All the time saved by eating "fast food", turns out to be lost by a shortened lifespan.

This should be required viewing for everyone, The food industry needs to be put in the spotlight like tobacco was.

It is a total tragedy, that cooking has been taken off the school curriculum in many countries. When I was in 5th grade, many years ago, the boys in my class were among the first to choose between cooking and (the traditional) woodwork. We all chose cooking - and I became quite good at it. Today, I NEVER buy processed foods - I cook from the bottom up. And - if you know, what you are doing, you can make a great, and cheap, dinner in 12 minutes. Oh - and tell your sons, that being a good cook is one of the best pickup moves around.

I am an American that completely cut Processed foods from my diet over 2 years now. I have been able to lose over 135lbs - 9.64 stone in 27 months. I went from 314lbs - 22.42 stone to 174lbs 12.42 stone. 80% to 90% of the food I now purchase is from the fresh produce department. I also walk at least 2 hours every day. My Doctor informed me I have done what only 1% of the American population can do. I call it box food. Stop eating box food.

It shouldn't be controversial to want healthy, natural food. We should cater to our health and lives above all else.

Ive worked in the NHS for about a decade and the healthcare system is focused in curing diseases and not prevention and health promotion. The food industry is also to blame in supermarkets like ASDA, TESCO, Sainsburys have a lot of cheap ultraprocessed food. In a cost of living crisis, the common man will go for the cheap unhealthy options. The poorer your family is the higher likelihood of obesity and chronic medical conditions.

A healthy tip I'd share is to learn how to make some of the foods you might regularly like to eat, such as bread, almond/nut milk, or even peanut butter, yourself. It's actually not that hard to make many foods from scratch, and by using raw ingredients (preferably organic) you can skip all the additives and junk you normally get when buying pre-made items off the shelf and potentially save a decent amount of cash too.

My parents were from the Depression-era generation. Growing up in the 60's and 70's, we grew all our own organic fruits and vegetables, canned everything for winter, made everything from scratch, bought all our milk, sausage, cheese and eggs from local farmers. Now, people can't even make a pie crust or put flour, baking soda and salt together for cakes or pancakes without using some kind of pre-mixed crap with additives. Cooking and canning has become a lost art.

My Celiac and diabetes forced me to give up all processed foods. Although whole foods are more expensive, I’ve lost weight, no alcohol, and my blood sugar stays around 120-130 now.

The argument about whole foods being more expensive than ultra processed foods is broadly correct. However, it doesn't negate any positive changes you can make, even small. Anything in the right direction is an improvement. An apple is cheaper than a kit kat.

4:49 Food manufacturers don't care about people's health. It's all about making as much profit as possible. The longer a product can stay on the shelf, with the use of additives and preservatives etc, the more money they can make. Just because something passes current regulations it doesn't mean it's healthy. Also in the West many people have lost the ability to cook at home from scratch. Parents and schools no longer pass on the necessary skills to children. Whereas in many Asian countries cooking at home from scratch is still a thing and people there are much healthier for it.

I read science research paper on this a year or two ago and it was interesting. Fascinating to see it in video form as well, especially in a non-US context because their "ultra processed food" is nothing compared to the level of processing we have here

The only problem I have with this is equating not knowing what a long word in an ingredients list means with that ingredient being unhealthy. “Sodium bicarbonate” is a long couple of words for an ingredient name, so it must be bad right? Nope, it’s just baking soda. Read the ingredients, absolutely, but just because you don’t recognize something doesn’t automatically make it unnatural and bad.

I’m actually really upset that I can’t have kids (naturally), because I’ve always been against things like chicken nuggets, chips and pot noodles for kids. I’ve seen so many parents feeding these kinds of things to kids and saying crap like “that’s all they’ll eat” or “I’ve tried giving them healthier food and they won’t have it”, but the funny thing is, kids aren’t born knowing what pot noodle is or chicken nuggets, someone has had to show them!

We need to take down these horrible practices that food industries use! Healthy food should be a right not a luxury.

Jamie Oliver tried to get school dinners nutritious (like we used to have) but the school children were already addicted to UPF!

I cook the meals my family eats because I grew up eating cooked meals, although what I make is a bit more nutritious. We eat out only a few times a year and I limit the amount of junk my kids eat at home. The results speak for themselves: this past week ALL the children that live in our apartment complex was sick. All except my daughters. My best friend who lives across the street from me, her 11 year old daughter is way above her weight class, and she might now have diabetes. I have tried for 12 years to convince my friend to change the way she and her kids eat, but she is convinced that her children won't eat healthy. Here in America, so many people have it in there heads that healthier foods are expensive, yet, the prices of fast food have drastically increased. And I always see long lines at the local McDonald's in my town but the fresh produce aisle are always well stocked. Ridiculous.

What a great documentary, we really 'do' need to be scared 😨 into better diets! My husband and I met in our 30's and he was never allowed to bring kentucky fried chicken into our home, now all chains have been kicked out of Quebec, Canada!

They should have shown the actual before and after test results for the lipids, sugar etc. This would have given the study more weight. Since, just saying all those things increased usually makes people seriously sceptical due to the vagueness of it. Scientific studies and results should be very accurate.

Dont processed food tend to be cheaper than fresh whole foods though? How are we going to address that during the current affordability crisis?

Eating healthy and at home is not as expensive as I thought. I bought 3 packets of garden salad for $1.88 each at Walmart and it lasted 4-5 days for 2 of us to eat for lunch. Going to a restaurant once and ordering a salad is easily around $10. I feel like you can find healthy food and make it work for your family if you want-it just takes more effort putting it together versus just opening a lid or a box. I’m not healthy by any means-this video was very motivational. I just noticed the few times I’ve tried to eat healthier that it wasn’t as impossible or expensive as I imagined…

Issue isn't always the knowledge something isnt the best for you. They need to also benchmark costs for healthy vs. Unhealthy, very sure it's cost of living pushing even more people towards ultra processed as these are the foods most affordable and with the best deals (offers always at the front of the shops on display). These are the things govt needs to clmap down on and incentivise more lower income households to purchase healthier. Videos like this don't always help as just makes the poor poorer

Terrific and very informative video. In Australia we have the same issue with junk/crap food. I trying to cut processed food out of the diet but it is not always easy. Label reading takes time and some knowledge. Keep up the work.

The problem is, if both parents need to work full time, who is going to cook for the children at home? They might start cooking themselves once they are 16 but by then the damage is done.

There are so many things where you don't see effects until after 4-8 weeks, too. I imagine effects are much worse at that point

I noticed how the diets had matching calories but one of them gained weight but the other one lost weight. Either the ultra processed food companies are lying about the nutrient information or ultra processed foods are easy to eat therefor they require minimal energy to consume. It seems that to lose weight, it's not as simple as eating less and burning more

Thanks, this is so important!!!

Important is that such difference was while their diets were crafted to have the same amount of fiber. In real life, if you eat ultra processed foods instead of whole foods (especially plant ones), your fiber intake will be much, much lower, so the difference will be even worse.

This needs to be shared with more people. Governments need to take action instead of putting bandaids on the issues. Prevent the friggin disease before it starts. Target schools and daycare centers, young mothers and so forth. Not enough work is being done on prevention

This is a good piece of article and really good to let people knows what we should do to our health and make a change.

Is there an actual full version of this BBC episode?

We're all well aware of the issues with ultra-processed food. At some point in our lives, we've all heard about it. The problem is, many can't afford to prepare wholesome meals. Ultra-processed food is simply cheaper, while some folks are already addicted to the chemicals within these foods. Others, they simply couldn't care less.

This problem began in the 80’s when schools started serving junk food to kids. Jamie Oliver’s changes didn’t do anything. Schools just didn’t have the knowledge or equipment to make the healthier food. However, unlike smoking ultra processed food is consumed by almost everyone even if they don’t know it.

I started Intermittent fasting. And it forced me to be careful with my food choices in my eating window. Made me realise what food was spiking my blood sugar. Since learning this ive lost 15kg what we need is food education. Imagine what we could do if everyone wore a continuous glucose monitor.

Great information for thought!

I know some people are very busy, but it only takes around 15 minutes to make a healthy stir fry or a vege omelette. I work night shift and still have time to eat well.

This is timely. In Barbados, we just concluded the Small Island Developing States Conference on NCDs and Mental Health.

Saying making food from scratch is expensive than fast food is the biggest laziest crap I've heard

Very informative.

Convenience is a killer.

Poor Amy 😅 I know they agreed to do this but having to subject yourself to unhealthy crap like that sounds like an absolute nightmare to me. My body would not be able to handle that much bad fat, sugar and sodium.

4:25 I love the french accent of the doctor ❤

I wish i could find a video tht would do a line item explaination of each of the more common additives in processed foods and their effects and maybe synergystic effects of consuming 2 or more of these common additives together. Maybe also include discussing the common additives to be less concerned about..

In many cases the root cause of this ill-health epidemic is 1) convenience and 2) economic factors. I don't believe most people on the ultra-processed diet do so because they choose to but because that's all they can afford money and time-wise. Maybe the exception can be kids born into such struggling households. If we make healthy eating easier and more importantly convenient - I mean what's easier to eat when on a bus rushing to work or school, packaged snacks or eggs/salad/any balanced meal? - then we will see nation/global-wide improvements.

It's not food or nourishment. It's entertainment.. I'll have a small processed snack once/month or so but no more than that - makes me feel ill if I eat anything more.

This should be taught at every school in the world... Seriously concerned about the consumption of processed foods & ultra processed foods...🤢🤮

thnx for this

Processed foods that are created so some corporations can make billions is the worst use of science that we have.

I am eating healthy in general, once in a while for breakfast, I like pastries because my coffee is without sugar, just coffee and almond milk. I find almond milk to be filling, I think because it's protein , with creamy texture. Lately I started eating my spring mixed salad greens without any salad dressing most of the time. I put it in my soup, pasta, Chinese noodles, eat it with my omelette. The greens are very tender, it taste yummy 😋 without heavy dressing

I’m an American. I cut out all processed food meat and dairy a year ago. I’ve lost 90 pounds and feel better than I’ve ever felt. It’s really hard to find restaurants that don’t have processed oils or meat and dairy. Easier in the larger cities. But it is possible.

Tim Spector is rapidly becoming the most accomplished science communicator we have in the UK.

I've found so many processed foods are full of sugar. If you're short of money buy Sainsbury's cheap white and wholemeal bread....no sugar in it, tastes like cheap bread from twenty years ago....45p. The dearer sliced breads are full of sugar. Nevermind the other stuff which is mostly crap, it's the sugar / dextrose / glucose in every other bit of savoury food, including cheese sauce, pesto, ketchup, bread, meat pies, hash browns and salad dressings, that's the worst culprit. 🤢

In a world where whole natural foods are scarce due to the overpopulation of the world, ultra process foods have gained popularity due to the easy of manufacturing compared to cultivation. In terms of making raw ingredients feed more people through processing and addition of chemicals and preservatives.

Scary findings.

Thanks🙏🙏🙏

So they’ve finally addressed this after a few decades ? Reminds me of the cigarette industry finally coming around and admitting it’s bad for us after several decades. The thing is Anglophone countries especially, don’t place importance on food. So many people have been tricked and just pondered on with ignorance.

Please use triplets next time. I would love to see one sibling in the middle of the two extreme diets with a more moderate approach to ingesting processed foods. Perhaps moderation will yield the same or nearly the same results as the highly processed diet or maybe moderately consuming processed foods isn’t that bad.

Did anyone get shocked by the revelation?

And this is in the UK where foods have to be proven to not be dangerous before they can be sold.

Politicians : U paying 4 my campaign..YES? Ultra Processed Foods Companies: Of course. U need to ask? It's already done. Politicians: Ultra processed foods are good 4 U! Let the kids eat the cakes!

I LMAO when I look at the prices of so many ready meals. I can cook far better at a much lower price. The same goes for baking cakes. So why don't people do themselves a massive favour and cook?

Thanks.

This should be required in all schools, including kindergarten

Plant based meat and non-natural meat products are ultra processed foods btw... Natural meat is still healthier

Great information. And reading some of the comments ultra-processed foods might also impair thinking skills. (BTW: From a professional point of view, I would have liked the clip to have been edited a little better, without the sound gaps.)

I'm a little skeptical of the way this was conducted. It wasn't a blind study and placebo can make a huge impact

Interesting. It would have been even more insightful if they switched the diets after 2 weeks

Unfortunately British lifestyle (worked to the bone live like a peasant) isn't compatible with a healthy diet that you prepare yourself from the ground up. Many of us will continue to eat ultra processed food because we don't have time in our day to cook properly.

Scary

Do people really require a study to know that processed food is bad for them?

The next story should focus on outlining how we got here. Isn't this all a fairly "new" industry? I believe a lot of cereals for example, really took off with the public post WW2.

At this point in time with so much information accesibile to everyone, not investing time to cook your own meals is wrong. Unfortunately convenience is winning in the developed countries. Such a shame cooking skills are not tought in schools. Such a shame the medical system does nothing to prevent all these deadly deseases. Cooking from scratch is easy and should bring joy and happiness every day to nourish our bodies, not a chore.

I definitely react to emulsifiers. IBS and discomfort. And I don’t even want to think of how each serving is messing up my gut biome!

Scary and interesting!

"Food manufacturers take the health of consumers and safety of food they produce seriously" If this was actually anything remotely resembling the truth, the next part of the declaration would not even be necessary "and adhere to the strict regulations". The only reason the regulations exist is because the food industry cannot be trusted to take health and safety seriously.

Sardines and baked beans with whole wheat bread are the way forward. Ditch your takeaways. Vegetables please.

I used to be 115 kg at age 26 and it was miserable for me. Now i’m 84 kg which is better but still overweight so i need to lose at 75-70 kg.

Excellent drawing❤❤❤

At present income and availability affect diet. At the school level, government and corporate citizens have to work together to institute food programmes and education that promote health, balance and moderation. Sometimes a school meal is all a little one gets per day.

The only way to live without ultra-processed food is to cook and eat natural ingredients yourself . Even then , fried foods should be avoided as much as possible . It is so hard for us to live youthfully and healthily .

Two minutes in and I’m wonder why this is being reported in…. This is the worst study design ever

Poor Amy

Its high time the government took more of a role in educating the populace about healthy foods at school level. We are often treated like idiots, told only not to do this or that but with no real scientific explanation! Most adults won’t take advice when it’s simply a command with no explanation. This documentary is a small start but we need a Huberman approach to understand the nitty gritty details!

I've been eating processed foods all my life, I'm 27 now, with type 2 diabetes, my fault really but sticking to a good diet is not easy. Not just the fact that I can't force myself to, I can if I try really hard. But it's just that professed foods are more easily accessible and cheaper 😢

What is wrong with the quality of this video? It looks like it was ripped from a low bitrate stream - deffinitely NOT HD!

Britain needs a proper food culture reset for the general masses

If you actually cared, you’d change the laws and these ingredients would be off the shelves and fast food chains. But money makes the world go round..

Advertising of cheap processed foods also needs to be addressed, we’re bombarded by junk food ads that are typically aimed at children, take cereal for example or ‘breakfast desert’ lots of fun colors super sweet highly addictive causes long term developmental issues BUT it’s 100% whole grain (always printed in green to reassure parents that it’s semi healthy and/or environmentally friendly?) I always wonder do the manufacturers of this crap let their own children eat it?

This is why there are so many people these days with stuff like ibs

These twins are adorable btw!

Scientists have said all along that processed food is bad for the body and now the average person can understand why😢😢

what are some examples of the ultra-processed foods ? can we have the amy menu and her sister's menu cuz the changes in 2 weeks are surprising and concerning

If you are health, enjoy everything in moderation.

At the very beginning, I thought the reporter said, "Amy and Nazi...."😂

It's even more scary when you think how the ultra-processed foods would've looked in America. I am myself from Europe, but I know that the standard for processed food in general there is terrific, especially in the United States.

If governments make processed foods more expensive and less accessible, this would help. Many poor ppl go for fast food and boxed foods because they are cheaper and cooking can be time consuming for a family struggling to find time to cook. Make healthy food less expensive and allow people more time to cook for their families by making the work day have time for ppl to head home and cook for their families. If you get home at 6pm, you aren't going to want to start chopping and cooking for an 1.5 to 2 hrs (which is what it takes me to cook a whole foods meal).

It could have more details of the result, showing a comparative sheet for example.

Part of the problem is its too expensive to eat healthy

Thank you for showing that again and again and again. It is urgent to change, go back in real fields and grow up organic vegetables from organic seeds without pesticides. Urgent to learn back how to make a tomato sauce, with chili if you like it, and stop eating such junk food as we can see on the documentary. From France, with love and care

One of the biggest problems is that the ultra processed foods are mostly far cheaper than the unprocessed, or I say, the natural one. This is why so many people have to choose unhealthy, convenient foods 🙁