Guess who spent months meticulously planning, scheduling, and preparing for a big @substackinc launch. Only to accidentally hit publish about a week too soon. But hey, after a two year break, ya girl's writing again. HMU in the comments

Looking to talk to families who are trying to cut-down or reduce the amount of UPFs in the diet. Please share with anyone who can help!

R.E. that piece in yesterday's @guardian: literally nobody who has read the evidence -- or perhaps more accurately who has understood the science -- is recommending 30 plants/week. I unpack the study (singular) here:

. here’s where I think The Guardian piece went completely off the rails:.

The most recent writing on ultra-processed foods in the Guardian is a pretty egregious example, but it’s far from the only one. As a nutritionist who is critical of UPFs and skeptical that ‘food addiction’ adequately captures something novel and separate from disordered eating.2/.

It blows my mind when science journalists base an entire piece on a conclusion that wasn’t even part of the study they are reporting on. And then don’t even bother to get the views of someone who is critical of either the science or the narrative. 1/.

RT @vittlesmagazine: Today's newsletter by @laurathomasphd is about the sensationalist media discourse surrounding UPF - ultra processed fo….

RT @mallarytenore: One in four kids are on a diet, research finds. @laurathomasphd explores some of the reasons why: .

Part 2 looks at habituation theory, what is 'enough'/'too much' sugar, how you know if kids are sugar preoccupied, and how we can set boundaries w/o reinforcing a sense of scarcity/shame & how we can support them when they overdo it.

Part 1 considers why we are all so messed up about sugar anyway, how even if we feed infants green foods first, they will never like broccoli as much as cake, and how restriction can create disordered eating:

For parents, navigating sweets and sugar with their kids is a head fuck, especially with the Nutritionati making claims that giving kids sweets predisposes them to becoming Haribo addicts. In a new 3-part series I'm covering how we can help kids build a +ve relationship w/ sugar.

Look I am in no way defending the food industry, but using fear-mongering to sell a book is equally as vile. People's relationship with food should not be collateral damage in your royalties cheque.

This book will do untold harm to how people relate to food. For anyone struggling with an eating disorder, disordered eating, or just trying to feed their kids. Food is safe. Food is nourishing. And you don't need to be a perfect eater to be healthy.

P.S. to the food industry people, no I don't want to come to your round table. Piss off.

If you were tempted to buy one of *those books*, please consider supporting this series instead by subscribing to my newsletter - it's £5/mo or £50 for the year & you'll be sponsoring the take down of nutrition charlatans.

Lastly, I am not paid by newspapers, publishers, or the food industry for any of my work. I am a freelance Registered Nutritionist & rely on the support of readers to make this work available to everyone & provide a counter-balance to *gestures wildly* all of this. .

This is not to say we should't hold the food industry accountable or that we don't need to reimagine the food system (we very much do) - but without also examining power & privilege, we will replicate the same harmful systems of exploitation, poverty, & dominance.

Part 3 looks at the environmental arguments against UPF (again messy), & draws attention to the people being left out of the conversation when we let elites, who ignore power, oppression & exploitation call the shots about the food system

Part 2 looks at the scientific literature on UPF and shows how the headlines (& aforementioned media personalities) have distorted the evidence and created a lot of unnecessary fear leading people to feel afraid of the foods that nourish them