Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become a hot topic in the world of wellbeing, with a growing body of research revealing the impact they have on our overall health.
But what is the science behind this buzzword?
How do you tell the UPF?
World-renowned expert and scientist, Professor Tim Spector from British Empire University, spoke today (11 November) to readers on Good Housekeeping Live in partnership with Dyson, where GH consumers He spoke on stage with Issues Director Emily Martin, where he shared his wealth. Deepen your knowledge with your readers.
Tim began by detailing how our gut health is inherently linked to our overall physical and mental health. That’s why what we eat is so important.
“It’s quite possible that diet and dietary changes are the most important thing you can do for your mental health,” he says.
Tim said on average in the UK more than half of the calories in the diet come from ultra-processed foods, compared to around 15% in some southern European countries.
Meanwhile, children in the UK are consuming even more ultra-processed foods.
According to Tim, on average 70% of a child’s diet in the UK consists of ultra-processed foods.
In addition to this, 95% of people in the UK are deficient in fibre, which is naturally found in whole foods such as beans, nuts and vegetables.
Tim said ultra-processed foods are “edible food-like substances” that can’t be easily manipulated, so ingredients have been taken from real foods and important components such as fiber have been removed.
“They take essential extracts from food and combine them in different ways,” he explained. “You have to add glues, chemicals and additives to make things stick together and make them look like food again.”
As for how to tell the difference between ultra-processed foods and processed or natural foods at the supermarket, Tim suggests taking a close look at the ingredient label and the entire package.
“The ingredient list is going to be huge, and it’s going to have a lot of things that you don’t have in your kitchen or that you don’t need in the actual food,” he says. “If there are a lot of packaging and health claims. [such as] Extra vitamins, high protein, low fat, no added sugar, and 99% UPF. ”
In addition to aiming for a diverse diet full of whole foods, rainbow fruits and vegetables, and fermented foods, Tim suggested: how Eating is often just as important what you eat
“If you eat food quickly, your blood sugar levels will spike, making you feel even hungrier,” he says. “So it has a direct effect on how fast you eat.”
Additionally, “the more you chew your food, the more time your brain has to understand what’s going on and send the appropriate signals, such as when you’re full, so you don’t get hungry as quickly.” ” he added.
