Why the ‘big food’ industry is killing us – and how to fight back | Prof. Brian Elbel & Tim Spector

Video Description

Unwrap the truth about your food 👉 ⁠Get the new ZOE app https://joinzoe.onelink.me/XebC/9r7grdmf Why do we eat what we eat? It might feel like a personal choice, but hidden forces - industry tactics, government policies, and even cutting-edge food science - shape our decisions every day. In this episode, Professor Brian Elbel and Professor Tim Spector unravel the truth behind our ultra-processed food obsession and its alarming impact on global health. Our food system isn't just flawed; it's deliberately engineered. From seductive marketing to strategic supermarket layouts, Brian and Tim reveal the invisible hands guiding us toward unhealthy choices. Learn to spot UPFs in disguise, understand how corporate profits trump public health, and question whether interventions like soda taxes and calorie labeling truly make a difference. Tim and Brian provide actionable strategies to reclaim control of our health. Discover practical tips for decoding confusing food labels, making healthier choices, and advocating for transformative policies. Tune in to learn how individual awareness and collective action can challenge - and change - a food system that’s designed against us. Brian Elbel is professor of population health at NYU, and Tim Spector is professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London and scientific co-founder at ZOE. 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30: https://zoe.com/daily30?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&utm_source=podcast_platform&utm_campaign=d30 *Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system Follow ZOE on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ Timecodes 04:03 How small population shifts create huge health impacts 08:14 The engineered addiction inside your snacks 12:07 From cereal to ready meals: how the supermarket changed forever 16:52 The shocking cost of unhealthy food to health systems 20:36 These 10 companies control what you eat 24:01 The surprising truth behind a Pringle 28:15 The secret strategy behind ‘healthy’ food research 32:28 The 3 policies that could shift food culture 36:47 What if junk food had a skull and crossbones? 40:32 How cartoons are making kids eat worse 44:17 How ZOE’s new tool spots the worst UPFs 48:21 What Tim Spector actually eats (and avoids) 52:08 Could we ban junk food in schools? 56:01 The tobacco comparison that changes everything 59:47 Final advice: how to fight back as a consumer 📚Books by our ZOE Scientists The Food For Life Cookbook | https://amzn.to/4amfIMX Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati | https://amzn.to/4blJsLg Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector | https://amzn.to/4amZinu Mentioned in today's episode The corporate capture of the nutrition profession in the USA: the case of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2022) https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/corporate-capture-of-the-nutrition-profession-in-the-usa-the-case-of-the-academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics/9FCF66087DFD5661DF1AF2AD54DA0DF9 Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake (2019) https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(19)30248-7 Relationship between community characteristics and impact of calorie labeling on fast-food purchases https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39810400/ Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here: https://gf6hx47iu5g.typeform.com/topicsuggestion Episode transcripts are available here: https://zoe.com/learn/category/podcasts