Ultra-processed foods: what they are and why they matter

Modern food is convenient, cheap, and everywhere — and that convenience has a downside. A lot of what we eat now falls into the ultra‑processed category.

This article is not about moralising food. It’s about understanding the environment we’re in, and making upgrades that are realistic.

What counts as “ultra‑processed”?

A useful way to think about it:

• Unprocessed/minimally processed: fruit, veg, eggs, oats, plain yoghurt, beans, meat/fish.
• Processed culinary ingredients: oils, butter, salt, sugar.
• Processed foods: canned tomatoes, bread with a short ingredient list, cheese.
• Ultra‑processed foods (UPFs): products formulated from many ingredients, often including additives like emulsifiers, flavours, sweeteners, colours, and “modified” starches.

UPFs aren’t just “food with ingredients.” They’re usually engineered for shelf life and palatability.

Where UPFs show up in everyday life

Common places you’ll find them:

• “High protein” snack bars and shakes
• Flavoured yoghurts and “breakfast” cereals
• Ready meals, fast food, packaged sandwiches
• “Low‑fat” products with lots of stabilisers
• Many sauces, dressings, and spreads

You don’t need to eliminate these to benefit. The aim is reduce reliance — especially when they start replacing real meals.

What research tends to suggest

Across a growing body of research, high UPF intake is associated with poorer health outcomes. This doesn’t mean every UPF is “toxic”, but it’s a consistent enough pattern to take seriously.

If you want accessible voices discussing this:

• Dr. Chris van Tulleken (author and doctor) has talked widely about UPFs.
• ZOE (nutrition science team) and Prof. Tim Spector often discuss how modern diets affect metabolism and gut health.

The most useful practical steps

These are the upgrades that work for most people:

1. Build meals around single‑ingredient staples (veg, fruit, eggs, oats, beans, fish, potatoes, rice).
2. Choose the simplest version of a product first (plain yoghurt over flavoured; oats over sugary cereal).
3. Make one “default” breakfast that’s repeatable.
4. Treat snacks like food: fruit, nuts, yoghurt, tinned fish, leftovers.
5. Keep ultra‑processed foods as optional extras, not meal foundations.

Want the shopping version?

We’ve started building practical “best‑of” shortlists for staples you can buy online:

• Best extra virgin olive oil (UK)
• Best organic oats (UK)
• Best chia seeds (UK)

(If you use affiliate links, it supports the site at no extra cost.)