by Another day, another headline about the dangers of ultra-processed foods, known as UPFs. These are foods not commonly found in a home kitchen, such as emulsifiers, additives, flavorings and processed oils.
Last week, the UK’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey revealed that British teenagers could get two-thirds of their calories from UPFs. Then research at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference linked regular consumption of ultra-processed red meat, such as bacon, sausages, salami and hot dogs, to a greater risk of developing dementia later in life.
Although Ro Huntriss, consultant dietitian and founder of Fertility Dietitian UK, warns against blacklisting any foods entirely. “Although some UPFs can be high in calories and low in nutritional value, I tend to refrain from telling people to avoid such foods completely.
“Although in an ideal world we would eat it purely for its nutritional value, in reality this is not the case. People eat for a variety of reasons other than health and nutrition, including celebratory occasions or simply because they like the taste of food, and this is okay. Of course, for the most part, we should eat with nutrition and our health in mind, but in part we can also eat for the pleasure it could bring.”
And Simon Edwards, registered associate sports nutritionist in Raise and Renew, agrees. “Determining the ‘worst’ foods is not a simple matter. The key factors are portion size and frequency of consumption.”
But it takes time to study the labels every time you shop, so we asked the experts to name the ones we can watch out for before we put them in our baskets.
1. Energy drinks
Every expert I speak to warns against overconsumption of energy drinks. “If there is one trade that every family could make, it would be away from these drinks,” says Lucy Upton, a specialist pediatric dietitian. “Energy drinks are among some UPFs I could keep because energy drinks often include fun foods,” says Priya Tew, dietitian, director of Dietitian UK. “These are often high in sugar and caffeine. If you love them, have them now and then but generally the supermarket versions are not needed on a daily basis.”
“My philosophy is that we shouldn’t demonize any foods,” Tew continues. “I don’t think it’s possible for every normal working person to cut out every UPF and we don’t have to because the categorization of these foods is confusing. Instead I think we need to be aware of what we eat, its nutrition and moderate our portions and the frequency of certain foods.”
2. Highly processed red meat
“Processed red meat is now recognized as having long-term health risks, e.g. colon cancer, but they can also be high in salt and saturated fat, both of which should be carefully moderated in children,” says Upton.
Edwards says: “The worst foods depend on the average portion size. For example, one small pepperoni pizza a week is fine. However, a large pepper pizza contains about four times the recommended limit for saturated fat for men, 50 percent more than the maximum recommended daily amount of salt, and very little fiber.
Heck’s sausages are 97 percent meat and provide a quarter of the recommended daily salt intake, 286 cals per two sausages, and just 0.1g of sugar. In contrast, two of Tesco’s best pork, cheddar and onion sausages are 75 per cent pork, 524 cals, half the recommended salt intake, and 5g of sugar.”
Edwards recommends an 80/20 approach to eating, which means eating 80 per cent of your daily calories from whole foods, while allowing the remaining 20 per cent to come from processed foods, which the NHS Eatwell Guide recommends achieve complete balance.
3. ‘plastic’ cheese chips
“If there’s a food you love, don’t feel like you have to cut it out of your diet completely,” says Tew. “However, we also need a sensible approach to nutrition. ‘Plastic’ cheese is often only 60 per cent cheese and very salty. Instead use regular sliced or grated cheddar.” 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, Green Chef registered nutritionist. “Cheese itself is generally considered a processed food, but it’s got lots of benefits for you like protein and calcium, and it’s fermentable and has good bacteria. I would advise people to eat this in moderation.”
4. A very sweet breakfast cereal
“Very sweet breakfast cereals are the least consumed,” says Tew. “Why wouldn’t they pair with whole grains as crops?”
Action on Sugar, which has called for an end to packaging that appeals to children on sugary products, names some of the worst cereals as 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
“Not only do these offer very little nutritional value to children, but they also contain an ingredient called glycerol/glycerin, and if eaten in higher or extra amounts for children with a lower body weight, e.g. under four years, it can cause glycerol intoxication,” explains
Lucy Upton. “Light properties [of glycerol intoxication] include headache, nausea, abdominal cramps and/or diarrhoea. However, higher levels of consumption can cause symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), loss of consciousness, which requires urgent medical attention – in fact many parents have probably seen various news reports about this in 12 last month.”
6. Sugar-sweetened beverages and sparkling beverages
“These drinks provide no nutritional value and can displace the intake of other foods,” says Upton. “The high levels of caffeine in some options can have a negative impact on children’s mood, heart and sleep. Although caffeine is the highest in energy drinks, it can also be affected by excessive intake of drinks such as Coke.
“Just half a serving of a common energy drink provides 27.5g of sugar, which is almost the maximum recommended daily amount for an adult, let alone a child or teenager.”
7. Instant soups
“This is hard,” says Keeling. “Ultra-processed soups are often loaded with sodium, which can have a major impact on your health if consumed in high amounts. Avoid canned or dried soup and instead head 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 have more vegetables and fiber compared to instant soup.”
