Ultra processed foods

Ultra-processed foods are foods that are altered so much that it can be hard to recognise the underlying ingredients. Made from cheap vegetable oils, flours, whey proteins and sugars, they are whipped up into something more appetising with the help of industrial additives and emulsifiers. Ultra-processed foods (or UPF) now account for more than half of all the calories eaten in the UK and US, and other countries are fast catching up. Some UPFs, such as sliced bread or shop-bought cakes, may not seem ‘ultra’-processed to us. And that’s why most of us do not get through the day without consuming a UPF.

Here are some examples of UPFs: your morning bowl of Cheerios or a pot of flavoured yoghurt; crisps, blueberry muffins or vegan hotdogs; a canned diet drink or a protein bar. When eaten on their own, once in a while, these foods are perfectly fine. But evidence now suggests that diets heavy in UPFs can cause overeating and obesity.

‘Consumers may blame themselves for overindulging in these foods, but what if it is in the nature of these products to be overeaten?’ says Bee Wilson.

What to take from all this information? I think it’s pretty much where I started at the beginning. I try to eat as wide a range of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, flours, pulses and sweeteners as possible, thus maximising the variety of flavours, colours and nutrients that my body is exposed to. It’s like betting on every horse in the race and it helps to support smaller farms, organic producers (more unusual foods are more likely to be produced on small farms) and helps support biodiversity.

I want to make it clear that while I eat healthily almost always, I also feel strongly that eating is one part of our brilliantly fallible humanness. So there is always a place for a trashy chocolate bar or a bag of chip-shop chips.

But broadly speaking, the same dietary changes – eating more vegetables, legumes, whole grains – that could help reduce the risk of diet-related, noncommunicable diseases could also help us meet crucial international sustainability goals.