Should we eat ultra-processed food?

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Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil and

I'm Pippa.

If you've eaten anything today, then it's likely that some of your food was ultra processed. Food containing artificial ingredients like additives and sweetness. Ultra processed foods are everywhere, from sliced bread to chocolate biscuits and cream.

They might taste good, but the bad news is that ultra processed foods have been linked to poor health. They often contain lots of sugar and salt and have been linked to problems like obesity and diabetes. So how can we tell what food is ultraprocessed and what's not? Here's health reporter Annabel Rackham on BBC World Service programme What in the World.

Ultra processed foods are things that contain five or more ingredients um and things that you wouldn't find in your average kitchen. It's gonna have things on there like emulsifiers, preservatives, additives, dyes and sweeteners.

Annabelle describes ultra processed foods as things containing ingredients you wouldn't find in your kitchen. Do you eat much ultra processed food, Pippa? Or do you try to avoid it?

I used to eat a lot of old pre processed foods and now I try to cook everything myself and not eat things like chocolate and snacks all day. How about you?

I I think the same. I tried to cook things using just your normal ingredients just so you know what's gone into it.

In this episode we'll be discussing ultra processed food as well as learning some useful new vocabulary. And remember there's also a quiz and worksheet available on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

But now I have a question for you, Pippa. Fizzy drinks like cola and lemonade are another example of popular ultraprocessed food. But when were fizzy drinks invented? Was it A seventeen seventy two? B eighteen seventy two or C nineteen seventy two?

Well, I think it was before nineteen seventy two, but seventeen seventy two sounds like too early. So I'm going to say B eighteen seventy two.

We'll find out the answer at the end of the program. One reason for the popularity of ultra-processed food is convenience. Let's hear more from Health Reporter Annabelle who talks here with Hannah Gelbart, presenter of BBC World Services What in the World?

So I do think convenience it is the main issue there. And again, with a ready meal, you put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, it's done, it's hot, it's served to you. Whereas, you know, sometimes cooking a fresh meal from scratch, that can take a really long time. Oh packet of biscuits, something like that. Um a cake. That is my that's my guilty pleasure.

Ultra processed foods, like ready meals, are convenient. A ready meal is a meal from a supermarket that has already been prepared and can be heated up quickly in a microwave. That's a lot quicker and easier than cooking from scratch. an idiom meaning to do something from the very beginning without using anything that's already been made.

Even though ultra processed foods are often unhealthy, they taste good. That's why Annabelle calls chocolate her guilty pleasure. A guilty pleasure is something you enjoy But think you shouldn't, and feel a little embarrassed about

Ultra processed food is a tricky topic. We know these foods have been linked to poor health, but at the same time they're cheap, convenient and taste good. So what should we do? Here's Hannah and Annabelle discussing this for BBC program What in the World?

Is it okay for me to have a packet of crisps once in a while? Should we be cutting ultra processed foods out of our diets completely, or is there a way for us to still enjoy them from time to time?

I think the best thing to do is just not to panic. Everything is fine in moderation.

Hannah asks if it's okay to eat ultra processed foods once in a while or from time to time. The phrases once in a while and from time to time mean occasionally. Sometimes, but not very often, said

Annabelle replies using the phrase everything in moderation, which advises us that it's best to avoid too much of anything.

That sounds sensible to me, and it also means I won't feel bad about eating chocolate now and then.

Wow, that is amazing. I wouldn't have thought it was that long ago.

Right, let's recap the vocabulary we've learnt, starting with Ready Meal, a meal from a supermarket that has already been prepared, so you can heat it up quickly.

If you do something from scratch, you do it from the very beginning, without using anything that's already been made.

A guilty pleasure is something you enjoy, but feel guilty or embarrassed about because you think you shouldn't do it.

The phrases once in a while and from time to time mean occasionally, not very often.

And finally, the phrase everything in moderation is used to advise someone that it's best to avoid too much of anything. Once again, our six minutes are up, but if you're hungry for more, head over to our website BBC Learning English dot com for more tasty topics and useful vocabulary. See you again soon, but for now, it's goodbye.

Bye.