Ultra Processed People
by Chris van Tulleken
Join the book discussion Thursday, March 21, 4 p.m. A manifesto to change how you eat and how you think about the human body. It’s not you, it’s the food.
Author Chris van Tulleken explores the origins, science, and economics of UPF to reveal its catastrophic impact on our bodies and the planet. And he proposes real solutions for doctors, for policy makers, and for all of us who have to eat. A book that won’t only upend the way you shop and eat, Ultra-Processed Peoplewill open your eyes to the need for action on a global scale.
Registration is required. We gather not because we have the answers, but because we want to better understand the issues.
We have entered a new age of eating. For the first time in human history, most of our calories come from an entirely novel set of substances called Ultra-Processed Food. There’s a long, formal scientific definition, but it can be boiled down to this: if it’s wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen, it’s UPF.
These products are specifically engineered to behave as addictive substances, driving excess consumption. They are now linked to the leading cause of early death globally and the number one cause of environmental destruction. Yet almost all our staple foods are ultra-processed. UPF is our food culture and for many people it is the only available and affordable food.
In this book, Chris van Tulleken, father, scientist, doctor, and award-winning BBC broadcaster, marshals the latest evidence to show how governments, scientists, and doctors have allowed transnational food companies to create a pandemic of diet-related disease. The solutions don’t lie in willpower, personal responsibility, or exercise. You’ll find no diet plan in this book―but join Tulleken as he undertakes a powerful self-experiment that made headlines around the world: under the supervision of colleagues at University College London he spent a month eating a diet of 80 percent UPF, typical for many children and adults in the United States. While his body became the subject of scientific scrutiny, he spoke to the world’s leading experts from academia, agriculture, and―most important―the food industry itself. But more than teaching him about the experience of the food, the diet switched off his own addiction to UPF.
New York Times Bestseller
International Bestseller
An Economist Best Book of 2023 • One of Smithsonian's Ten Best Books About Food of 2023 • A Financial Times Best Food and Drink Book of 2023 • A New Yorker Best Books of 2023 So Far • A Goodreads Choice Awards 2023 Nominee • An NPR 2023 "Books We Love" Pick
Book summary information from Amazon.
If you register and find that you are unable to attend, email registrar@lifelonglearningatpc.org so someone from the wait list can be contacted.
REGISTER HERE
EVENT DATE/TIME: Thursday, March 21, 4 - 5:30 p.m.
LOCATION: LLL CENTER
COST: No charge
MAXIMUM: 24 - there will be a waitlist
