Dr Chris Van Tulleken joined his twin brother Dr Xand on Monday’s Morning Live
Doctor and regular TV star Dr Chris Van Tulleken has said he piled on more than a stone in a month by adopting a diet that reflects the eating habits of many in the UK. He joined brother Dr Xand on Monday’s Morning Live to discuss ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
Dr Chris spent a month eating 80% UPFs for research purposes and by the end of the four weeks, he had gained a huge seven kilos – or around 15lbs. His latest documentary, Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating – hitting screens on BBC Two tonight (November 25) – will further explore UPFs, and how they are created to make us eat more and more.
Joined by ex-food industry insiders, the show will look at how they are meticulously designed – with industry experts even saying that brain scanners have been used, so as to really target our natural reward systems, meaning we think we need the foods to feel good.
Chatting on Morning Live, Dr Chris said: “Ultra-processed foods are linked to a number of different health outcomes, weight gain is kind of the most obvious. I went on an 80% ultra-processed food diet for a research study, filmed by the BBC.
“I put on seven kilos in one month, an enormous amount for a month, and it took me four years to lose the weight … it was extremely hard.”
Discussing the upcoming documentary, he continued: “Every single aspect of every product you’re eating has been designed and marketed by teams of geniuses … If you’ve ever put a tub of ice cream in your freezer and found yourself going back again and again and again until you’ve finished the whole tub, don’t be ashamed of that.
“People have used brain scanners amongst many other techniques to develop that ice cream, to make you find it irresistible.”
Morning Live airs weekdays at 9.30am on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
