09/12/2025
🗣️ Let’s not demonise baked beans, fish fingers, oat milk or wholemeal bread (to name just a few healthful UPFs!)… Instead, let’s focus on the UPFs we really should be eating less of - like fizzy drinks, confectionery and fast food. These are the products that tend to be high in calories, saturated fat, salt or sugar, and low in the fibre and nutrients that support long-term health.
At its core, the UPF conversation isn’t just about what these foods contain, but what they lack. Many ultra-processed foods are energy-dense and nutrient-poor - and that combination, rather than the processing alone, is what’s linked with poorer health outcomes.
But that doesn’t mean all UPFs are the same.
Some are more nutritious, convenient, and can absolutely form part of a balanced lifestyle - especially when you’re feeding a family or juggling a busy life.
So instead of fear or scaremongering, let’s encourage people to:
✨ cook a little more at home
✨ base meals and snacks on whole foods most of the time
✨ choose more nutritious UPF options where possible
✨ understand ingredients without obsessing over them
✨ and take an 80/20 approach that supports both health and enjoyment 💃🏻
Because health isn’t about perfection - it’s about patterns, context, balance and confidence.
Do you agree? 🧐
🎥 Clip from my webinar today on UPFs with and - thank you so much to the 120 dietitians & students too who signed up to watch (a record number!).
- We explored the current evidence base on UPFs, including the fact that much of it is observational and varies in quality - which means we need to interpret findings with caution and avoid scaremongering.
📖 And if you want practical swaps, clear explanations and a no-guilt approach to understanding UPFs, my book How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed is now half price on Amazon - or you can listen for free on Spotify and Audible with a subscription! Nic x
