A stark contrast to what you see on Instagram today, Joe Wicks admits to having a “very unhealthy diet as a child”.
Nowadays, the TV fitness coach and cookbook author’s social media is full of healthy recipes using whole ingredients – often cooking alongside his four children: Indie, eight, Marley, six, Leni, three, and Dusty, two.
But it wasn’t always like that. “I had a very unhealthy diet as a child,” says Wicks, 40, who guesses around 90 per cent of it involved ultra-processed food.
“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 – it just wasn’t. 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’t have the skills and knowledge to cook – it was not in her vocabulary.”
This meant Wicks’ early exposure to food was “a lot of sugar, a lot of ultra-processed food” – and he says that’s affected him today: “When I do consume it [now], I can’t eat it in moderation.”
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.
Now he’s a father, he’s increasingly concerned about how ultra-processed foods are targeted at kids – and how it might affect young people’s health.
“We’re taught to reward children with sugar,” he notes. “It’s 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, fat and sugar, so when you eat a cookie, or a doughnut, or a brownie – you can’t put it down, you want to eat the whole packet.
“Then you realise, that’s what we’re up against, because not many people can consume these foods in moderation.”
And for Wicks, these ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are “everywhere you go” when you have children: “They’re in lunch boxes, they’re on planes, they’re at soft plays, they’re at farms,” which can result in a “tug-of-war” between the parent wanting to give their kids healthy food, and their children demanding sweets.
open image in galleryHe 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’s “a tough message to hear that the food we’re consuming is affecting our health, our mental health, increasing the risk of type two diabetes, obesity and all the diet-related diseases around that”.
In the lead-up to the documentary, Wicks remembers getting “hammered” on social media, “From fitness influencers, nutritionists, dietitians, doctors”, who he says were unhappy with the links he was making between UPFs and physical and mental health.
The experience obviously shook Wicks, who says: “I was upset. I was emotional. I was sensitive, and it proper knocked my confidence, thinking: ‘Why am I putting myself out there? Why did I do this documentary? Why did I share this?
“I 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.”
Plus, he suggests that the next five to 10 years will bring even more research backing up his claims into UPFs, but acknowledges it’s hard for families – particularly those on low-incomes – to eat healthily.
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 – it just wasn’t
Joe Wicks
While the documentary called on the government for a response to whether it could put health warnings on certain foods, Wicks calls it “disheartening” he never heard anything back. And we won’t catch Wicks doing a follow-up documentary any time soon (“absolutely not”, he says firmly), but he’s still going to be fighting UPFs in other ways.
“I’m not going to spend my life doing documentaries and putting myself in the fire – I can just be part of the solution,” he explains, whether that’s sharing his recipes on social media, encouraging people to think more about their food, and doing what he does best: getting people moving. “I’m constantly trying to use my energy in positive ways that are making an impact in that moment, as opposed to trying to convince the government to change policy.”
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.
None of Wicks’ kids are fussy eaters, which he credits to exposing them to all kinds of food from early on. “I always remember when I started weaning Indie, my first girl, people would be saying, ‘Wait until she’s three, wait until she hits four – it all changes’.
“I was always waiting for this moment where my kids would stop eating healthy food, but I realised actually, if you’re consistent and the only thing on the table is healthy food, then you don’t have that issue. They do get to enjoy treats and they do get to enjoy ultra-processed foods, but it’s not an everyday occurrence: it’s not in the house all the time.”
There’s plenty of bold flavours and variety in his new cookbook, with recipes for curries, stir-fries, colourful tray bakes and more – a far cry from the beige, tasteless dishes that are always on kids’ menus.
Wicks has a firm “one family, one recipe” rule – meaning you won’t see him whipping up an alternative meal to cater for different children. If one of his kids doesn’t like dinner, he won’t offer an alternative – he’ll often put it in the fridge, tell them to play for an hour, and come back to it when they’re hungry.
He is also trying to teach them “how foods make you feel”, he says. “I never say ‘good food’, ‘bad food’, I don’t say junk food. I say, ‘This is whole food’, ‘This is a processed food’ – some things make you feel really good and energised, and you’re going to feel great. Other things are going to make you feel tired and sleepy and bloated, and it’s going to bring your mood down.
open image in gallery“I let them choose – I’m not someone who’s saying, ‘You can’t have these things’. If we’re out and about and it’s a weekend, we’ll have a pudding an an ice cream, or if we’re at the park, we might grab a lolly.
“But I don’t have cupboards full of this stuff because if I did, guess what? I’d be eating it every day, and they’d be eating it every day. And that’s the simple fact of it.”
Cooking with his kids – and encouraging others to do the same – is central to Wicks’ mission, who calls it “the most valuable life skill you’ll ever give your child”.
“We know food affects our mood, and if you have a child or a teenager that just eats UPFs, doesn’t want to cook, their mental health and their energy and their mood through their life will never quite be at its best. They’ll never quite be optimised.
“So if we get kids to love cooking, they’re going to be independent, they’re going to move out, they’re going to cook. They’re not going to be ordering food on a takeaway [app] every night. It’s going to change their life.”
Cheesy smashed beef quesadillas recipe
open image in gallery“These are like a cross between a smash burger and a cheesy quesadilla. My kids love making these together,” enthuses Joe Wicks. “One 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.”
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 minutes | Cook time: 7 minutes per quesadilla
Ingredients:
500g lean minced beef
1 tbsp taco seasoning
8 plain tortilla wraps
½ red onion, finely sliced
Olive oil, for frying
75g cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chopped salad:
3 tbsp mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tsp)
2 little gem lettuces, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
6 pickled jalapeno slices, finely chopped
100g radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
For the chunky guacamole:
2 ripe avocados, stoned, peeled and roughly chopped
Juice of 2 limes (about 1 tbsp)
½ red onion, finely chopped
Small handful coriander leaves, chopped
Method:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
6. Mix the chopped salad with the sauce. Cut the quesadillas into wedges and serve with the salad and chunky guacamole.
Thai red curry with prawns
open image in gallery“This is a very tasty version of a Thai red curry using prawns and aubergine,” says Wicks. ” I always make sure I’ve 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.”
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 aubergines, trimmed and cut into batons 2-3cm thick
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce or light soy sauce
1 tsp honey
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tsp)
300g raw peeled king prawns, defrosted if frozen
120g baby spinach
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of Thai basil leaves, to finish
Jasmine rice, to serve
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan/gas mark 7) and line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
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.
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.
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.
5. Serve the curry over a bed of jasmine rice, finished with a sprinkling of Thai basil leaves.
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.
Beetroot falafel burgers
open image in gallery“Something 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,” says Wicks.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
For the burgers:
500g raw beetroot, peeled, trimmed and coarsely grated
65g gram flour, or chickpea flour
20g panko breadcrumbs
½ tbsp ras el hanout
1 tsp ground cumin
15g coriander leaves and stalks, roughly chopped
Juice of ½ lemon (about 1 tbsp)
15g sesame seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tahini sauce:
3 tbsp tahini
Juice of 1 lemon (about 1 tbsp)
1 tsp honey
To assemble:
4 butter lettuce leaves, or any lettuce of your choice
4 wholemeal buns, cut in half
2 tomatoes, sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
3 baby cucumbers, pared into ribbons lengthways using a vegetable peeler
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan/gas mark 6) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘Healthy Start’ by Joe Wicks (Leap, £22).