The excellent book Ultra-Processed People by Dr Chris van Tulleken makes a compelling case that ultra-processed foodstuffs are addictive and cause people to overeat. As a consequence of reading this book, more people than ever are now fervently committed to avoiding ultra-processed food in their diets.
However, cutting out ultra-processed food can initially seem difficult for two reasons:
- Firstly, it is not yet widely known what about modern food processing methods makes something addictive. When it is not clear what precisely what the problem is, it is very hard to avoid that thing.
- Secondly, addiction itself is not well understood. It is often mistakenly believed to involve an element of ‘powerlessness,’ for example, and those who feel they are ‘addicted’ to ultra-processed food may feel as though they are condemned to a lifetime of cravings and struggle.
The key to successfully reforming your diet and avoiding ultra-processed food is not so much a complicated method or set of strategies, but rather a crystal clear understanding of what is going on.
My book, Foods That Lie (which has a very large free excerpt available for download via Amazon) sets out the evidence that the addictive element in the modern food supply is molecular mimicry (such as flavoring additives which send misleading signals about the nutrition contained within). It also explains that food addiction is not a type of eating disorder or behavioral malfunction, but rather the logical and expected response to intermittent reinforcement of flavor – and can be easily fixed.