Ultra Processed Breakfast - After Hours #031 and Newsletter Issue #12

Ultra Processed Breakfast - After Hours #031 and Newsletter Issue #12

Breakfast might seem like an odd place to start a conversation about the global food system, but it turns out to be the perfect lens. When Stephen and I sat down to record this episode, we weren’t planning to go deep on ultra-processed food or body image or the cultural architecture of what we eat before 9am. But that’s exactly where we ended up, and I think it’s because breakfast is the one meal that most of us treat as automatic. We reach for the same thing every morning without much thought, which is precisely when food engineering does its best work. I’ll be honest: I skip breakfast a lot. That habit goes back to growing up overweight and counting every kilojoule, and it’s a pattern I’ve never fully shaken. Sharing that on the podcast felt a little exposed, but I think it matters, because what we eat is never just about nutrients. It’s about history, self-talk, and the quiet stories we carry about our bodies. The cereal aisle was where things got genuinely interesting for me. We used Weet-Bix, Cornflakes and Sultana Bran as the baseline, then held them up against Nutri-Grain, Coco Pops, Froot Loops and Milo cereal, and the contrast is pretty striking once you start looking. The branding on those ultra-processed products is doing a lot of heavy lifting. “Nutri-Grain” sounds medical. “Made with whole grain” sounds responsible. But when you actually read the label, you’re decoding marketing far more than you’re understanding nutrition. That same pattern plays out across the whole food system, and it gets more dramatic when you compare Australian and American products side by side. The same pasta sauce, the same bread, the same mince, but with meaningfully higher sugar and fat baselines in the US version. Eat the “same” diet across both countries and you could be taking in 10 to 15 percent more calories without changing a single habit. We honestly feel that, this week's After Hours newsletter is one of our most practical yet. Plus, we now have a mobile friendly version too: After Hours Newsletter Issue 12 [https://newsletter.askdrvincent.com/afterhours/01-editions/2026-06-21/newsletter.html] Enjoy your Sunday evening and have a great week! With my best Vincent After Hours is where science gets personal. Hosted by Dr Vincent, your friendly neighbourhood scientist and Stephen!This podcast is part of the Ask Dr Vincent on Substack. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode📩 Weekly newsletter every Sunday at AskDrVincent.com 📺 Full video episodes every Thursday after 5pm Let’s be mates! [https://linktr.ee/AskDrVincent] Get full access to Ask Dr Vincent at www.askdrvincent.com/subscribe [https://www.askdrvincent.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Immunity: Flu Season, Vax and the Autoimmune Trap - After Hours #031

Winter is here in the southern hemisphere and cold and flu season is already making itself known. In this episode, Stephen and I dig into how the immune system actually works, and the first thing I need to clear up is the biggest misconception in the wellness space: you do not want to boost your immune system. A system that is over-activated is called autoimmune disease, and there are close to a hundred of them. What you want is an immune system that is calibrated, not supercharged. We also go deep on vaccination, including why I think flu shots are more important than most people realise, how vaccines act as a training program for your immune system rather than just a one-time fix, and the genuinely alarming research linking regular immunisation across a lifetime to lower rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s. We also talk honestly about why so many parents feel hesitant when it comes to infant vaccination, and why I think the medical system needs to do a better job of having that conversation before the delivery suite rather than during it. The second half of the episode is the practical stuff: hydration in winter (your brain will lie to you about being thirsty), sleep as a non-negotiable reset for your immune function, and food as medicine. I wrap up with a story from our recent US trip where I picked up a loaf of bread at the supermarket and checked the best before date. It was nearly a month away. At room temperature. What followed was an ingredient list I can only describe as the longest thing I have read all year, and I pride myself on knowing food additive codes. That bread was not bread. We are what we eat, and this episode is a reminder of exactly why that matters. After Hours is where science gets personal. Hosted by Dr Vincent, your friendly neighbourhood scientist and Stephen!This podcast is part of the Ask Dr Vincent on Substack. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode📩 Weekly newsletter every Sunday at AskDrVincent.com 📺 Full video episodes every Thursday after 5pm Let’s be mates! [https://linktr.ee/AskDrVincent] Get full access to Ask Dr Vincent at www.askdrvincent.com/subscribe [https://www.askdrvincent.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

In the Kitchen - After Hours #030

Everyday things we do in the kitchen that may be sabotaging our health and wellbeing. After Hours is where science gets personal. Hosted by Dr Vincent, your friendly neighbourhood scientist and Stephen!This podcast is part of the Ask Dr Vincent on Substack. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode📩 Weekly newsletter every Sunday at AskDrVincent.com 📺 Full video episodes every Thursday after 5pm Let’s be mates! [https://linktr.ee/AskDrVincent] Get full access to Ask Dr Vincent at www.askdrvincent.com/subscribe [https://www.askdrvincent.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Why are we not healthier?

With all the tech and innovation, why are we not healthier? After Hours is where science gets personal. Hosted by Dr Vincent, your friendly neighbourhood scientist and Stephen!This podcast is part of the Ask Dr Vincent on Substack. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode📩 Weekly newsletter every Sunday at AskDrVincent.com 📺 Full video episodes every Thursday after 5pm Let’s be mates! [https://linktr.ee/AskDrVincent] Get full access to Ask Dr Vincent at www.askdrvincent.com/subscribe [https://www.askdrvincent.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Health Halo Effect

This week on After Hours, we unpacked something that quietly shapes almost every decision you make in the supermarket: the health halo effect. It’s the idea that a single “good” word on packaging, like plant-based, natural, or added vitamins, creates a perception that the entire product is healthy. In reality, that same product could still be high in sugar, salt, or heavily processed. As I shared, this isn’t accidental. Brands understand how our brains work. We’re busy, we’re time-poor, and we rely on shortcuts. So instead of reading the back label, we trust the front. And that’s where the disconnect happens. The takeaway isn’t to become paranoid, but to become a little more aware. Most people genuinely want to be healthier, but the system doesn’t always make that easy. Between marketing, pricing strategies, and limited time, even the best intentions can be misled. My advice is simple: be a little more skeptical, focus less on the claims and more on the substance, and understand that “healthy” is not a label, it’s a composition. When you know better, you can choose better. And that’s really the goal, not perfection, but progress. After Hours is where science gets personal. Hosted by Dr Vincent, your friendly neighbourhood scientist and Stephen!This podcast is part of the Ask Dr Vincent on Substack. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode📩 Weekly newsletter every Sunday at AskDrVincent.com 📺 Full video episodes every Thursday after 5pm Let’s be mates! [https://linktr.ee/AskDrVincent] Get full access to Ask Dr Vincent at www.askdrvincent.com/subscribe [https://www.askdrvincent.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]