Best Ultra Processed Food Books
In 2024, it is now more important than ever before to educate ourselves about the foods that we eat. As we have already discussed in an earlier article, there are a worrying number of health conditions that are linked to Ultra-Processed Food. Thankfully, there are a number of the best Ultra Processed Food books out there to help you increase your knowledge. Some books explore the topic of what Ultra-Processed Foods are, and how we identify them. While others are more practical and look at how we can find alternatives to Ultra-Processed Foods.
Below are my suggestions for the best Ultra Processed Food books currently on the market.
1. Ultra-Processed People – Chris Van Tulleken
Ultra-Processed People was first published in 2023. Written by doctor and TV presenter Chris Van Tulleken, Ultra-Processed People is in my view one of the best Ultra Processed Food books on the market. This book explores Ultra-Processed Food, what it is, where it has come from, and why it is absolutely everywhere.
For a large part of the book, Chris Van Tulleken explores what it is like to eat a diet that consists almost entirely of Ultra-Processed Food as this makes up an increasingly larger proportion of our diet here in the UK. It has been suggested by the BBC, that in the UK, Ultra-Processed Food makes up 57% of all calories eaten by adults, and 65% of all calories for children.
Van Tulleken’s experience of increasing his intake of Ultra-Processed Food led to negative effects on his health such as poor sleep, anxiety, and unhappiness. He also reported a weight gain of almost 7kg over the duration of four weeks.
I found Chris Van Tulleken’s honesty about his stigma towards obesity refreshing. About halfway through the book, Chris admits to nagging his twin brother Xand about his weight and his dietary choices. Chris explains that this put a strain on their relationship and led to his brother putting on even more weight. Ultimately, Chris realises that the problem is not with his brother’s behaviour. It’s about the food and his environment.
In my opinion, the biggest downside to Ultra-Processed People is that only two pages of the book are about what to do if you want to stop eating UPF. This can leave you with the feeling that you need to cut many foods from your diet, but without any guidance on how to do this.
Also, if you were unlucky enough to buy the hardcover version of this book, you miss out on the two bonus chapters that have been added to the paperback edition.
Nonetheless, overall, I think that Ultra-Processed People is an excellent book, and it should be your first choice if you want to read more about Ultra-Processed Food. If you have Spotify Premium, you may find that the audiobook version is included for free with your subscription.
2. The Way We Eat Now – Bee Wilson
In this book, Bee Wilson explores how in only a short time, traditional diets around the world have been replaced or eroded by more modern and less nutritious alternatives – many of which are Ultra-Processed Foods.
Early in the book, Bee explores how the best quality diets in the world are found not in more developed countries like the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, but in less developed sub-Saharan regions such as Chad, Mali, Tunisia, Sierra Leone and Guatemala. She describes how as countries continue to develop; they shift towards more convenient but less nutritious foods.
Wilson also highlights research conducted by Colin Khoury into the phenomenon of the Global Standard Diet. According to this idea, wherever you are in the world, you will have access to a very similar pool of ingredients to people who live 1000 miles away in any direction.
It was interesting to read Wilson’s point about how the Cavendish variety of banana dominates markets around the world despite tasting bland and boring. I have never been a huge fan of bananas, and it wasn’t until I spent time living in Thailand that I realised that other varieties are grown. I loved eating Thai Lady Finger bananas, which are much shorter and sweeter than the Cavendish variety.
Wilson also goes into detail on the rise of meal replacement products such as Soylent and Huel. These bland artificial products have been designed to be convenient yet nutritiously complete. Despite their dystopian nature, their popularity has only soared since The Way We Eat Now was published in 2019. In a previous article, we looked into the question is Huel UPF?
I like that in this book, Wilson spends a great deal of energy nudging readers back to more traditional foods, as well as advocating for all of us to cook more.
As the cost of living crisis continues to drag on in the UK, hopefully more young people will make an effort to spend more time in the kitchen – if for no other reason than to ease some pressure on their wallets. In my view, this is another of the best Ultra Processed Food books.
3. Unprocess Your Life by Rob Hobson
This best Ultra Processed Food book is a cookbook full of recipes aimed at those looking to remove Ultra-Processed Food from their diets.
The book begins by pitching why we should strive to avoid eating Ultra-Processed Food. As well as giving the definition, and explaining more about the Nova Classification System – here’s a link to our article on the Nova Classification System if you would like to know more -It also goes into detail about how Ultra-Processed Food affects your health.
It also has a section on how to use this book – which seemed a little odd at first glance. My first instincts would be to flick through the book, found a recipe for a dish I like, and then have it open in the kitchen while I attempt to make it. If you’re new to cooking, there are also handy guides to batch cooking and freezing food.
In terms of the recipes themselves, there are sections on;
- breakfast
- everyday meals
- vegetarian and vegan meals
- kids meals
- packed lunches
- super quick meals
- snacks and puddings
- bread
- sauces, dressings and milks
When I asked my wife to choose a recipe for me to attempt, she immediately went for sliced red peppers and cherry tomatoes on toast with chilli fried egg. That was a kind choice as I’m not quite up to Gordon Ramsay’s standards over a hot stove – I’m probably more of a match in the swearing department though.
Overall, I think this is one of the best Ultra Processed Food books for those looking to change their diets. However, aside from the first few pages, I don’t see much in this book that differentiates itself from any other mainstream cookbook.
What is the best Ultra Processed Food Book?
In conclusion, we can see that there are some really good Ultra Processed Food books available for those wanting to learn more about Ultra-Processed Food. My recommendation is that Ultra-Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken is the best Ultra Processed Food book that money can buy.