethalLemonLime 25 күн бұрын

It probably has to do something with how settler colony countries don't have a lot of history/culture. I feel like in countries like Italy where the culture and history goes back for many millennia, they already have grandfathered in food culture and are unwilling to let the food industry wreck that.

@Neophema 24 күн бұрын

That was many years ago. I was in Rome (and other places in Italy) last year, and many Italians are now obese. So are the children. It was so bad that I remember feeling somewhat shocked.

@Nakanam1 4 күн бұрын

There are a lot of regulations in Europe. Lots of additives are not even allowed to be used. Worse for businesses but better for people. Even so the obesity is on rise in European countries. But not in so extreme form like in US.

@EricaNernie 19 күн бұрын

I'm currently in Mexico on vacation. I am astonished at the rates of obesity and metabolic syndrome here...over 90% by my estimate. Supermarkets are full of non-food i.e. highly processed rubbish that doesn't even look like food to me. Everything is cooked in vegetable seed oils.

@puterbuddy 19 күн бұрын

Dr Chris van Tulleken is my hero! Such a clear and eloquent speaker. Another great interview. Thank you 😊

@incensejunkie7516 Ай бұрын

He has a world of information and is a true humanitarian. Whenever I see him being interviewed, I always listen. I don't know about the UK, but here in Canada you can also get his book - physical book, e-book and audiobook - at libraries. I wish he would mention that, to look in the library. I've got it out for a second time and am re-reading it, a fantastic book!

@clarakirby8699 Ай бұрын

Thank you excellent interview , I could listen to this guy all day , so interesting. We all need to wake up 😢

@merryboy 7 күн бұрын

Great interview! I would urge anyone who hasn't read Chris' book, "Ultra-Processed People' to rush out and get it! Be warned - it's life-changing! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

@arielgaede3673 24 күн бұрын

The interview was kind of all over the place but I've read his book and it is fantastic! He does such a good job of explaining UPFs and how they've become part of every meal. He does a wonderful job at exposing what drives food companies.

@mrjonnydz 25 күн бұрын

Power to Dr. Chris. I've listened to him speak on this issue on a few videos. I personally love hearing about the inside of the food industry: such as Coke funding certain things, or when he read out the email from McDonalds etc... (sounds like they want to pay him so they can use it against him in the future). He's so right about the financial aspect of these issues. I always think about those top food scientists who put all their efforts into this manipulated bad food for a pay check. We all have to make a living i suppose, but id love to know how those guys really feel about their work (and what their kids eat). Keep shouting your message Dr. Chris.

@jamesaston410 29 күн бұрын

Eating healthy shouldn’t be difficult, but for some it is and it infuriates me that the food industry is so keen and ready to exploit that …just for profit!

@Bmaessg 11 күн бұрын

Thank you so much for rejecting the food industries’ financial offers so you can continue to be a voice of truth.

@frusia123 18 күн бұрын

When I see Chris van Tulleken, I like, comment and subscribe!

@lynneward8845 Ай бұрын

I love listening to Dr. van Tulleken, thank you for this incredibly informative interview.

@jonnycarlile2544 Ай бұрын

Corporation's & greed has caused all problems ❗ When the people owned the shop's before the Corporation's monopolised everything this wasn't a problem...wake up ❗

@stefb.4628 7 күн бұрын

Everyone, check the ingredients that go in the food your kids eat for their lunch in schools...after I did it, I swaped to pack lunches for them...

@deborahhoward8043 Ай бұрын

I always focus on eating real whole food made from scratch and hardly ever dine out. If out, I’ll order salads and or streamed veg with no oil or dressing, maybe a Greek or goats cheese salad. If there’s nothing suitable when out with others, I’ll just not eat. On holidays I’ll buy super market foods like salad, cheese, Greek yogurt, berries, boiled eggs, nuts and eat in my hotel room our picnic outside. I focus on plenty of protein. I don’t consume seed oils. I’m totally uncompromising and frankly don’t care what others think. It’s basically like, eat real food like your life depends on it. I also walk a lot, have a treadmill desk, lift heavy weights, meditate, use sauna, and ensure I get good sleep. Also also ditched all alcohol (used to drink dry red wine), after watching Andrew H podcast. I feel amazing at 53. I’ve actually never been overweight, I’m approx 8 1/2 stone and I’ve been a strict vegetarian since age 14, but reckon animal protein is good (it’s just my personal choice). I’m deeply cynical about big food and big pharma.

@MrAmitdaswani 28 күн бұрын

I admire your discipline.

@DJAphrodite 11 күн бұрын

Keep going Chris !! The movement will only ever gather momentum and positive change will be inevitable as it was with the tobacco industry.

@rickeyshah9802 26 күн бұрын

Great interview. Really like Chris, need more guys like him 😊

@zeideerskine3462 Ай бұрын

Von Tulleken's story makes it patently if not painfully obvious. At the heart of just about everything is social equality or more exactly supportive stability with parents who do not have more children than they can love and remember the names of preferably in a stabile society where the do not have to move until they go to university or vocational school.

@wendywilliams9893 12 күн бұрын

Great info Thanks for sharing

@reimaravalk7679 Ай бұрын

dear Dr. Chris, if it is any consolation, you don't have to be an esteemed academic to make a significant clinical meaning ful impact on an individual's life and society. you have made a wonderful positive impact with your book and podcast. thank you so much for your contributions to individual and public health. Best wishes, Reimara Valk

@whitemusk7691 25 күн бұрын

It's so refreshing to see intelligent people at last speaking the truth with evidence. It's a real struggle to be on whole cooked food 7 days a week if you haven't been to other places than the modern industrialised culture you are living in . Unfortunately, the human connection between family life and healthy food is completely broken 💔 😮 in these countries.

@stephaniehenderson6631 15 күн бұрын

Fantastic podcast interviewing a wonderful man. I have learnt so much from him as a person who has been a lifelong sugar addict. I hope the new UK Government listens to him and is courageous enough to instigate real change. Just one note.When Chris talks about the microbiome being disrupted by emulsifiers, he doesn't make the point that 70% of serotonin that is a happiness hormone is made in that gut and that a leaky, inflamed gut cannot perform well, thus affecting the mental health that Jake was trying to understand.

@whitevoodooman7276 27 күн бұрын

good stuff . do more clips this was good

@sparehead2163 7 күн бұрын

Huge thanks I thought I didn't eat Ultra processed but after listening to u I realise l did like doritos and vege sausags and pasta with "3 times thefibre" etc so after a week I could feel the difference I wasn't hungry all the time I bought the book and am spreading the word Australia is the same as UK no decent food labelling no black hexagon

@ziggy2255 Ай бұрын

Interested to know what the Huel behind the hosts have in them?

@MrJaiimez Ай бұрын

Ha I wondered the same, thought there was an irony to it.

@thethoughtfulpeanut6662 13 күн бұрын

Huel sounds like the sound of retching. And it looks like vomit as well.

@sabamalik4681 10 күн бұрын

Love Chris Van Tulleken

@Myplop 10 күн бұрын

Love this guy

@deborahhoward8043 Ай бұрын

Me again, I get the part about no stove top however there are hot plates and even most in studio flats / a room have a microwave. Takeaway and pre-prepared food is expensive. There is lots of nutrient dense, healthy cheap food (eggs, Aldi Greek yogurt, cheese, some fruit and veg etc) and eating these type of foods leads to satiety (feel full, for longer), so you can end up eating less, and perhaps have 2 main meals a day, also goes well with time restricted eating / intermittent fasting. What Chris is saying is much needed education and we need much more of this, such as the work of the Public Health Collaborative which promotes real food, low carb ways of eating. Keep up the great work.

@leegarryallen 18 күн бұрын

Love the fact there's three cans of Huel in the background for this.

@elsh332 27 күн бұрын

When I'm sick and don't have an appetite, yet I am hungry, there are certain UPFs that I turn to. Outside of this one circumstance, I am quite grossed out by UPF substances. I ate some chocolate the other day, and it tasted like plastic - I usually only eat 70% or higher cocoa dark chocolate. I used to love junk as a child, teen, and 20-something young adult. I would eat them like an addict. But now I'm older, they taste like synthetic chemicals and have weird textures that make me sick.... You can absolutely train your taste out of junk and into enjoying real foods. Especially if you fall in love with the other benefits of eating real foods.

@smith2229 26 күн бұрын

Great video and a shout-out to the world champion man-spreader in the blue shirt.

@smush5653 4 күн бұрын

Good video bit odd to see Huel advertising in the background based on what’s being discussed

@amyjaye1217 28 күн бұрын

I cut the junk 10yrs ago, it was life changing for our whole family. I’ve since gone further and been carnivore for 4yrs now and I never knew it was possible to feel this good and be this healthy. He’s doing some good, it’s a start but some of his advice is wrong about fat and salt, for example good quality grass fed meat and Celtic sea salt these are really good for you, we need saturated fat, we need a lot of sea salt. Seed/veg oils are highly processed and toxic and should be avoided. Also table salt avoid that too.

@rosiehoy4736 24 күн бұрын

I wonder if the new government could do something about this.

@deborahhoward8043 Ай бұрын

I’ve heard on a few of the podcasts I watch that some of the food companies want to make some improvements (in relative terms to these shit food) however the shareholders are the blockers and also concerns about lack of regulation i.e. not a level playing field with other manufacturers. It’s really just best avoided.

@ianhoward4246 Ай бұрын

You seem to have a really sensible attitude to food and health... How come I'm not like that,Cuz?!!🤟

@mikecoxbent5952 17 күн бұрын

Do you think you can do a video on the carnivore diet?

@Jay37_tech 6 күн бұрын

Check out Bart Kay & Dr Ken berry

@Osc1llateW1ldly 23 күн бұрын

i hope when he said the biggest piece of advice he ever received is for children to only drink milk & water he didn't mean cow's secretions

@johngrattan6343 4 күн бұрын

And of course the consequences of these foods will overwhelm the NHS.

@user-mi6uh1yp2l 26 күн бұрын

Are you aware that your very own podcast has intermittent ads for junk food?!? Ironic 😞

@r_unner_G 28 күн бұрын

Dude couldn't resist a caramel slice at my work's cafe when he visited a few years ago

@jeanhorseman9364 26 күн бұрын

That’s exactly the point. Nobody can resist sugar/ fat/carb combinations. It’s addictive and he like so many of us grew up with too much sugar in his diet. It takes will power to say no so he recognises that we all need help, information and legislation. Better to hear from a guy who understands the constant struggle

@daisysmithson7558 14 күн бұрын

Not food, mass produced edible substance...

@MNn7777 24 күн бұрын

Certainly, the love of money makes this highly efficient. Ifyou have not found what's behind this evil adulteration , consider below enlightening motive... The price for our eliberation out of this cursed bottomless pit / earth , has been paid with the Saving One's blood Yahshua . Our rebelion and ignorance is cursed as per Psalm 69 : 22. Which points the trap of welfare and our food. Go.. read it

@granitesevan6243 4 күн бұрын

The message is sound - don't accept unacceptable food standards - but he discredits himself so many times in his book. Eg. "Everyone has a homeostatic calorie level, so dieting is pointless" and "KFC is cultural appropriation, hence racist", to name just a couple of laugh-out-loud moments of nonsense

@flourishplants4374 19 күн бұрын

You’ve made a video about the evils of ultra processed food and you’re advertising Huel in the background which is ultra processed. You’ve lost all credibility there. You don’t want to help people be healthy, you just want advertising money. Hypocrites

@matlepak9694 Ай бұрын

So much crap advertised. Pick better sponsors

@16Elless Ай бұрын

He advises WHO? Bad move.

@user-fk8rb8ue5h Ай бұрын

Bullshit.Eating some processed food won't do you any harm at all but smoking one cigarette a day is not good at all.

@amyjaye1217 28 күн бұрын

It will do you harm but keep going if you think that and good luck

@lumiao1685 28 күн бұрын

Evidence?

@valduncan370 29 күн бұрын

Like Chris but interview way too long. He came from a very privileged background which makes life a lot easier

@jezalb2710 29 күн бұрын

A nice try you troll

@valduncan370 29 күн бұрын

You’re sad I am nearly stating a true fact. Check it out. I like the guy and he does speak wonderfully.

@cowerth8 17 күн бұрын

Yh but he understands his privilege, he knows not many ppl grow up lile him @valduncan370

@Blytonrocks 17 күн бұрын

He literally says just that at the very beginning! 🙄

@JesusSaves827 Ай бұрын

The ideal podcast should be 15 minutes or less. Cut out all the BS.

@GoldRushd Ай бұрын

No, i dont agree. This issue is layered and complex and 15 minutes wouldn't do it justice. The current food environment is decades in the making and I certainly don't think a discussion on the origins of, and how to unwind, an entrenched system can be done properly in 15 mins. Thank you for the producers of this podcast, I genuinely think this info can save lives and alleviate so much physical, emotional and mental pain

@frusia123 18 күн бұрын

There are many short videos out there, free for you to watch. I seek out longer videos because I want in depth information.

@Neil3D Ай бұрын

Sorry but this guy is all over the place and making outrageous claims. I've had to stop watching this at 19:06 as he's referring to people being addicted to breakfast cereals... or "substances" as he called them and how they're doing mental, psychological & social harm to people... bro it's just some crunchy nut cornflakes man. Calm the F down. Sorry but nobody is hiding in a closet at work with a bowl of cornflakes like the advert memed on. Yea it's garbage, but people aren't addicted to cereals and they're not causing "psychological" harm which I'm giggling at just writing that. Take a day off. Now just speaking for myself, as a dreadful eater (I don't cook anything). Yea, I order multiple take-aways per week and 99% of the time I go for packaged food... but that's not because I'm addicted in any way to the actual physical item, or hooked in by any brand, in fact it's got absolutely nothing to do with addiction. 2 or 3 times per day I have to eat, that's not an addiction that's just how humans work. And I'm busy, so I choose the most convenient and time efficient option every time. If super healthy food came via Just Eat then I'd probably order it instead, but there's nothing more to it than that. That's not to dispute or minimise people who do have huge eating disorders, but he isn't talking about those people, he's generalising quite literally everyone. Also not disputing the food is crap, but this just comes across like rage bait or a bunch of people looking for problems to be an activist for. Moderation, that's what it's all about. And no, as a human who eats junk I can confirm that I do get full and have a stopping point. So that point was also BS.

@nickalexander4431 Ай бұрын

You're an AutoDesk expert not a food expert mate 🤷‍♂️

@hasilovich Ай бұрын

So your argument is, just because somebody is actively campaigning for healthy life and against multi-billion dollar corporations that profit off your and your loved one’s life expectancy, and is “everywhere”, that means they are not to be trusted? Why it is so difficult to understand that whatever you consume, you essentially ‘become’ that food, your cells and all your bodily functions, your organs, metabolism depend on your diet. Have you read the book Ultraprocessed People? Have you seen hundreds of evidences and discussions presented there? Thing is, everything around this topic is very complex as well as new, and for decades, big food corporations funded scientists to find ways to get around, like what happened to tobacco companies in mid 20th century. The same playbook happening again. It used to be that cigarettes were pushed something to be enjoyed, there used to be news breaks when people advertised cigarettes claiming its benefits, just maybe less than 50 years ago. You mentioned crunchy nut cornflakes. What I understood from your comment, is that you are not aware and haven’t read about the techniques these companies are using (perfected with experience since WW2) to create food that feels great, made to look as much real food as possible, makes you get addicted to them, putting misleading health claims on them. But there are nuances, for example that only one portion of the cornflakes is in the range of healthy dietary guidelines, however literally no one is eating one recommended portion of them. The problem is real. I sometimes don’t have time either, because we’re getting more and more busier, we are just becoming more vulnerable to these terrible ultra processed foods. But I guess one of the best thing is to cook our foods at home, as much as possible. Or listening to food experts, impartial science that is not funded by PepsiCo, or Nestle.

@hasilovich Ай бұрын

There is nothing to giggle about in my opinion. Just because you are lucky and do not have a genetic predisposition for overconsumption of ultra processed food, or any other health complications, and can stop whenever you feel full, does not mean that these foods are not very harmful to our bodies, brain and creating havoc population-wide. There is no doubt about that. Many people are struggling with its effects, from obesity, from other diet related diseases, IBD, blood pressure, diabetes in record numbers. These problems were not this common couple of decades ago.

@timbase Ай бұрын

more lies being drip fed to you.. in association with the WHO 1:40

@evanhadkins5532 Ай бұрын

Some veg and most fruit can be eaten raw.