Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating Ultra-Processed Foods

In his compelling exploration, Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating Ultra-Processed Foods, Dr. Chris van Tulleken unveils a profound truth about the modern Western diet: it’s a cocktail of ingredients designed to hijack our biology. Central to this narrative are two key culprits: universally present seed oils and an overreliance on carbohydrates (including fibre) in our diets. Both have contributed to the unprecedented rise of chronic illnesses linked to diet. Let’s delve deeper into these dietary pitfalls.

The Toxicity of Seed Oils: A Hidden Threat

Seed oils like sunflower, canola, and soybean oil have become omnipresent in ultra-processed foods (UPFs). While marketed as healthy and heart-friendly alternatives to saturated fats, these oils often tell a darker story:

• High Omega-6 Content
  Seed oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids. While essential in small amounts, excessive omega-6 intake disrupts the delicate balance with omega-3 fatty acids. This imbalance fuels systemic inflammation—a root cause of many chronic conditions, including heart disease and arthritis.
• Oxidative Stress
  When exposed to heat, light, or oxygen, seed oils oxidise easily, creating harmful byproducts like aldehydes. These compounds damage cells and contribute to conditions such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
• Overuse in UPFs
  Seed oils are cheap and have a long shelf life, making them a staple in UPFs. They enhance the flavour and texture of foods, but their omnipresence means our daily intake far exceeds healthy levels.

The Carbohydrate Conundrum: Unnecessary and Overconsumed

Carbohydrates, long championed as the cornerstone of a healthy diet, have a nuanced role in Western nutrition:

• Refined Carbs Dominate
  In UPFs, refined carbohydrates like white flour and sugar are pervasive. Stripped of nutrients and fibre, they cause rapid spikes in blood sugar, leading to energy crashes, increased hunger, and a higher risk of insulin resistance.
• The Misunderstood Role of Fibre
  While dietary fibre from whole foods supports gut health, its inclusion in UPFs often comes in the form of processed additives like inulin or polydextrose. These synthetic fibres lack the complexity and benefits of naturally occurring fibre and can cause digestive distress.
• Carbs Without Context
  Western diets are carb-heavy, sidelining protein and healthy fats. Even in supposedly “healthy” foods, added sugars and filler fibres are ubiquitous. This overconsumption leads to metabolic dysfunction, weight gain, and a greater risk of chronic diseases.

Why Are These Ingredients Ubiquitous?

The inclusion of seed oils and unnecessary carbohydrates isn’t accidental—it’s a calculated move by the food industry. These ingredients are:

1. Cheap and Abundant
   Industrial production of seed oils and refined carbs ensures low costs, making them attractive to manufacturers.
2. Biologically Addictive
   Combined with salt, sugar, and fat, they create “bliss points” that trigger dopamine release, compelling us to crave and overeat.
3. Shelf-Stable
   Long shelf lives ensure profitability, even at the expense of health.

Breaking Free from the UPF Trap

To combat the dietary pitfalls highlighted in Irresistible, consider these actionable steps:

• Prioritise whole, minimally processed foods with balanced macronutrients.
• Replace seed oils with healthier fats like olive oil, avocado oil, or butter.
• Choose complex carbohydrates from whole grains, vegetables, and legumes while minimising refined options.
• Read labels critically to avoid added sugars, synthetic fibres, and unnecessary fillers.

Dr. van Tulleken’s book is a wake-up call for a society ensnared by UPFs. By understanding the toxic effects of seed oils and the overreliance on unnecessary carbs, we can make informed choices to reclaim our health from an industry that profits from addiction.

Brian Maierhofer’s exploration of stress and its impact on the brain highlights the powerful connection between neuroscience and healing. Chronic stress is more than a mental burden—it rewires the brain, disrupts the body, and can leave individuals trapped in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight. Fortunately, modern neuroscience offers solutions through somatic therapy, a body-based approach that addresses the root causes of stress.

Understanding Fight-or-Flight

The fight-or-flight response is the body’s natural survival mechanism, triggered by perceived danger. In this state:

• Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline flood the system.

• These hormones prepare the body for immediate action: increased heart rate, heightened alertness, and mobilization of energy.

While this response is essential for short-term survival, when it becomes chronic, it wreaks havoc on the mind and body. Chronic stress locks the body into hypervigilance, leading to:

• Persistent anxiety

• Inability to focus

• Fatigue

• Chronic pain

How Chronic Stress Rewires Your Brain

Under chronic stress:

• The amygdala (fear center of the brain) becomes hyperactive, making you overly sensitive to potential threats.

• The prefrontal cortex (responsible for logic, reasoning, and emotional regulation) weakens, reducing your ability to think clearly or calm yourself down.

This creates a feedback loop where stress becomes the brain’s “new normal.” Over time, the body begins to:

• Crave stress hormones, perpetuating the cycle.

• Exhibit physical symptoms like fatigue, pain, insomnia, and weakened immunity.

• Suffer emotional imbalances like anxiety, depression, and emotional dysregulation.

Somatic Therapy: Healing at the Root

Chronic stress doesn’t just live in the mind—it’s stored in the body. Traditional talk therapy, while valuable for understanding conscious thoughts, often doesn’t address the deeper, subconscious patterns held in the nervous system. This is where somatic therapy shines.

What Is Somatic Therapy?

Somatic therapy is a neuroscience-backed approach to healing that focuses on the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS controls your body’s stress response and plays a central role in how you process trauma and regulate emotions. Unlike talk therapy, somatic therapy directly engages the body to:

• Release stored tension and trauma.

• Rewire the nervous system to shift out of fight-or-flight mode.

How It Works

Somatic therapy incorporates body-focused techniques such as:

• Breathwork: Regulates the nervous system by shifting from shallow, stress-induced breathing to deep, calming patterns.

• Body Awareness: Helps individuals identify where tension or trauma is held in the body.

• Movement and Sensory Exercises: Release stored trauma through gentle, guided physical movement.

• Mindful Regulation Techniques: Teach the body to find and maintain a calm baseline.

By calming the overactive limbic system and balancing the autonomic nervous system, somatic therapy restores the body’s natural ability to heal.

The Science Behind Somatic Healing

The body and brain are deeply interconnected. Research shows that unprocessed trauma and chronic stress become “stuck” in the body. This creates physiological changes that:

• Keep the limbic system hyperactive.

• Prevent the parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest mode) from engaging.

Somatic therapy works by resetting this system. Techniques like grounding, sensory tracking, and mindful movement help:

• Decrease the amygdala’s overactivity.

• Strengthen the prefrontal cortex’s ability to regulate emotions.

• Improve the brain-body connection, allowing stress responses to resolve naturally instead of lingering.

Real-Life Results

Brian’s clients consistently report significant changes after somatic therapy, including:

• Improved Sleep: Better sleep quality and the ability to fully relax.

• Increased Energy: Reclaiming vitality by releasing chronic tension.

• Mental Clarity: Sharper focus and decision-making.

• Healing Trauma: Letting go of emotional burdens and finding peace.

• Relief from Chronic Pain: Physical symptoms of stress, like migraines or tension, diminish.

• Enhanced Emotional Regulation: Feeling calmer and more balanced.

These outcomes underscore the power of somatic therapy to address stress at its root and create lasting change.

A Path to Healing

The good news is that the brain is neuroplastic—it can change. Even after years of chronic stress, the brain and body can rewire themselves with the right tools. Somatic therapy taps into the body’s natural healing mechanisms, making it an ideal approach for breaking free from stress cycles.

Brian recommends starting with small, actionable steps, such as trying the 20-Minute Neural Reset—a science-backed exercise designed to calm the nervous system and create new, healthier patterns.

Why Somatic Therapy is the Future

Incorporating neuroscience into therapy represents a revolutionary shift in how we approach mental health. Healing doesn’t just happen in the mind—it requires engaging the body and nervous system. With somatic therapy, individuals can move beyond coping mechanisms and experience profound, lasting healing.

Brian concludes with an invitation to reflect:

Have you tried a neuroscience-based therapy for healing? If not, what’s stopping you?

It’s no exaggeration: 70% of what Americans eat isn’t food—it’s ultra-processed chemicals carefully engineered for addiction. These so-called “foods” are designed to make you overeat, leaving your body starved of nutrients and your cells defenseless against disease. The result? A health crisis of unprecedented scale.

This epidemic didn’t happen by accident. Here’s how ultra-processed foods—especially those promoted as “convenient” or “tasty”—took over our food supply, and why prioritizing real protein and healthy carbs is key to reversing the damage.

The Health Crisis: A System Engineered for Disease

678,000 Americans die each year from chronic, food-related diseases. That’s more than all U.S. combat deaths in every war combined. Most of these deaths are entirely preventable, yet chronic illnesses now affect 60% of Americans, with ultra-processed foods being the primary culprit.

How did this happen? It starts with Big Tobacco.

Big Tobacco’s Pivot to Food

In the 1980s, as tobacco sales began declining, Big Tobacco companies like Philip Morris pivoted. They bought some of the largest food brands in America, including Kraft, Nabisco, and General Foods. Using their expertise in marketing addictive substances, they transformed the food industry by engineering foods for maximum addictiveness through the perfect combination of fat, sugar, and salt—a formula designed to hijack your brain’s reward system.

How Processed Foods Are Killing Us

Processed foods aren’t just empty calories; they’re an assault on your body. They flood your system with inflammatory substances like oxidative stress-inducing chemicals while stripping away nutrients essential for repair, such as antioxidants and fiber. Over time, this leads to a cascade of problems:

• Chronic inflammation

• Metabolic dysfunction

• Insulin resistance

• Obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease

Even worse, the U.S. allows ingredients banned in many other countries, including:

• Artificial dyes (Yellow #5, Red #40)

• Potassium bromate (found in bread)

• Olestra (a fat substitute)

• Chlorine-washed chicken

• Growth hormones in beef and dairy

But the industrial food complex doesn’t just make you sick—it profits from your illness. Ultra-processed foods create a vicious cycle of addiction, illness, and reliance on pharmaceuticals.

The Role of Protein: The Building Block of Health

Protein is essential for every function in your body, from building muscle and repairing tissues to producing enzymes and hormones. Yet the protein sources in ultra-processed foods are often low-quality or artificial, leaving your body nutritionally deprived.

What Protein Should Look Like

Protein intake should come from whole, high-quality sources that are nutrient-dense and minimally processed:

• Grass-fed beef: Packed with omega-3 fatty acids, CLA, and bioavailable iron.

• Pasture-raised eggs: Rich in essential amino acids, choline, and healthy fats.

• Wild-caught fish: A great source of lean protein and anti-inflammatory omega-3s.

• Dairy products: Raw milk, whole yogurt, and cheese are excellent options when sourced from grass-fed animals.

• Bone broth and collagen: Support gut health, skin, and joint repair.

Processed protein sources, like soy isolates or factory-farmed meats, are stripped of vital nutrients and often come with harmful additives or hormones.

The Truth About Carbs: The Right Kind at the Right Time

Carbohydrates have been demonized in modern diets, but they are essential for energy, brain function, and athletic performance. However, not all carbs are created equal. The ultra-processed carbs found in packaged snacks, sugary drinks, and white bread spike your blood sugar and lead to long-term metabolic damage.

Healthy Carbs to Prioritize

• Root vegetables: Sweet potatoes, yams, and carrots are nutrient-dense and packed with fiber.

• Whole grains: Steel-cut oats, quinoa, and brown rice provide sustained energy without sugar crashes.

• Fruits: Organic fruits like berries, apples, and bananas offer natural sugars alongside fiber and antioxidants.

• Legumes: Lentils, chickpeas, and beans are excellent sources of both carbs and plant-based protein.

Timing Matters: Metabolic Flexibility

Your body’s energy needs vary throughout the day, so it’s important to fuel it appropriately:

• Morning: Start the day with low-carb meals to encourage fat-burning.

• Midday: Introduce complex carbs to sustain energy.

• Evening: Focus on protein and healthy fats to support recovery and repair.

By practicing carb-cycling—alternating between high- and low-carb days—you can optimize energy use and improve metabolic flexibility.

A Healthy Grocery List for Protein and Carbs

Here’s what to add to your cart for a balanced, nutrient-dense diet:

Proteins

• Grass-fed beef (variety of cuts, biltong, mince)

• Pasture-raised eggs

• Wild-caught salmon, tuna, and white fish

• Oysters and mussels

• Raw milk, whole yogurt, and hard cheeses

• Bone broth and collagen supplements

Carbohydrates

• Sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, and squash

• Organic fruits like berries, apples, and citrus

• Whole grains: Steel-cut oats, brown rice, and quinoa

• Leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and carrots

• Raw honey and unprocessed maple syrup for natural sweetness

Fats (to complement proteins and carbs)

• Coconut oil for cooking

• Extra virgin olive oil for salads

• Butter, ghee, and tallow

• Avocados and nuts like almonds and walnuts

Why This Matters: The Fight for Food Freedom

The health crisis created by ultra-processed foods is not an accident—it’s the result of a system designed to prioritize profits over people. While individuals can take steps to choose healthier options, true change requires dismantling the industrial food complex.

Here’s how we start:

1. Cook at home: Prepare meals with whole, organic ingredients.

2. Support local farmers: Buy fresh produce, grass-fed meats, and raw dairy from trusted sources.

3. Educate yourself: Understand food labels and avoid harmful additives.

Ultimately, the solution lies in returning to the basics—real food, eaten in balance. By prioritizing quality protein and healthy carbs, we can reclaim our health, fight chronic disease, and build a healthier society.

The Bottom Line: This isn’t about more willpower—it’s about fixing the poisoned food supply that is destroying public health. It’s time for a modern health renaissance that puts nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods back on the table.