Another day, another headline about the dangers of ultra-processed foods, known as UPFs. These are foods not commonly found in a home kitchen, including emulsifiers, additives, flavorings, and processed oils.
Last week, the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey revealed that British teenagers may be getting two-thirds of their calories from UPFs. Then, at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, research linked regular consumption of ultra-processed red meats such as bacon, sausage, salami and hot dogs to a greater risk of dementia later in life.
Although Ro Huntriss, consultant dietitian and founder of Fertility Dietitian UK, does warn against completely blacklisting any food. “Although some UPFs can be high in calories and low in nutritional value, I would discourage people from completely avoiding such foods.
“While in an ideal world we would eat purely for nutrition, in reality that’s just not the case. People eat for a number of reasons beyond health and nutrition, such as celebrating occasions or simply because they like the taste of a dish, and that’s fine. Of course, we should generally eat with nutrition and our health in mind, but we can also eat for the pleasure that comes with it.”
And Simon Edwards, Raise and Replenish in-house registered sports nutritionist, agrees. “Determining the ‘worst’ foods is not easy. The most important factors are portion size and frequency of consumption.”
But it takes a lot of time to study labels every time you go grocery shopping, so we asked the experts to name the products we should look out for before we put them in our shopping cart.
1. Energy drinks
Every expert I spoke to warned against overindulging in energy drinks. “If there’s one thing all families could do, it would be to cut out these drinks,” says dietitian Lucy Upton, a specialist in paediatric nutrition. “Some UPFs that I would keep as occasional fun foods are energy drinks,” says dietitian Priya Tew, director of Dietitian UK. “They tend to be high in sugar and caffeine. If you enjoy them, have them occasionally, but generally you don’t need the supermarket versions on a daily basis.”
“My philosophy is that we shouldn’t demonize any food,” Tew continues. “I don’t think it’s feasible for every normal working person to eliminate all UPFs and we don’t need to because the categorization of these foods is confusing. Instead, I think we need to be aware of what we’re eating, the nutritional value of it, and moderate our portions and frequency of certain foods.”
2. Heavily processed red meat
“Processed red meat is now known to pose long-term health risks, such as colon cancer, but it can also be high in salt and saturated fat, both of which should be carefully limited in children,” Upton said.
Edwards says: “The worst foods depend on typical portion size. For example, one small pepperoni pizza a week is OK. However, a large pepperoni pizza contains about four times the recommended limit for saturated fat for a man, 50 percent more than the maximum recommended daily salt intake, and very little fiber.
“Heck sausages are 97 per cent meat and provide a quarter of the recommended daily salt intake, 286 calories per two sausages and just 0.1g of sugar. In contrast, two of Tesco’s top pork, cheddar and onion sausages are 75 per cent pork, 524 calories, half the recommended daily salt intake and 5g of sugar.”
Edwards advises an 80/20 approach to eating. This means getting 80 percent of your daily calories from whole foods and accepting that the remaining 20 percent can come from processed foods. This is something the NHS Eatwell Guide advises to achieve overall balance.
3. ‘Plastic’ cheese slices
“If there’s a food you really love, you don’t have to cut it out of your diet completely,” says Tew. “But we also need a healthy approach to eating. ‘Plastic’ cheese is often only 60 percent cheese and is very salty. Instead, use a regular cheddar, sliced or grated.” These slices are usually made by melting different cheeses together and adding emulsifiers.
“The plastic square cheese that is often bought in bulk for BBQs is highly processed,” says Lily Keeling, registered nutritionist at Green Chef. “Cheese itself is generally considered a processed food, but it has many benefits for you, such as protein and calcium, and can be fermented and contains good bacteria. I would encourage people to consume this in moderation.”
4. Very sweet breakfast cereal
“Some very sweet cereals are ones that you should eat less often,” Tew advises. “Why not pair them with a whole grain cereal as a topping?”
Action on Sugar, which calls for the removal of packaging from sugary products that appeal to children, names the following breakfast cereals: Lidl Crownfield Choco Hazelnut Pillows, Nestlé Lion Caramel & Chocolate Cereal and Aldi Harvest Morn Honey Nut Crunchy Cornflakes.
5. Slushy drinks, especially for children under 4 years old
“Not only do these offer little nutritional value for children, but they also contain an ingredient called glycerol/glycerine, which if consumed in larger quantities or in excess by children of lower body weight, for example under the age of four, can cause glycerol poisoning,” explains
Lucy Upton. “Mild symptoms [of glycerol intoxication] include headache, nausea, abdominal cramps and/or diarrhea. However, higher consumption levels can cause symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), unconsciousness and requiring urgent medical attention – in fact, many parents have probably seen several news reports about this in the past 12 months.”
6. Sugary drinks and carbonated drinks
“These beverages provide no nutritional value and can displace the intake of other foods,” Upton warns. “The high caffeine levels in some options can negatively impact children’s temperament, heart and sleep. While caffeine is highest in energy drinks, excessive intake of beverages like cola can also have an impact.
“Just half a can of a popular energy drink provides 27.5 grams of sugar, which is almost the recommended maximum amount per day for an adult, let alone a child or teenager.”
7. Instant soups
“This is a tough one,” says Keeling. “Ultra-processed soups are often loaded with sodium, which can seriously impact your health if you consume large amounts of them. Stay away from canned or dried soups and instead go to the refrigerated aisle, as these often have much better options.
“But some ready-made soups are made with whole ingredients and minimal preservatives. They are fresher and contain higher amounts of vegetables and fiber compared to instant soup.”