Going shopping has become a minefield. I'm now in aisle 15, reading long lists of ingredients and anxiously wondering if what I'm putting in my cart is good for me.
Evidence is mounting that a large proportion of the food we consume may be harmful to our health, with ultra-processed foods (UPFs) behind a range of health problems.
But I was tired of constantly questioning my choices and worrying that I would hurt my baby if I served him chicken nuggets, so I gave my grocery list to a nutritionist to analyze.
Depending on who you ask or where the information comes from, a simple rule of thumb is that a product is considered ultra-processed if it contains more than five ingredients, including at least one not normally found in your kitchen, such as emulsifiers, additives and artificial flavours.
Evidence is mounting recently that ultra-processed foods are linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders such as diabetes, as well as mental health problems and even premature death.
But scientists, doctors, and nutritionists do not agree on the reason. Is it just because they contain high levels of fat, sugar, salt, and calories? Or does the industrial processing process itself also play a role?
Studies show that more than half of the calories we consume come from ultra-processed foods.
Chris Van Tulleken, who has written books and produced documentaries about the harmful effects of these foods, told me that these harms are “almost impossible to avoid,” stressing that his family’s diet also contains some of them.
My grocery list isn't devoid of ultra-processed foods either.
Maeve Hannan, a member of the British Nutrition Society, pauses for a moment, scanning my weekly shopping list (which, to be honest, contains a lot of fruit and vegetables), and points to a packet of bran flakes.
“This product is ultra-processed, but I buy it mostly for my family,” she says. “It has so many health benefits.”
Hannan says there is "a growing hysteria" about ultra-processed foods.
"This is mainly because the messages about it are presented very simply, saying this food is good and that food is bad," she adds.
It only feeds fear, and fear of food is not good.
What did the nutritionist think about my food purchases?
Contrary to what I expected, it wasn't that bad, which made me relieved. Although there are ultra-processed foods among them, that doesn't necessarily mean my purchases are unhealthy; Hannan said there is a "good mix of foods covering every food group."
She explained that just because some products contain a long list of ingredients does not make them “inherently bad,” and that nutritional value is “far more important.”
What about foods that contain ingredients whose names are difficult to even pronounce, let alone identify? My son's fried chicken, for example.
“There are mandatory vitamins and minerals that manufacturers are required to add to white wheat flour, such as calcium carbonate, niacin and thiamin,” the nutritionist said.
Raising agents, such as sodium diphosphate, are used along with sodium bicarbonate (baking powder) to make the crust crispy and light.
Hannan pointed out that even ingredients whose names sound very chemical have been tested and approved in accordance with UK food laws.
But she warned: “Although fried chicken pieces are a good source of protein, they contain more fat and salt than regular chicken breast, so I recommend eating them in moderation as part of a balanced diet.”
I told Hanan that my son usually eats it with raw carrot sticks and pasta.
She said: “There is no single food that makes your diet healthy or unhealthy. It is about achieving balance over time.”
Megan Bamford believes eliminating ultra-processed foods from her diet has helped her manage irritable bowel syndrome and chronic pain.
But now, as a mother of two young children, she finds it difficult to cook with raw ingredients all the time. As for her eldest daughter, Ella, seven years old, she has suffered from recurring problems with food since she was young.
“It's not always easy to feed your children what you think they should eat,” says Megan. “Ella has been ill in the past due to her being a very picky eater, and we had no choice but to give her ultra-processed foods from ready-to-eat packages.”
So Megan's kitchen is still full of fruits, vegetables, seeds and oats, but it now also includes breakfast cereals, chips, biscuits and other processed foods.
She looks for foods that contain five or fewer ingredients.
"Most of the snacks, pizza and breakfast cereals I buy are not ultra-processed, and I'm fine with that. I feed my kids the best way I can, and choose the healthiest options I can find," Megan said.
While many ultra-processed foods are high in fat, sugar and salt, which we know cause many health problems, some scientists say our understanding of what the processing process itself does to food is still limited.
“The idea of ultra-processed foods is not well defined,” says author and food scientist David Julian McClements.
He adds: "Focusing on the treatment element alone is a kind of misleading, and I do not think it is the main problem here."
Some studies suggest that the more processed a food is, the easier it is to overeat. Other studies link ultra-processed foods to changes in the gut microbiome, but McClements says there is no conclusive evidence that this alone is inherently harmful to our health.
But given that he works in the food industry, does he have a vested interest?
“Any successful food scientist works a lot with the food industry, and I think trying to get rid of ultra-processed foods stifles innovation,” McClements says.
He adds, "The nature of life has become more rapid and crowded with tasks, so ease of use and readiness have become an essential part of society."
“What I want is to redesign processed foods to make them healthier,” he says.
When I presented this opinion to Van Tulleken, he paused for breath. He had just been talking about the high amount of sugar in some breakfast cereals, waving an empty box of an ultra-sweet, chocolate-covered variety.
He added: "What we need first is better food labeling so that we know which foods contain high levels of fat, sugar and salt, which we know are harmful to us, and which constitute the majority of ultra-processed foods."
The Food and Drink Federation, which represents UK food and drink manufacturers, strongly rejected Van Tulleken's claims. It says it has invested millions of pounds “in creating healthier products” and that its members have “reduced the salt, sugar and calories in their products by nearly a fifth in the past five years alone”.
“This work was done in line with government regulations and nutritional guidelines, which focus on the nutritional content of food rather than its level of processing,” the federation said.
So, as I put four pieces of fried chicken on my son's dinner plate, along with carrots and pasta, I don't feel the usual shyness or panic. He is an active child, and does not eat these pieces every night, and he also eats foods from various food groups during the day.
He smiles at me and says, “This is the best dinner ever, Mom.”
I'm sure one day he'll eat less beige, but for now, he's healthy (I hope) and happy.
