Speaking Boost · B1 · Lesson 34 of 50
Speaking Boost B1 · Block 7: Health and Lifestyle

What happens when we eat ultra-processed food?

In a careful experiment, people ate about 500 more calories a day on ultra-processed food. Talk about food trends old and new, decide which ones to try, and review a restaurant like a professional critic.

1

Warm-up

5 min
1.1

Food and you

Answer and give a real example for each one.

  1. What is your favourite dish? Who makes it best?
  2. Do you cook at home often, or do you order in?
  3. Which food trend have you tried recently?
  4. What did you eat as a child that you don't eat any more?
  5. Which is the best restaurant you've ever been to?
  6. What food from another country do you love?
2

Words and phrases

10 min
2.1

New words

For each word or phrase, say one true sentence about food in your life.

2.2

Which word?

Choose the word or phrase that fits.

  1. Sausages and crisps are examples of .
  2. My mum's varenyky are the best in the world.
  3. I'm too tired to cook. Let's get a .
  4. This burger has no meat. It's .
  5. Always check the if you have an allergy.
  6. Bubble tea was a huge a few years ago.
  7. The soup had no salt and no spices. It was really .
  8. He travels to Italy just to eat. He's a real .
2.3

Opposites and pairs

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

  1. bland ↔
  2. home-made ↔
  3. to eat less of = to cut
  4. a healthy mix of food = a balanced
  5. looks delicious =
  6. sauerkraut and kimchi are
2.4

Useful phrases

Use each phrase to talk about food you love or hate.

  • It's the best... I've ever...Це найкраща..., яку я колись...It's the best pizza I've ever eaten.
  • It's one of the most... dishes in...Це одна з найбільш... страв у...Borscht is one of the most famous dishes in Ukraine.
  • I'm (not) a big fan of...Я не великий шанувальник...I'm not a big fan of spicy food.
  • It tastes a bit like...На смак трохи схоже на...Kombucha tastes a bit like apple vinegar.
  • I'd never tried... before...Я ніколи не куштував(-ла)... до...I'd never tried sushi before I went to London.
  • It's far healthier than...Це набагато корисніше, ніж...Home-made food is far healthier than takeaways.
  • I'm trying to cut down on...Я намагаюся менше їсти...I'm trying to cut down on fast food.
  • It's worth trying.Варто спробувати.It looks strange, but it's worth trying.
3

Read and react

8 min
3.1

Ultra-processed

Read the article. Hover over the dotted words for help.

What happens when we eat ultra-processed food?

Crisps, sweet breakfast cereals, sausages, fizzy drinks, many ready meals: these are examples of what scientists call "ultra-processed" foods. The term comes from a classification system developed by Brazilian researcher Carlos Monteiro. Ultra-processed foods are made in factories, often with ingredients you would never find in a kitchen, like colourings, sweeteners and flavour enhancers.

In 2019, a team at the US National Institutes of Health led by Kevin Hall ran a careful experiment. Twenty adults lived at the research centre for four weeks. For two weeks they ate ultra-processed meals, and for two weeks they ate meals made from minimally processed foods. Both diets offered the same amounts of sugar, fat, fibre and salt, and people could eat as much as they wanted.

The result was clear. On the ultra-processed diet, people ate about 500 more calories a day, and they ate faster. Scientists are still studying exactly why, but one reason may be that these foods are soft, easy to eat quickly, and designed to taste very good.

At the same time, other food trends are moving in the opposite direction: home baking, fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut, local markets and cooking from scratch. Interestingly, many "new" trends are very old in Ukraine, where grandmothers have been making sauerkraut and pickles for generations.

Experts don't say you must never eat crisps again. Their advice is simple: cook more often from real ingredients, and read the label.

3.2

True or false?

  1. The term "ultra-processed" comes from a system developed by a Brazilian researcher.
  2. In the experiment, people could eat as much as they wanted.
  3. People ate less on the ultra-processed diet.
  4. Scientists know exactly why ultra-processed food makes people eat more.
  5. Fermented foods have a long tradition in Ukraine.
3.3

What do you think?

  1. How much ultra-processed food do you eat? Be honest!
  2. Do you read food labels? What do you look for?
  3. Which "new" food trends were already normal in your grandmother's kitchen?
  4. Why is cooking at home harder for many people today?
4

Grammar for speaking

10 min
4.1

Grammar for speaking

Superlatives

the + -est / the most + adjective.

the best, the worst, the spiciest, the most delicious

the + superlative + I've ever + past participle

For personal experience.

It's the best soup I've ever tasted. That was the worst meal I've ever had.

one of the + superlative + plural noun

Very common and natural.

It's one of the most popular dishes in the world.

Comparatives review (Lesson 7): far / much / a bit + comparative, (not) as ... as, the more..., the more. Home-made bread is far tastier than shop bread. The more spices, the better! Careful: ✗ the most tasty → the tastiest. ✗ one of the best dish → dishes.

4.2

Choose the right form

  1. It's the
    borscht I've ever eaten.
  2. This is the
    curry on the menu.
  3. It's one of the most popular
    in Italy.
  4. That was the worst meal I've
    .
  5. Home-made food is
    than takeaways.
  6. This cake isn't
    the one we had yesterday.
  7. I cook, the more I enjoy it.
  8. It's the most
    thing on the menu.
4.3

Fix the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

  1. It's the most tasty pizza in town. →
  2. It's one of the best dish I know. →
  3. It's the worst food I never ate. →
  4. This is more spicier than that. →
  5. Sushi isn't as cheap than pizza. →
  6. He is the better cook in our family. →
4.4

Talk about it

Answer in detail. Use superlatives and comparatives.

  1. What is the best meal you've ever had? Where and when?
  2. What is the strangest food you've ever tried?
  3. What is one of the most famous dishes from your region? How is it made?
  4. Compare home-made food and takeaways. Which is better, healthier, cheaper?
  5. What is the worst food trend you've ever seen?
  6. Who is the best cook you know? What makes their food special?
5

Try it or skip it?

8 min
5.1

Food trends

For each trend: have you tried it? Would you try it? Is it healthy, tasty, worth the money? Which trend do you think will last?

Trend 1

Plant-based burgers

  • Look and taste like meat
  • Made from peas or soy
  • Often quite processed
  • Popular with young people
Trend 2

Fermented everything

  • Kombucha, kimchi, kefir
  • Said to be good for your gut
  • Homemade or expensive in shops
  • Old tradition, new fashion
Trend 3

Viral TikTok food

  • Desserts created for the camera
  • Huge queues outside cafés
  • Very sweet and very expensive
  • Popular for a few weeks
5.2

Ukrainian food for the world

Use superlatives and food vocabulary.

  1. Which Ukrainian dish could become the next world food trend? Why?
  2. How would you "sell" it to foreigners: describe its taste, ingredients and story.
  3. What would you change to make it more modern?
  4. Which Ukrainian food do you think foreigners would never like?
6

Personal questions

10 min
6.1

Part I: Me

  1. What is the best thing you can cook?
  2. Do you follow any food trends?
  3. What do you usually have for breakfast?
  4. Do you read labels when you shop?
  5. How often do you eat out or order in?
  6. What food reminds you of your childhood?
  7. Is there any food you can't stand?
  8. Have you ever tried a vegetarian or vegan meal you loved?
6.2

Part II: Other people

  1. Who cooks most in your family? Has that changed?
  2. Should schools teach children to cook?
  3. Why do young people order food more often than their parents did?
  4. Are food bloggers changing what we eat?
  5. Which country has the best food in the world?
  6. Should ultra-processed food have warning labels?
6.3

Part III: Thinking deeper

  1. Is eating meat going to become less common in the future?
  2. Should unhealthy food be more expensive?
  3. Is cooking at home a luxury today?
  4. Do food trends help or harm our health?
  5. Should restaurants show calories on menus?
  6. Is food an important part of national identity?
7

Roleplay

10 min
7.1

The restaurant critic

You

Restaurant critic

You are a famous restaurant critic. Review a real restaurant or café you have been to (or invent one). Present your review on a radio programme:
  • where it is and what kind of place it is
  • the best and worst dishes you tried
  • how it compares to other places
  • your final verdict and star rating
Speak for at least 3 minutes in total. Use superlatives and comparatives.
Your teacher

Radio host

Asks short questions, for example:
  1. What was the best thing you ate?
  2. Was it worth the money?
  3. How does it compare to its competitors?
  4. Would you go back?
7.2

The new café

You

Café owner

You are opening a new café that follows food trends but also respects tradition. Present your menu to an investor:
  • the concept and who your customers will be
  • three signature dishes: ingredients and taste
  • what makes it different from other cafés
  • how it will be healthy and still delicious
You do most of the talking. Use: It's one of the most... · It tastes a bit like... · It's far healthier than... · It's worth trying because...
Your teacher

Investor

Asks short questions, for example:
  1. Why would people choose you?
  2. Isn't that trend going to disappear?
  3. How much will a meal cost?
  4. Is it suitable for vegetarians?
8

Debate

7 min
8.1

Agree or disagree?

"Ultra-processed food should be taxed like cigarettes."

Ideas for

It makes people eat more and can damage health. A tax would make healthy food more competitive. The money could pay for healthcare.

Ideas against

People should be free to choose. Poor families would pay more for basic food. Not all processed food is unhealthy. Education works better than taxes.

Round 1: give your real opinion for 1–2 minutes. Round 2: defend the opposite side for 1 minute. Use: It's one of the biggest... · Research shows that... · It's far better to... · All things considered...

9

Homework

at home

Your homework score

Do all four exercises, then press Check all homework. Correct answers will appear next to your mistakes.

– / 30
H1

Complete with a word

processedhome-madetakeawayplant-basedingredientsblandspicyfoodie
  1. Try to avoid food like sausages and crisps.
  2. Her jam is delicious.
  3. We were tired, so we got a Chinese .
  4. This milk isn't from a cow. It's .
  5. What are the of this cake?
  6. The pasta had no taste. It was so .
  7. This chilli sauce is too for me!
  8. My friend is a real — she knows every restaurant in town.
H2

Superlatives and comparatives

  1. It's the cake I've ever eaten.
  2. This is the dish on the menu.
  3. It's one of the most famous in Ukraine.
  4. It was the worst meal I've .
  5. Home cooking is than eating out.
  6. This soup isn't my mum's.
  7. you practise, the better you cook.
  8. She's cook in the family.
H3

Correct or incorrect?

Decide if each sentence is grammatically correct.

  1. It's the tastiest soup I've ever tried.
  2. It's the most tasty pizza.
  3. It's one of the best restaurants in Lviv.
  4. This is more spicier than that.
  5. Home-made food is far healthier than takeaways.
  6. It's the worst film I never saw.
  7. The more I cook, the more I enjoy it.
H4

Match the two halves

  1. It's the best pizza
  2. Borscht is one of the most famous
  3. I'm not a big fan of
  4. Kombucha tastes a bit like
  5. I'd never tried sushi
  6. Home-made food is far healthier
  7. It looks strange,

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