logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
26m 28s

Fed: The fast food trap

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Like many of us, Dr Chris van Tulleken is always trying to eat better food: healthy, high welfare, good for the environment. This kind of consumer demand is making the chicken industry better, in tiny increments. So why do so many of us give ourselves a pass when it comes to the food we know we should not be eating - fast food?

Chicken is at the very heart of this industry. As a cheap meat that does not have a strong taste, can easily take on other flavours and does not have any religious restrictions, it’s the ideal takeaway ingredient; from nuggets to chow mein to tikka masala.

And although we might be careful about chicken choices when buying it raw, somehow we don’t seem to mind turning a blind eye to the origins and nutritional content of our fast food favourites, especially if we’re hungry.

Chris discovers just how bad this food can be for both us and the planet, and why we are powerless to resist it.

Up next
Jul 7
Tooth and Claw: Killer Whales
Investigating the black-and-white apex predator of the sea – the killer whale! Able to predate even great white sharks, this marine mammal is the largest member of the dolphin family. From tropical seas, to the Arctic and Antarctic, killer whales (or orcas) are found across the w ... Show More
26m 28s
Jun 30
The Life Scientific - Tim Peake
What's it like living underwater for two weeks? What's the trickiest part of training to be an astronaut? What are the most memorable sights you see from space? Several extreme questions, all of which can be answered by one man: Major Tim Peake. After a childhood packed with outd ... Show More
26m 29s
Jun 3
How does heat affect our health?
What effect will warming temperatures have on health? One place to look for answers is Bulgaria. In the summer of 2023, Bulgaria experienced numerous heatwaves, leading to the country experiencing one of the highest rates of heat mortality in Europe. But how are these numbers cal ... Show More
49m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
Kids vs. Big Food: Food Babe’s Playbook for Healthy Choices - Vani Hari : 1099
Friends, it is my great pleasure to introduce Vani Hari, aka Food Babe, someone I've had the privilege of knowing for nearly a decade. She is a relentless advocate for clean, safe, and wholesome food. She has dedicated herself to a tireless campaign aimed at eliminating harmful i ... Show More
1h 2m
May 2024
Dr Chris van Tulleken on Ultra-Processed Food
This week Gabby is joined by Dr Chris van Tulleken, author of Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food … and Why Can’t We Stop? Poor diet has overtaken tobacco as the leading cause of early death, and so they discuss what ultra-processed food is and how we ... Show More
41m 14s
Jul 2023
Where's the Beef? Lab-Grown Meat is Finally on the Menu
Can we really have our burger, eat it—and never need to kill a cow? Growing meat outside of animals—in a lab or, these days, in shiny steel bioreactors—promises to deliver a future in which we can enjoy sausages and sushi without guilt, and maybe even without sending our planet u ... Show More
54m 51s
Oct 2024
Why is fast food so expensive now?
There’s a growing shift in consumer sentiment about the fast-food industry. As inflation pushes menu prices steadily upward, more people are asking themselves if that weekly trip to Taco Bell, Wendy’s, or KFC is still worth the cost. ‘Fast Company’ senior editor Christopher Zara ... Show More
59m 13s
Feb 2025
America’s Food Supply Is Rigged—Here’s How to Opt Out | Vani Hari & Dr. Shebani Sethi
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are identified as the leading cause of preventable death globally. These foods are chemically altered, stripped of their natural structures, and filled with additives, sugars, unhealthy fats, and preservatives, resulting in products that offer little ... Show More
1h 12m
Nov 2024
Our Food Keeps Getting Recalled. Here’s What to Do.
Food recalls seem to be making headlines more than ever. This summer, a major recall of roughly 7.2 million pounds of Boar's Head deli meats due to listeria raised serious concerns and sent 59 people to the hospital and resulted in 10 deaths. More recently, E. coli outbreaks link ... Show More
39m 24s
Dec 2013
Don't Eat Anything With A Face
According to a 2009 poll, around 1% of American adults reported eating no animal products. In 2011 that number rose to 2.5%--more than double, but still dwarfed by the 48% who reported eating meat, fish or poultry at all of their meals. In this country, most of us are blessed wit ... Show More
52m 39s
Feb 2025
The hidden forces behind your food choices | Sarah Lake
What we eat is less about what we choose and more about what’s offered to us, says food and climate expert Sarah Lake. Unpacking how governments and companies have driven up meat consumption in the US through extensive marketing, she explains how we could employ these same forces ... Show More
10m 20s
Sep 2024
Chris Van Tulleken: Why ultra processed food is harming you, and why you can't stop eating it
Today’s bonus guest is Dr Chris van Tulleken, he's the author of the bestselling book Ultra Processed People, an infectious diseases doctor and broadcaster. Now for anyone who’s been listening to Big Fish for a while, you’ll know that this book absolutely changed my life. It’s an ... Show More
53m 54s
Sep 2024
Moment 178: They're Lying To About Low Fat Foods, THIS Is What They're Doing!: Tim Spector
In this moment, world renowned gut heath expert, Tim Spector discusses how to navigate the modern food landscape and overcome the brainwashing of the food industry. It turns out that answering the seemingly simple question of, ‘what is quality food?’ is a lot more difficult that ... Show More
10m 37s