A British physician is warning the public about “ultra-processed” food after claiming a four week diet on junk food alone took ten years off of his life.
Chris van Tulleken, an infectious diseases doctor for the University College London Hospital system spoke on the new BBC series, “What Are We Feeding Our Kids?” The health expert chronicled the side effects from a diet consisting of frozen pizza, fried chicken, fish sticks, cereals, other ready-made meals packed with chemical ingredients, NY Post reports.
Tulleken, 42, says his diet exposed the “catastrophic” toll of the chemicals many people consume daily.
"My libido, piles, heartburn…everything got worse. I was anxious, depressed — and it was all self-perpetuating,” van Tulleken, a longtime BBC health broadcaster said.
“Things like monosodium glutamate (MSG) send a signal to your brain telling you this is nutritious,” said van Tulleken. “But when you digest it there is nothing [nutritious] there — so you keep eating.”
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The doctor is education parents on the effects food chemicals can have on children.
“Most children in this country begin their lives on ultra-processed food,” he said while calling out typical kid-favorites such as white bread, sugary cereals and bacon. “What is it doing to them? The astounding thing is we have no idea.”
Van Tulleken has since eliminated the ultra processed foods in both of his kids’ diets.
“Everything I was feeding [eldest child] Lyra was ultra-processed and I didn’t realize it,” he said. Van Tulleken plans to take a different approach with his second child, Sasha.
“I just want there to be a warning on the packet saying this food is associated with increases in obesity, cancer and death,” he said. “And then you can go ahead and enjoy it.”
Van Tulleken’s new show airs this week in the UK.
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