Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Ultra-Processed People cover art

Ultra-Processed People

Written by: Chris van Tulleken
Narrated by: Chris van Tulleken, Dr. Xand van Tulleken
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $30.86

Buy Now for $30.86

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NONFICTION • The bestselling and eye-opening investigation into the science, economics, history and impact of ultra-processed food.

With a new Afterword by the author.

Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR • The Economist The Times • The New YorkerSmithsonian Daily MailThe GuardianFinancial Times • and more!

It's not you, it's the food.

How much of our daily caloric intake comes from ingesting substances that, technically speaking, do not meet traditional definitions of “food”? Chances are, if you’re eating something that came wrapped in plastic and contains a funky ingredient you don’t have in your kitchen, it's most likely—almost definitely—ultra-processed food, or UPF. More than the principal obstacle to “eating right,” UPF has been linked to metabolic disease, depression, inflammation, anxiety, and cancer, while the production, distribution, and disposal of UPF and related products globally is known to cause devastating environmental damage. At the same time, UPF represents the dominant, nigh-unavoidable food culture for millions upon millions of eaters.

Medical doctor and broadcaster Chris van Tulleken has spent his career trying to reframe the conversation around eating right, balancing the hard (and sometimes shocking) facts about what we're putting into our bodies with empathy for the natural desire to keep eating what we like, have time for, and can afford. As he argues in this book, we are all participants in an experiment we didn't consent to, one to determine how to get us to buy as much ultra-processed food as possible. It’s not as simple as stumbling across the right diet trend, finding time to meal plan, or avoiding over-indulging in sugar, fat, or carbs or any other culprit. Nor is it a matter of individual will. It’s about learning to live in “the third age of eating”—defined by the overwhelming abundance of ultra-processed eating options—and arming yourself with the simple and not-so-simple facts that will help you make the choices that are right for you.

©2023 Chris van Tulleken (P)2023 Knopf Canada

What the critics say

New York Times Bestseller

A New Yorker Best Books of 2023 So Far

An Economist Best Book of 2023

One of Smithsonian's Ten Best Books About Food of 2023

A Goodreads Choice Awards 2023 Nominee

An NPR 2023 "Books We Love" Pick

“Unsettling and deeply important. . . . [Ultra-Processed People] integrate[s] concepts of detailed food science and global market forces, showing how these affect individual humans. Tulleken weaves these threads together in a way that is evidence-based, compelling and humane. . . . A tremendously important book that will help readers choose less processed, better food.”Vincent Lam, Toronto Star

“Deeply researched and persuasive.”New Statesman (UK)

“Chris van Tulleken bravely turns himself into a guinea pig to explore the ins and outs of ultra-processed food. . . . His account of what happens to our food during its trip to our gut, and the connection that bad food has to the epidemics of obesity and diabetes . . . is persuasive and scary.”—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen everywhere

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Reach your reading goals

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for $0.00 $14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

What listeners say about Ultra-Processed People

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    35
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    31
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very insightful

Even when you’re already aware of the subject, he does such a great job and has such a personable approach. Highly recommend this!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

“Industrially produced, edible substances”

What an eye opening account of the horrors of Big “Food”. Highly recommended for everyone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very informative and well researched

Really enjoyed this deep dive into how modern “foods” vs traditional affect our bodies in much more complex ways than we are typically taught. A must listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • MDS
  • 2023-06-15

Great terrifying book

I learned lots from this book, and it will change my life. I have already stopped using xanthan gum in my gluten free baking. The author is easy to listen to, and makes a difficult subject accessible. His stream of consciousness ramblings with his twin are interesting, and weirdly informative. I highly recommend this book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unbelievably Interesting

Just finished listening and have a big smile on my face. Totally changed the way I look at food. The narrating was awesome and he had a super sense of humour

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Factual

If you do anything for me this year. Listen to this beautiful example of food and human consumption and the fucked up ways that money drives the food industry to basically sell us food we become addicted too that is also killing us lol- and then fund research to lie about the facts .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

inspiring

it was easy to listen to and the approach was refreshing. shout out to the CBC for interviewing Chris, otherwise I wouldn't have heard about it. we doubled our garden in the back yard and took up fishing. baby steps

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ali
  • 2023-07-10

The Real Stuff on Fake Food

Mind blowing! We are all just puppets on a highly processed, soft, calorie-dense stage.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very informative and well produced

This book was very well researched, and while some lines of argument can be a tad simplistic, they are generally on the mark for a popular science book.

The addition of conversations between the author and his brother are a very worthwhile and great addition to the audiobook, and provide additional colour and context and meaning (though a bit repetitive of the chapters they follow). Note: the audio on the first two conversations are not well mixed, and the author’s brother is hard to hear without turning volume to full.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Illuminating! A Must-Read!

Recommended for anyone who eats! I heard about this book on the radio and needed to know more. It should come as no surprise really to anyone that we humans eat too much “junk food”, but this book really brings to light that almost everything we eat in this day and age is crap..not just crap…it’s addictive crap and regulations on what can be sold as “food” is appalling…
Also, I love that this book is read by the author, himself. It has a podcast feel in that he has actual conversations with others during the reading. He held my interest throughout the entire book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!