Our Nutritional Therapist Abir explains the ins and outs of ultra-processed food. Is it really that bad for your health, including your gut health and overall wellbeing? How can we eat less of it? Read her guide to cut through the confusion and get the answers you need.
What is ultra-processed food?
The term ‘ultra-processed foods’ comes from the NOVA food classification system developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. They created four categories for food, based on how much they’ve been processed during their production. As you’ll see, it’s almost impossible to avoid eating some form of processed food, unless you’re only eating food from your garden!
Ultra-processed food categories
1. Minimally processed foods: Often referred to as ‘whole’ foods, these include produce such as fruit, vegetables, eggs, milk, seeds, lentils and fish that have no added ingredients or additives and haven’t been altered much from their natural state.
2. Processed ingredients: These are foods that are added to other food products instead of being eaten on their own. For example, salt, sugar and oils.
3. Processed foods: Processed foods combine the above two groups. These foods could be easily replicated at home. Examples include jam, chutney, tinned fruit, cheese, baked beans, homemade bread and baked goods. Salt, sugar and fat can be added to processed foods to extend their shelf life or to enhance their flavour.
4. Ultra-processed foods: These normally have more than one ingredient that you never or rarely find in a kitchen, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colours and flavours. They have a much longer shelf life than the above categories. Eating lots of ultra- processed foods can increase your intake of sugar, salt, calories and fat without you necessarily realising it. Some additives are also known carcinogens.
What are some common ultra-processed foods?
We understand that having time to cook with fresh, minimally processed foods every day is not always realistic with our busy lifestyles, and it can come at a cost too. Many companies make ultra-processed foods as affordable, accessible and addictive as possible. Watch out if you’re buying too many of the following examples of ultra-processed food:
- Sliced shop-bought bread
- Sweet and savoury packaged snacks such as crisps or biscuits
- Breakfast cereals such as Coco Pops
- Microwave ready meals
- Sweets
- Fast food
- Hot dog sausages and other processed meats
- Fizzy drinks and some alcoholic drinks
Are ultra-processed foods bad for my gut health?
Most ultra-processed foods are devoid of nutrients and fibre. Your gut ecosystem relies on this fibre as ‘food’ for the trillions of microbes that live there and that have an important impact on your health. In addition, the vitamins and minerals that you would find in more natural foods are also important for a healthy gut and therefore you could expect negative changes to your gut health if you eat an ultra-processed diet.
Read our guide to assessing your gut health to learn monitor the impacts of your diet.
There is increasing research showing a strong connection between ultra-processed food consumption and abdominal obesity (NIH), risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes (Nutrition Evidence), worse blood lipid and blood pressure profile (NIH), an increased risk of cancers (eClinicalMedicine), associations with adverse mental health (NIH) and dementia (Neurology).
A European study (NIH) of 19 member states found a significant positive association between national household availability of ultra-processed foods and national prevalence of obesity among adults. Simply put, the greater the availability of these foods, the greater the risk to health.
The effect of ultraprocessed food on gut health
How to avoid ultra-processed foods?
Cook at home as often as you can
Cooking at home is key to avoiding ultra-processed food. It will help you to clearly see what ingredients are going into your food. You could swap out shop-bought sauces or ready meals and instead, batch cook your favourite meal and freeze additional portions. You can then create your own ‘ready’ meal! Learning the basics of a pasta sauce using fresh ingredients can be a great way to start cooking more meals from scratch.
If you tend to rush out the door in the morning for work and buy a ‘to-go’ lunch from the canteen or from a local café, how about preparing your lunches the night before? Even just a small amount of meal planning can allow you to budget better, reduce waste and reduce your intake of ultra-processed foods.
Swap pre-packaged snacks for whole foods
The NHS have created a helpful tool for healthier food swaps. It doesn’t have to take lots of time and effort to prepare a healthier snack or drink option. Even just a couple of everyday swaps will add up and make your diet that little bit healthier. You could swap:
- Biscuits for a piece of fruit or fruited oatcake
- Crisps for wholegrain crackers topped with lower-fat cheese
- Split-pot, high-sugar yoghurts for plain Greek yoghurt with added fresh fruit and a dash of honey
- Unsalted mixed nuts and chopped vegetables with hummus are also easy and inexpensive snack options.
Learn how to identify ultra-processed foods
Ultra-processed foods often contain high levels of additives, flavour enhancers, hydrogenated/trans fats, salt and sugar. A survey conducted by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) in 2018 revealed that 43% of adults surveyed admit that they find it difficult to find reliable information on healthy diets. On a more positive note, 61% of adults said they always or often check nutrition labels on food. This is the first step to ensuring the food you eat isn’t packed with additives or high in sugars (including high fructose corn syrup) or salt.
Many food items have traffic light labelling on the packaging. The more greens, the better! Cut down on the labels with reds and ambers. If the traffic light system isn’t on your label, you can compare the amounts of sugars, salt or fat by looking at the amount per 100g on the nutrition information panel.
Additives like monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavour enhancer, gives that irresistible taste on the tongue that often makes you want more of it. Modified starches, such as maltodextrin are typically made using corn, wheat, or potato. These starches – derived from carbohydrate foods which naturally contain sugars – are often used to replace fats in foods and help reduce the total number of calories in that product. This is a tool widely used by ultra-processed food manufacturers because they do not have to be declared as sugar despite having a high glycaemic index (GI – or sugar content).
According to BANT (British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine), we should be choosing minimally processed foods that have fewer than five ingredients.
Nutritional Therapy and Dietetics at Benenden Hospital
If you’re looking for help to improve your nutrition, your digestive health and/or overall wellbeing by reducing your intake of ultra-processed foods, our team of specialist staff - including our Dietitian and Nutritional Therapist – can help. Our diagnostic department offers tests, scans and examinations, helping you to feel better, fast.
For more information, contact us via Livechat or call our Private Patient team on 01580 363158 to see what we can do for you.
Published on 13 August 2024