Ultra-Processed Foods: What Are They and Why and How To Reduce Them.

Ultra-processed foods have become a dominant part of the modern, westernised diet, but their impact on our health is increasingly concerning. From convenience to affordability, these foods are tempting, but evidence suggests they come with significant health risks. This blog will explore what ultra-processed foods are, examples of them, the potential harm they cause, the NOVA classification system, and how you can reduce them.

What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?

Ultra-processed foods are industrially processed formulations made mostly from substances extracted from foods, such as oils, fats, sugars, starches, and proteins, along with additives like flavours, colours, emulsifiers, and preservatives. They undergo extensive factory processing such as extruding, moulding, high temperature heating and hydrogenation to create edible substances and are designed to be hyper-palatable, convenient, and often have long shelf lives.

They are not simply processed foods like canned beans or frozen vegetables; they are foods that have been so heavily altered and their natural structure changed that they bear little resemblance to their original ingredients. Foods with long lists of ingredients, especially ones that you don’t recognise and wouldn’t find in your own kitchen, are highly likely to be ultra-processed. For example, a sponge cake you would make at home would generally contain flour, eggs, sugar, butter and milk, whereas a pre-packaged sponge cake is likely to also contain preservatives such as potassium sorbate, acidity regulators like citric acid, humectants and emulsifiers, including polysorbate 60, gums and flavourings.

Examples of Ultra-Processed Foods

• Soft drinks: Loaded with sugar such as high fructose corn syrups or artificial sweeteners, they are the ultimate ultra-processed product.

• Packaged foods: Chips, biscuits, confectionary, mass-produced bread, some breakfast cereals, ready meals, fast foods, instant noodles/pastas, ice-cream, and other snack foods often contain high levels of saturated fats, sugars, and long lists of additives and artificial ingredients.

• Processed meats: Hot dogs, sausages, and deli meats are often packed with preservatives, sodium, and other additives.

• Sugary cereals: These are often marketed as healthy but can be loaded with sugars and artificial flavours and additives. In addition, they are often marketed to children with cartoon characters and appeal to parents due to the addition of synthetic vitamin and minerals.

Ultra-Processed Foods and the Human Body

Ultra-processed foods are linked to a variety of health problems. Research shows they are associated with weight gain and obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and all-cause mortality. A diet high in ultra-processed foods is often high in calories but low in essential nutrients, fibre, and healthy fats as they displace healthy foods in our diet leading to nutrient deficiencies, despite the increased calorie intake. The high levels of sugar, saturated fats, and sodium can lead to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that occur together including, high blood pressure, high blood sugars, high cholesterol, and abdominal weight gain, which increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. 

Emerging evidence links ultra-processed foods with poor gut health, including leaky gut, which allows the passage of our gut contents, such as partially digested foods, bad gut bacteria and their waste products into our blood stream, which leads to inflammation in our body, which consequently drives disease.

Furthermore, the additives in ultra-processed foods may have a cumulative effective, meaning the longer we are exposed to them the more they build up in our bodies, increasing our risks of these potential negative effects.

It can be hard to quit these foods as they are engineered to be addictive and manipulate our brain's reward system. A certain potato snack even highlights this in their tag line, “once you pop, you can’t ......” It hits the nail on the head, as well as potentially in our coffin!

What’s the difference between a processed food and an ultra-processed food?

Most of the food we eat goes through some kind of processing, even chopping vegetables and cooking them is a type of processing.  So how can we detangle the confusion about what constitutes an ultra-processed food? The NOVA classification system was developed by Brazilian researchers to categorise foods based on the extent of their processing. Whilst not perfect, it helps to demystify some of the confusion by dividing foods into four groups:

1. Unprocessed or minimally processed foods: Whole foods like fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds and grains.

2. Processed culinary ingredients: Substances extracted from whole foods by simple processing methods, such as oils, butter, salt and sugar.

3. Processed foods: Made by combining foods from NOVA 1 and 2 such as homemade cakes and breads or foods that have been altered by the addition of salt, sugar, or other culinary ingredients, such as canned vegetables, fruits in syrup, jams, pickles, and cheeses.

4. Ultra-processed foods: These are industrial formulations made entirely or mostly from substances derived from foods and additives that we discussed earlier (remember the sponge cake analogy; the homemade sponge cake would be NOVA 3, whereas the shop brought, packaged alternative would be NOVA 4).

How to Reduce Ultra-Processed Foods

Reducing ultra-processed foods starts with awareness. Here are some practical tips:

• Cook more at home: Preparing meals from scratch using whole foods is one of the best ways to avoid ultra-processed ingredients.

• Read labels: If the ingredient list on a product is long and includes things you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce, it’s likely ultra-processed.

• Choose whole grains: Instead of refined grains like white bread or pasta, opt for whole grain versions.

• Snack smart: Instead of reaching for biscuits, crisps etc choose nuts, fruits, or vegetables as snacks.

By making small changes to your diet and being more conscious of what you eat, you can significantly reduce your intake of ultra-processed foods and better support your health. 

If you need personalised support and guidance to help you revise your ultra-processed diet into a healthier alternative that the whole family can enjoy, then feel free to contact me via the booking page or clicking the button below. .

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References:

1. Fiolet, T., Srour, B., Sellem, L., Kesse-Guyot, E., Alles, B., Mejean, C., Deschasaux, M., Fassier, P., Latino-Martel, P., Beslay, M., Hercberg, S., et al. (2018). Consumption of ultra-processed foods and cancer risk: results from NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort. BMJ, 360, k322.

2. Hall, K. D., et al. (2019). Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: An inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake. Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67-77.

3. Lawrence, M. A., & Baker, P. I. (2019). Ultra-processed food and adverse health outcomes. BMJ, 365, l2289.

4. Monteiro, C. A., Cannon, G., Levy, R. B., Moubarac, J.-C., Jaime, P., Martins, A. P., Canella, D., Louzada, M., & Parra, D. (2019). The NOVA classification system. World Nutrition.

5. van Tulleken, C. (2023). Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind the Food That Isn’t Food. HarperCollins.

6. Whelan, K., Bancil, A. S., Lindsay, J. O., & Chassaing, B. (2024). Ultra-processed foods and food additives in gut health and disease. Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology, 21(6), 406–427. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-024-00893-5