Did you know that some supermarket breads are considered ultra-processed? How about breakfast cereal? You’ll be surprised just how many ultra-processed foods are currently in your diet, and how these foods are said to impact your health.
When we think of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), we think of foods that have been highly manipulated during production but recent studies suggest that there is so much more to ultra-processed foods than just that.
Non-processed foods are foods that are whole, like apples, nuts, and oats whereas processed foods are foods that have gone through some kind of process when being made like canned or pickled foods. Ultra-processed foods have gone through several processes and contain multiple ingredients (many chemical and artificial that you’d struggle to pronounce) - to make them easier and cheaper to produce, prolong their shelf life, and give them more addictive qualities. These foods started appearing on our supermarket shelves in the 1970s, and we’re only just beginning to see the long-term effects.
According to gut health experts at ZOE, “the consensus is that ultra-processed food is unhealthy. Diets high in ultra-processed foods have been linked with increased risk of heart disease, weight gain, cancer, and even mortality - but why? Processing changes the complex structure of nutrients in a food, which scientists call the food matrix. Furthermore, research has shown that changes in the food matrix alter the way our bodies respond to food, potentially putting us at risk of these health conditions.”
"In the UK the average shopping basket is made up of around 60% ultra-processed foods."
Award-winning nutritionist Robert Hobson adds “UPFs undergo extensive processing, containing ingredients not found in a typical home kitchen. These include extracted substances like fats and oils, derivatives like hydrogenated fats and modified starches, and laboratory-synthesised additives such as artificial flavours, colours, and emulsifiers. They are also quick to prepare and have a long shelf life. We should be aware of the foods as they are not good for our health and even more so in larger quantities. In the UK the average shopping basket is made up of around 60% UPFs. We should be focusing on consuming more foods in their most natural state.
Why are UPFs even a thing?
According to a National Library of Medicine report; "A major goal of processing is to enhance the safety of the food supply. Furthermore, preservatives retard the degradation of foods, thereby protecting their nutrient quality and reducing food wastage... non–ultraprocessed foods (NUPFs) may be more expensive and require more preparation time and resources than are available to segments of the population with food insecurity and very limited means. NUPFs may also have shorter shelf-lives, increasing the risk of food poisoning."
There is a risk that the UPF trend will end up demonising foods that can potentially exclude those on low incomes, without access to healthy food, or leave some people obsessed with food labels and ingredient lists. We should not be eating a diet that is made up mostly of UPFs but it is also worth recognising that some of these foods are not inherently unhealthy like some wholegrain breakfast cereals of plant-based alternative foods.”
Recent studies suggest that this applies to children too, as ultra-processed foods affect children in a large number of ways from obesity or cardiovascular diseases to their height, happiness, and cognitive development. A report by First Steps Nutrition Trust published in 2023 revealed that nearly a third of baby foods sold in the UK are ultra-processed - so children as young as six months are already being exposed to unhealthy processed foods at such a young age. But what can we do to stop this? First, we need to learn more about what exactly ultra-processed foods are, and how to spot them.
What are ultra-processed foods?
Ultra-processed foods have been altered during the production process - think crisps, cereal bars, carbonated drinks, pizza, ice cream, breakfast cereals, and biscuits. These foods often lack nutrients and are made purely for convenience; be it a quick bowl of cereal before the school run, or a ready-to-go packet of crisps on your lunch break. According to HEART UK on average, 56% of our calories in the UK come from UPFs - that is more than half the average diet. And according to Andrew Gregory at The Guardian “For some, especially people who are younger, poorer or from disadvantaged areas, a diet comprising as much as 80% UPF is typical.”
Common ingredients found in ultra-processed foods include unhealthy fats, refined sugars, salt, additives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, artificial colouring, artificial flavouring, and preservatives. According to the British Heart Foundation, “ultra-processed foods often contain high levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar and when we eat them, we leave less room in our diets for more nutritious foods. It’s also been suggested that the additives in these foods could be responsible for negative health effects.”
Examples of ultra-processed foods include:
- Mass-produced breads
- Some breakfast cereals
- Meat like ham and sausages
- Ice cream
- Crisps
- Biscuits
- Sweets and candy
- Fruit flavoured yogurts
- Soft drinks, fizzy drinks, alcoholic beverages
- Pizza
- Nuggets
- Readymade meals
Ultra-processed foods have been around for decades, but the term ‘ultra-processed foods’ was first coined by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, who were looking at developing a system to categorise foods that had been vigorously altered during the production process. The researchers developed the NOVA Food Classification System which enables food to be organised into groups depending on how much the food is altered during production.
Alongside ultra-processed foods, three other types of food emerged. The categories include unprocessed foods such as fruit, veg, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, etc. These foods are in their natural state, with very minimal alterations during the production process. The second category is processed ingredients such as salt, sugar, oil, etc., and processed foods like jam, tinned foods, pickles, cheese, etc. which have been altered slightly during the production process.
Award-winning nutritionist, Robert Hobson, author of Unprocess Your Life says; “Processed foods are different from UPFs. These foods are made by adding culinary ingredients such as salt, oil, sugar, and spices to unprocessed foods or unprocessed foods that have undergone a small amount of processing such as freezing peas or canning a legume. Other examples include canned vegetables, fruits in syrup, cheeses, and freshly made breads. These foods are still recognisable as versions of their original plant or animal source.”
Why are ultra-processed foods bad for the body?
Plenty of studies and research have been conducted over the years to understand and determine the effect ultra-processed foods have on the body. Most recently conducted studies have concluded that ultra-processed foods bring no nutritional benefits when consumed and often harm gut health, heart health, chronic diseases, and more.
Short-term effects
It’s not just the big scary diseases and long-term health conditions that can be impacted by regularly consuming ultra-processed foods, it’s the short-term effect they have on your body too. UPFs can affect behaviour and energy levels - be it concentration at work, or children paying attention at school. Has your child ever had sugar highs and crashes before? It’s probably down to ultra-processed foods. And the same can be said for you too, that burst of energy you get after eating an ultra-processed cereal bar followed swiftly by a headache. The added ingredients, the extra sugar and nasties that can be found in UPFs can impact you on a daily basis.
Alongside changes in behaviour, mental health is also said to be impacted by the high consumption of UPFs. According to a study conducted by Harvard Medical School in 2023 which assessed the eating habits and mental health status of more than 21,000 women ages 42-62 found that “those who ate the most ultraprocessed food, defined as at least nine servings per day, were 50% more likely to develop depression than participants who ate the least, which was defined as no more than four servings daily. Consuming many foods and drinks containing artificial sweeteners was linked to a particularly large increase in depression risk.”
As most ultra-processed foods contain next to nothing when it comes to nutrients, it's no wonder our bodies are unable to grow and develop at a healthy rate if we have a high UPF diet. This is particularly true in children who are constantly growing and developing. A study by Science Direct found that “frequent UPF consumption in children may also drive stunted growth”. Alongside this, early exposure to ultra-processed foods is said to “disrupt the development of a healthy relationship with food, fostering a preference for products that are typically, soft, sweet and artificially flavoured,” according to the Soil Association which can then in tow harm teeth health and jaw development. And it’s not just the day-to-day impact UPFs have on the body, the long-term suggestions are even more concerning.
Weight gain and body confidence are also being pressed with studies suggesting that a high level of ultra-processed foods in a child's diet can increase the risk of developing obesity later on down the line; “British children are consuming ‘exceptionally high’ proportions of ultra-processed foods, increasing their risk of obesity and damaging their health… Researchers found that not only do UPFs make up a considerably high proportion of children’s diets (more than 40% of intake in grams and more than 60% of calories on average), but that the higher the proportion of UPFs they consume, the greater the risk of becoming overweight or obese.” says one report by the Imperial College London.
Long-term risks
One of the most shocking things about ultra-processed foods is how they can negatively impact the body in the long run. One study published in The BMJ examined the impact of ultra-processed foods on more than 100,000 adults over five years. The study found that those who consumed more ultra-processed foods had higher risks of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cardiovascular disease leading the research to suggest an association between ultra-processed diets and heart disease.
Another study conducted in 2019 concluded a link between ultra-processed foods and weight gain. A recent study by Imperial College's School of Public Health - which was published in The Lancet medical journal concluded there may be an increased link between higher consumption of ultra-processed foods to an increased risk of developing cancer overall, specifically ovarian and brain cancers. Links to obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety have also been associated with ultra-processed food consumption.
Nutritionist Robert Hobson adds; “Recent research has shown that high intake of UPFs has been linked to 32 health conditions that include heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. The research is still not definitive on this and is over varying quality and strength but there is definitely an association between high intakes and risk of disease. Why this research initially gained interested was because after adjusting the findings for intakes of fat, salt and sugar there was still a high risk of disease meaning something else was going on which could be individual additives in the food, the food matrix being altered or a combination of things working together in the food to restful in negative health outcomes.
Another big issue is overweight and obesity. Whether on purpose or not these foods are engineered to be hyper-palatable which makes them hard to resist. The food matrix has been altered making these foods soft and very easy to digest so they can be eaten very quickly and in greater serving sizes as consumption often bypasses hunger signals to the brain. If you add to this the fact they are either very sweet or have a combination of fat and sugar that results in quick and heavy dopamine release triggering reward centres in the brain, it only adds to the fact they become irresistible. In some people, this is a big issue as they are predisposed to have a bigger appetite or propensity to addictive behaviours meaning they cannot stop themselves from eating. This is interesting as it puts to question that stupid saying of telling overweight people to move more and eat less when they are stuck in an environment that only fuels a desire to eat UPFs that is difficult to control.
They also replace other more nutritious foods in the diet meaning you may be at risk of nutrient insufficiency or even deficiency in some cases. It is a bit of a paradox that someone could be overweight or obese and have nutrient deficiencies but this can easily be the case if that person exists on a diet mostly made up of UPFs.
UPFs may also impact the gut microbiome and some studies are looking at the impact of artificial sweeteners and emulsifiers doing this. Artificial sweeteners can increase the body’s capacity to absorb glucose resulting in a greater high from the sugar and motivating you to consume more sweet food. Being much sweeter than natural sugar might alter taste receptors' sensitivity to sweetness over time. This could affect dietary choices, leading to increased intake of sweet foods to satisfy cravings. Artificial sweeteners might also trigger insulin release in anticipation of sugar, affecting how the body responds to real sugars when they are consumed, potentially leading to reduced insulin sensitivity over time.”
4 ways to reduce your ultra-processed foods intake
“It might sound like we should go back to eating only foods that are minimally processed, but with restricted time and budget, this isn’t an option for most of us. Although the evidence to suggest that ultra-processed foods are bad for our heart and circulation seems to be growing, the type and quality of the research means it’s still not clear that we need to completely exclude them,” says The British Heart Foundation.
- 1) Reading food labels - One of the most important skills when it comes to recognising ultra-processed foods is reading food labels. If you want to ensure that you either cut out or cut down on ultra-processed foods in your diet, you need to know how food labels work, how to read food labels, and what certain ingredients mean. This will help you determine what is processed or ultra-processed and whether you want to eat it. Ingredients to look out for include sugar, salt, additives, preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, artificial colouring and flavour - think E numbers, anything you don’t recognise as a ‘real’ ingredient or an ingredient you couldn’t buy yourself. Products with more than five ingredients, ingredients you may never heard of before, ingredients that have letters followed by numbers, or have high levels of salt or sugar are ultra-processed.
- 2) Make more from scratch - If you want to cut out ultra-processed foods from your diet, then all means do, however instead of eliminating these foods, you could focus more on the balance in your diet. Focus on minimally processed foods like fruit and vegetables. Make time for home cooking and swap shop-bought cookies and cakes for homemade versions instead. These little swaps will make a big difference overall. Learning how to make your own crisps, or baking fresh bread from scratch with your family is not only more rewarding, but is better for your health too. When making treats yourself, you will have control over exactly what goes into that food.
- 3) Download an app - Apps like YUKA allow you to search for and scan products, giving them a health score and identifying additives. A great one for those unsure of reading food labels or having trouble identifying ultra-processed foods during your weekly food shop.
- 4) Educate yourself - There are loads of books and podcasts available talking about UPFs, how they impact the body, and how we can avoid and swap in our diet. GoodtoKnow’s Editor Anna Bailey recommends the following reads...
Ultra-processed food alternatives
There are a variety of ways you can swap out ultra-processed foods that are currently in your diet - be it breakfast cereal or a slice of bread. One way to do this is as we mentioned above, comparing food labels. One bread may have a couple of different ingredients, whereas the other may have more than five some of which you’ve never heard of before. Opt for the bread with fewer ingredients - or try making your own bread.
The same for breakfast cereal, swap the sugar-coated Shreddies for porridge, Cornflakes, Bran Flakes, Weetabix - cereals that are less processed, with less sugar, salt, and any nasty extras. Next time you’re in the supermarket, compare the product labels and you’ll be rather surprised.
Nutririonst Robert Hobson recommends the following foods swaps:
- Fat free flavoured yoghurts - zero fat greek yoghurt with fresh or canned fruit
- Sugary breakfast cereals - unsweetened granola made with nuts, dried fruit and seeds
- Packaged bread - fresh wholemeal loaf
- Flavoured crisps - plain unsalted good quality crisp or corn tortilla
- Oat flapjack with chocolate - homemade energy ball (dried fruit, oats, cocoa powder) or plain dried fruit and nut bars like NAKD
He adds; “Processed foods are definitely real food as even a baked potato is potentially a processed food by definition as are frozen peas and canned chickpeas which are all very nutritious additions to the diet. Some UPFs at one end of the scale are more nutritious than others so I think if you are going to be eating them then those such as wholemeal bread and high fibre breakfast cereals are fine. Right at the other end of the scale, you have some foods that hardly contain single-release ingredients like Pringles and some protein bars.”
The main takeaway is to be aware of ultra-processed foods and understand what they are and what makes them ultra-processed. It’s about cutting down where you can but most importantly focusing on a balanced diet ensuring plenty of unprocessed foods are being favoured over processed and ultra-processed - the more our diets are made up of ultra-processed foods, the lower our daily nutrient intake.
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) concluded that caution is still needed when making dietary recommendations regarding ultra-processed foods because of limitations to the research available.
Rob Hobson is an award-winning registered nutritionist, with more than 15 years of experience. Accredited by the AFN and SENR, he also has degrees in nutrition, public health nutrition, and sports nutrition. Rob is the published author of three successful books, Unprocess Your Life, The Detox Kitchen Bible, and The Art of Sleeping. He has acted as Head of Nutrition at Healthspan since 2013.
For more on how to improve your gut health, we spoke to experts on how to quit sugar as well as finding out more about what is E171 and why it's bad for you.
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