The Rise of UPF’s

It was the early 20th century where we saw the development of food processing. Canning, refrigeration and pasteurisation started to emerge as a way of preserving food, but it became increasingly popular after World War 2 where technologies were adapted even further, and we saw the introduction of convenient, ready-made meals and snacks.

Throughout the 1950’s -1970’s, ‘tv dinners’ became a trend and food companies began making cheap and easy to prepare food products including noodles, meal replacement shakes (hello slimfast) and if you grew up in that era, I’m pretty sure you’ll remember the Betty Crocker one pan cake mix!

By the 90’s, further advances in technology and engineering led to the use of refined ingredients including seed oils, sweeteners, emulsifiers and stabilisers. Their high margins and long shelf life drove the use of ultra processed food industry even more and here we are today, where over 50% of the foods we consume in the UK is ultra processed.

Ultra processed foods Vs Processed foods

“Ultra-processed foods are formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, that result from a series of industrial processes.” Although they have the word food in their description, they are in fact not food, but foodlike substances which go through chemical processes and then assembled into ready-to-consume hyper-palatable food and drink products using flavours, colourings, emulsifiers and additives.

Most foods, however, will go through a process so it’s important to not confuse processed with ultra-processed. If we take plain Greek yoghurt as an example, it will go through a heating process of pasteurisation to kill any unwanted bacteria to make sure it is safe to consume. Cultures are then added to the yoghurt where it is left to ferment and eventually it will be strained of any excess liquid and the yoghurt will remain. Although this yoghurt has gone through a process, it is still incredibly nutritious providing us with a great source of protein, fat and probiotics.

However, if we take a flavoured yoghurt that contains added colourings, flavourings, and sweeteners, this yoghurt then becomes ultra processed. The difference between the two is that the flavoured yoghurt has added ingredients that are industrial formulations made from substances derived from foods, often with little to no whole food content.

Food companies are not obligated to state their processing methods so it can be tricky to identify ultra processed foods as the labelling can be misleading. You’d expect a fruit yoghurt to be healthy and have minimal ingredients in but unfortunately, it’s not that straight forward.

The impact UPFs are having on our health

A meta-analysis search identified associations with greater UPF exposure and higher risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and even anxiety.

Epidemiological studies have also indicated an increased risk with the consumption of UPFs and gut diseases including Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and even colorectal cancer. Food additives found in UPFs have been shown to affect the gut microbiome and contribute to increased intestinal permeability and inflammation.

Consuming excess UPFs has also been linked to obesity. When we consume whole foods, we release hormones to alert us that we are satiated which triggers us to stop eating. The food like substances in UPFs are added to make us want more of the product and the soft texture means we aren’t even having to chew very much to break down the food so we don’t always receive that message to say that we are satiated, driving us to eat more. How often have you gone to the cupboard to have a handful of crisps, only to keep going back until the bag is empty?! It’s not necessarily down to a lack of willpower as it’s the ingredients in them that makes us want more! This overconsumption of UPF’s contributes to obesity, and poor metabolic health that drives inflammation which can affect so many bodily systems including metabolic, gut, and mental health.

Tips on reducing UPFS

Whether UPFs are entirely unavoidable is really down to the individual. Most of us already have a to do list as long as our arms, so how realistic is it to make every meal from scratch? Opting for more whole foods is also more costly in a lot of cases, so consuming only wholefoods may not always be an option.

Whilst it may not be realistic for everybody to only eat wholefoods, there are things we can do to make better choices and reduce our consumption of UPFs which can be supportive for our overall health and wellbeing.

Check label for any UPFs — **Check the ingredients** **list**

You shouldn’t just rely on the front packaging of products as marketing companies often use buzz words or phrases such as ‘high in protein’ ‘low sugar’ or ‘rich in vitamins and minerals ’ etc to make us think we are buying a healthy product.
An easy way to identify whether a product is ultra processed is to look at the ingredients and if it contains ingredients that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen cupboards or use in your own cooking, it is likely to be ultra processed. You will also notice the words are difficult to pronounce which is also another indicator of an ultra-processed ingredient.

2. **Look for alternatives**

You will often find alternatives to your favourite foods that will have less ultra processed ingredients and are not always more expensive. Double cream is one example where the supermarket home brand contains nothing but milk, whereas the premium brands have additional unnecessary additives and stabilisers

**3. Stock up on canned goods**

Often we reach for convenient foods because we’re in a rush and don’t have time to make something from scratch. Stocking up on tinned fish, beans and pulses means we have a good quality protein source available without having to do anything. They are also versatile and can be added to toast or paired with salads and vegetables and you have yourself a nutritious meal ready in under 10 minutes.

4. **Make your own snacks**

Shop bought cakes, biscuits and snacks are full of ultra processed ingredients. These can easily be replaced by making your own and will arguably taste a lot nicer!

5. **Make the most of your freezer**

Frozen fruit and vegetables are rich in nutrients and in some cases, more nutrient dense than exported fruit and vegetables. You also don’t have to spend time chopping them as they are already prepped so you just need to boil them in a pan.
It’s also great for storing leftovers. Why not give batch cooking a go? You’ll be amazed at how much you can do in 1 hour and your future self with thank you for it!

Are UPF’s here to stay?

Ultra processed foods currently dominate our supermarket shelves and have become increasingly popular for a number of different reasons. In the 1970's, women were sold this idea that they no longer had to be stay at home house wives, they could have careers and still feed their families through convenience food which lead to a surge in popularity in ready meals.

Over time, technology evolved and manufacturers were able to make more products that were cheap to make yet hyper palatable. UPFs has even played a role in us cultivating new habits around food; opting for convenient products and takeaways over home cooked meals.

What has recently changed though is more awareness and understanding of the impact UPFs are having on our physical and mental health. Could this new understanding be the trigger we all need to eat more wholefoods?