A 2017 paper published in the journal Public Health Nutrition found the UK to have the most ‘ultra-processed’ diet in Europe. This is particularly true for children whose diet consists of 65% Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs). More and more evidence has been linking the consumption of UPFs with various health outcomes.
What are Ultra-Processed Foods?
Processing food is not always a bad thing. Fermenting, pickling, tinning and chopping are all forms of processing. For example, frozen vegetables, canned beans, or plain yogurt can be considered processed foods. However, UPFs are food products that have undergone extensive processing. They are far removed from their natural state and contain ingredients you would not find in your home kitchen such as artificial flavours, emulsifiers, colours and sweeteners, as well as preservatives. These additives can make them taste better and increase their shelf life.
Common Examples of Ultra-Processed Foods include:
- Margarine
- Fizzy drinks
- Packaged snacks such as crisps
- Breakfast cereals
- Ready meals
- Sweets
- Sliced-bread
- Processed meats such as hot dogs
What Makes Ultra-Processed Foods Unhealthy?
A 2022 study of over 22,000 people found that people who ate a lot of UPFs had a 19% higher likelihood of early death and a 32% higher risk of dying from heart disease compared with people who ate few UPFs. There are various potential reasons for this:
- UPFs tend to be low in fibre. Fibre helps regulate digestion and provides a food source for our gut microbiome. They also often contain additives such as artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin have also been shown to disrupt the balance and diversity of our gut microbiome. ⠀
- UPFs tend to be more palatable and less filling. This causes people to eat more. A study by the US National Institutes of Health compared an ultra-processed diet to a minimally processed one of the same calorie, fat, sugar and micronutrient value. Results showed people on the ultra-processed diet ate 500 more calories a day, leading to an average weight gain of two pounds in two weeks. Blood tests revealed that while on the ultra-processed diet, people had lower levels of appetite-suppressing hormones and higher levels of appetite-stimulating hormones
- Cooking methods used and the addition of additives in UPFs may contribute to several cancers. A recent UK study found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with a greater risk of developing cancer overall, and specifically with ovarian and brain cancers. It was also associated with an increased risk of dying from cancer, most notably with ovarian and breast cancers.
How Can We Reduce Our Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods?
Here are some practical tips to reduce your reliance on ultra-processed foods:
- Cook at Home: Cooking your meals from scratch allows you to control what goes into your food.
- Read Labels: Familiarise yourself with food labels. Look for products with shorter ingredient lists, and avoid those with excessive added sugars, artificial additives, and hydrogenated oils.
- Plan your snacks and aim to snack on whole foods, rather than pre-packaged snacks.
- Try and chose foods as close to its natural state as possible.
Alternatives for Common Ultra-Processed Foods
Here are a few swaps you could make for common sources of UPFs:
- Replace flavoured low-fat yogurt with plain full-fat yogurt. Sweet it yourself with fruit.
- Replace commercial breakfast cereals with homemade porridge or overnight oats.
- Swap cereal bars for fruit and nuts.
- Replace squash with water.
- Replace margarine with butter or if you are dairy-free use olive oil instead.
- Replace vegan “meat” with tofu.
- Replace sliced bread with organic sourdough bread.
