{"id":606152,"date":"2026-09-04T23:40:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T23:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/606152\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T23:40:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T23:40:20","slug":"i-grew-up-on-ultra-processed-food-joe-wicks-on-childhood-parenting-and-facing-his-critics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/606152\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I grew up on ultra-processed food\u2019: Joe Wicks on childhood, parenting and facing his critics"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A stark contrast to what you see on Instagram<\/a> today, Joe Wicks<\/a> admits to having a \u201cvery unhealthy diet as a child\u201d.<\/p>\n

Nowadays, the TV fitness coach and cookbook author\u2019s social media<\/a> is full of healthy recipes<\/a> using whole ingredients \u2013 often cooking<\/a> alongside his four children: Indie, eight, Marley, six, Leni, three, and Dusty, two.<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t always like that. \u201cI had a very unhealthy diet as a child,\u201d says Wicks, 40, who guesses around 90 per cent of it involved ultra-processed food<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in a low-income family on benefits, and my dad was an addict. Any money that came through the door was not going on healthy protein sources and vegetables<\/a> \u2013 it just wasn\u2019t. So I lived off ultra-processed food and frozen dinners. My mum was 15 when she was kicked out of school and left home, she didn\u2019t have the skills and knowledge to cook \u2013 it was not in her vocabulary.\u201d<\/p>\n

This meant Wicks\u2019 early exposure to food was \u201ca lot of sugar<\/a>, a lot of ultra-processed food\u201d \u2013 and he says that\u2019s affected him today: \u201cWhen I do consume it 1788565216, I can\u2019t eat it in moderation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wicks learned how to cook in his 20s, falling in love with healthy food and exercise. He went on to set up his social media channels as The Body Coach, gaining widespread acclaim during the Covid pandemic for with his PE with Joe videos, raising money for the NHS and later being made an MBE for his charity efforts.<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s a father, he\u2019s increasingly concerned about how ultra-processed foods are targeted at kids<\/a> \u2013 and how it might affect young people\u2019s health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re taught to reward children with sugar,\u201d he notes. \u201cIt\u2019s foods that are designed to be hyper-addictive, hyper-tasty. They have a scientifically engineered bliss point where they mix the perfect amount of salt<\/a>, fat<\/a> and sugar, so when you eat a cookie, or a doughnut, or a brownie \u2013 you can\u2019t put it down, you want to eat the whole packet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you realise, that\u2019s what we\u2019re up against, because not many people can consume these foods in moderation.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for Wicks, these ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are \u201ceverywhere you go\u201d when you have children: \u201cThey\u2019re in lunch boxes, they\u2019re on planes, they\u2019re at soft plays, they\u2019re at farms,\u201d which can result in a \u201ctug-of-war\u201d between the parent wanting to give their kids healthy food, and their children demanding sweets.<\/p>\n

\"\u2018Healthy\u2018Healthy Start\u2019 is Wicks\u2019 14th cookbook, with recipes aimed at the whole family (Leap)<\/p>\n

He explored UPFs even further in last year in the Channel 4 documentary, Joe Wicks: Licensed To Kill, made with scientist Dr Chris van Tulleken (author of Ultra-Processed People, a book Wicks credits with changing his outlook). He admits that it\u2019s \u201ca tough message to hear that the food we\u2019re consuming is affecting our health, our mental health, increasing the risk of type two diabetes, obesity and all the diet-related diseases around that\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the lead-up to the documentary, Wicks remembers getting \u201chammered\u201d on social media, \u201cFrom fitness influencers, nutritionists, dietitians, doctors\u201d, who he says were unhappy with the links he was making between UPFs and physical and mental health.<\/p>\n

The experience obviously shook Wicks, who says: \u201cI was upset. I was emotional. I was sensitive, and it proper knocked my confidence, thinking: \u2018Why am I putting myself out there? Why did I do this documentary? Why did I share this?<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to wait until the dust settled to accept that it got more people watching, it got more people talking about UPFs and the ingredients, and looking at the back of the product.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, he suggests that the next five to 10 years will bring even more research backing up his claims into UPFs, but acknowledges it\u2019s hard for families \u2013 particularly those on low-incomes \u2013 to eat healthily.<\/p>\n

I grew up in a low-income family on benefits, and my dad was an addict. Any money that came through the door was not going on healthy protein sources and vegetables \u2013 it just wasn\u2019t<\/p>\n

Joe Wicks<\/p>\n

While the documentary called on the government for a response to whether it could put health warnings on certain foods, Wicks calls it \u201cdisheartening\u201d he never heard anything back. And we won\u2019t catch Wicks doing a follow-up documentary any time soon (\u201cabsolutely not\u201d, he says firmly), but he\u2019s still going to be fighting UPFs in other ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to spend my life doing documentaries and putting myself in the fire \u2013 I can just be part of the solution,\u201d he explains, whether that\u2019s sharing his recipes on social media, encouraging people to think more about their food, and doing what he does best: getting people moving. \u201cI\u2019m constantly trying to use my energy<\/a> in positive ways that are making an impact in that moment, as opposed to trying to convince the government to change policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wicks, who lives in Surrey with his four kids and wife Rosie, is releasing his 14th cookbook, Healthy Start, which focuses on nutritious recipes for the whole family, with recipes and tips for how to get kids involved in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

None of Wicks\u2019 kids are fussy eaters, which he credits to exposing them to all kinds of food from early on. \u201cI always remember when I started weaning Indie, my first girl, people would be saying, \u2018Wait until she\u2019s three, wait until she hits four \u2013 it all changes\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always waiting for this moment where my kids would stop eating healthy food, but I realised actually, if you\u2019re consistent and the only thing on the table is healthy food, then you don\u2019t have that issue. They do get to enjoy treats and they do get to enjoy ultra-processed foods, but it\u2019s not an everyday occurrence: it\u2019s not in the house all the time.\u201d <\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty of bold flavours and variety in his new cookbook, with recipes for curries, stir-fries, colourful tray bakes and more \u2013 a far cry from the beige, tasteless dishes that are always on kids\u2019 menus.<\/p>\n

Wicks has a firm \u201cone family, one recipe\u201d rule \u2013 meaning you won\u2019t see him whipping up an alternative meal to cater for different children. If one of his kids doesn\u2019t like dinner, he won\u2019t offer an alternative \u2013 he\u2019ll often put it in the fridge, tell them to play for an hour, and come back to it when they\u2019re hungry.<\/p>\n

He is also trying to teach them \u201chow foods make you feel\u201d, he says. \u201cI never say \u2018good food\u2019, \u2018bad food\u2019, I don\u2019t say junk food. I say, \u2018This is whole food\u2019, \u2018This is a processed food\u2019 \u2013 some things make you feel really good and energised, and you\u2019re going to feel great. Other things are going to make you feel tired and sleepy and bloated, and it\u2019s going to bring your mood down.<\/p>\n

\"WicksWicks with wife Rosie and their four children, Indie, Marley, Leni and Dusty (Mike English)<\/p>\n

\u201cI let them choose \u2013 I\u2019m not someone who\u2019s saying, \u2018You can\u2019t have these things\u2019. If we\u2019re out and about and it\u2019s a weekend, we\u2019ll have a pudding an an ice cream, or if we\u2019re at the park, we might grab a lolly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t have cupboards full of this stuff because if I did, guess what? I\u2019d be eating it every day, and they\u2019d be eating it every day. And that\u2019s the simple fact of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooking with his kids \u2013 and encouraging others to do the same \u2013 is central to Wicks\u2019 mission, who calls it \u201cthe most valuable life skill you\u2019ll ever give your child\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know food affects our mood, and if you have a child or a teenager that just eats UPFs, doesn\u2019t want to cook, their mental health and their energy and their mood through their life will never quite be at its best. They\u2019ll never quite be optimised.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo if we get kids to love cooking, they\u2019re going to be independent, they\u2019re going to move out, they\u2019re going to cook. They\u2019re not going to be ordering food on a takeaway [app] every night. It\u2019s going to change their life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cheesy smashed beef quesadillas recipe<\/p>\n

\"AA smash burger meets a quesadilla in one of Wicks\u2019 most crowd-pleasing family recipes (Mike English)<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are like a cross between a smash burger and a cheesy quesadilla. My kids love making these together,\u201d enthuses Joe Wicks. \u201cOne will chop the salad up while another will mash avocado for the guacamole. These are a great idea for when your kids have friends over too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Serves: 4<\/p>\n

Prep time: 25 minutes | Cook time: 7 minutes per quesadilla<\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/p>\n

500g lean minced beef<\/p>\n

1 tbsp taco seasoning<\/p>\n

8 plain tortilla wraps<\/p>\n

\u00bd red onion, finely sliced<\/p>\n

Olive oil, for frying<\/p>\n

75g cheddar cheese, grated<\/p>\n

Salt and freshly ground black pepper<\/p>\n

For the chopped salad:<\/p>\n

3 tbsp mayonnaise<\/p>\n

Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tsp)<\/p>\n

2 little gem lettuces, trimmed and thinly sliced<\/p>\n

2 large tomatoes, chopped<\/p>\n

6 pickled jalapeno slices, finely chopped<\/p>\n

100g radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced<\/p>\n

For the chunky guacamole:<\/p>\n

2 ripe avocados, stoned, peeled and roughly chopped<\/p>\n

Juice of 2 limes (about 1 tbsp)<\/p>\n

\u00bd red onion, finely chopped<\/p>\n

Small handful coriander leaves, chopped<\/p>\n

Method:<\/p>\n

1. For the chopped salad, mix the mayonnaise and lime juice together in a large bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Place the remaining salad ingredients on top of the dressing, ready for tossing together before serving.<\/p>\n

2. To make the chunky guacamole, use a fork to gently mash the avocados with the lime juice in a separate bowl, keeping it chunky. Stir in the red onion and chopped coriander and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.<\/p>\n

3. Put the minced beef in a large bowl, sprinkle over the taco seasoning and season generously with salt and pepper. Get stuck in with clean hands, scrunching to combine, then divide into 4 equal portions. Place a portion in the middle of each of 4 of the tortilla wraps (set the remaining wraps aside). Press the mince out evenly to the edges of each wrap, then scatter over the sliced onion and gently press it in.<\/p>\n

4. Place a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat with a light drizzle of olive oil added. Add one prepared quesadilla, beef topping side down, and cook for 3 minutes until golden, crispy and the beef is cooked through.<\/p>\n

5. Carefully flip it over, scatter over a quarter of the grated cheese, top with a plain wrap and press it down, using a spatula. Cook for 1 minute, then flip it by sliding it onto a plate and carefully flipping it back into the pan. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden and oozing with melted cheese. Slide the quesadilla straight onto a board and keep warm while you repeat to cook the remaining quesadillas.<\/p>\n

6. Mix the chopped salad with the sauce. Cut the quesadillas into wedges and serve with the salad and chunky guacamole.<\/p>\n

Thai red curry with prawns<\/p>\n

\"Wicks\u2019Wicks\u2019 quick Thai red curry relies on store-cupboard coconut milk and curry paste (Mike English)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a very tasty version of a Thai red curry using prawns and aubergine,\u201d says Wicks. \u201d I always make sure I\u2019ve got tinned coconut milk and curry pastes in the cupboard so I can rustle this up. This will also taste delicious with Thai green curry paste.\u201d<\/p>\n

Serves: 4<\/p>\n

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes<\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/p>\n

2 aubergines, trimmed and cut into batons 2-3cm thick<\/p>\n

2 tbsp olive oil<\/p>\n

1 onion, diced<\/p>\n

2 garlic cloves, minced<\/p>\n

3 tbsp Thai red curry paste<\/p>\n

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk<\/p>\n

1 tbsp fish sauce or light soy sauce<\/p>\n

1 tsp honey<\/p>\n

Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tsp)<\/p>\n

300g raw peeled king prawns, defrosted if frozen<\/p>\n

120g baby spinach<\/p>\n

Salt and freshly ground black pepper<\/p>\n

Handful of Thai basil leaves, to finish<\/p>\n

Jasmine rice, to serve<\/p>\n

Method:<\/p>\n

1. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan\/gas mark 7) and line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.<\/p>\n

2. Put the aubergines and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread out on the lined baking trays and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, turning them halfway through, until tender and golden.<\/p>\n

3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent, then stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Tip in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the coconut milk. Simmer over a high heat for 3-4 minutes until the coconut milk reduces and thickens. This is important, as the creamy sauce will thin out once the prawns and vegetables are added.<\/p>\n

4. Once thickened, reduce the heat to medium and add the fish sauce or soy sauce, honey, lime juice and prawns. Stir well and simmer for 5-6 minutes until the prawns are pink and opaque, stirring so they cook evenly. Tip in the baked aubergines and spinach and simmer for another 2-3 minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Taste the curry and adjust the seasoning if necessary.<\/p>\n

5. Serve the curry over a bed of jasmine rice, finished with a sprinkling of Thai basil leaves.<\/p>\n

Tip: To make it veggie, swap the prawns with cubed tofu (added the same time as the prawns) and use soy rather than fish sauce.<\/p>\n

Beetroot falafel burgers<\/p>\n

\"Beetroot,Beetroot, chickpeas and tahini turn the usual veggie burger into something rather more colourful (Mike English)<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething totally different but delicious. Lots of veggie patties can feel a bit dry but this one using beetroot with a tahini sauce is perfect. I hope your kids have a big smile after trying this,\u201d says Wicks.<\/p>\n

Serves: 4<\/p>\n

Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes<\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/p>\n

For the burgers:<\/p>\n

500g raw beetroot, peeled, trimmed and coarsely grated<\/p>\n

65g gram flour, or chickpea flour<\/p>\n

20g panko breadcrumbs<\/p>\n

\u00bd tbsp ras el hanout<\/p>\n

1 tsp ground cumin<\/p>\n

15g coriander leaves and stalks, roughly chopped<\/p>\n

Juice of \u00bd lemon (about 1 tbsp)<\/p>\n

15g sesame seeds<\/p>\n

1 tbsp olive oil<\/p>\n

Salt and freshly ground black pepper<\/p>\n

For the tahini sauce:<\/p>\n

3 tbsp tahini<\/p>\n

Juice of 1 lemon (about 1 tbsp)<\/p>\n

1 tsp honey<\/p>\n

To assemble:<\/p>\n

4 butter lettuce leaves, or any lettuce of your choice<\/p>\n

4 wholemeal buns, cut in half<\/p>\n

2 tomatoes, sliced<\/p>\n

\u00bd red onion, thinly sliced<\/p>\n

3 baby cucumbers, pared into ribbons lengthways using a vegetable peeler<\/p>\n

Method:<\/p>\n

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan\/gas mark 6) and line a baking tray with baking paper.<\/p>\n

2. Add all the ingredients for the burger except the sesame seeds and olive oil to a food processor, and whizz to a rough paste. Scrape into a bowl and season with salt and pepper.<\/p>\n

3. With clean damp hands, divide the beetroot mixture evenly into 4 patties. Tip the sesame seeds onto a plate and coat the patties on all sides, then transfer, spaced out, to the lined baking tray.<\/p>\n

4. Brush or spray the patties with olive oil and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, turning them halfway through, until crisp and hot throughout.<\/p>\n

5. Meanwhile, whisk the tahini and lemon juice in a small bowl, then add the honey and 4-5 tablespoons of water to loosen, stirring until it has a drizzling consistency. Season to taste.<\/p>\n

6. To assemble the burgers, put the lettuce on the bottom half of each bun and top with some tahini sauce. Add a patty, some tomato, red onion, cucumber and a drizzle more of the sauce, then top with the other half of the bun and serve.<\/p>\n

\u2018Healthy Start\u2019 by Joe Wicks (Leap, \u00a322).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":606153,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,85,46,543],"class_list":["post-606152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=606152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/606153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=606152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=606152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=606152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}