I’m a nutritionist – six ultra-processed foods you must stop eating… and the easy swaps you can make

Given they are absolutely everywhere you look, it’s almost impossible to avoid ultra processed foods.

Registered nutritionist Rob Hobson, and author of Unprocess Your Life, believes we shouldn’t demonise food and split our diet into ‘good and bad’, per se.

However, he agrees there are some UPFs that make the exception. 

From seriously sugary breakfast cereals to moreish savoury snacks you just can’t put down, here, Mr Hobson suggests simple swaps you could make to lower the amount of UPFs you eat. 

Chocolate breakfast cereal

Cereal that’s laden with sugary chocolate is ‘more like pudding’ than something you should start your day with, Mr Hobson said.

For example, a 30g bowl of Kellogg’s Coco Pops is packed full of 5.1g of sugar. Krave, similarly, contains 7.8g. 

Health bosses recommend cutting back on added sugar to no more than 30g a day because too much can lead to tooth decay and weight gain. 

It’s the high amount of sugar and soft texture which makes these breakfast cereals easy to overconsume in a short space of time, Mr Hobson explains.  

‘This is a characteristic of UPFs,’ he said. ‘In some cases these rapid breakdown of the foods can bypass hunger/satiety signalling in the gut.’

Despite many cereals containing a huge amount of sugar and sitting in the category of UPFs, wholegrain cereals can contribute to our daily intake of iron, fibre and B vitamins, the NHS says.

Even chocolate-flavoured cereals contain some added B vitamins. This means they are nutrient-dense UPFs.

But Mr Hobson says opting for less sugary cereal will still be better for you. 

‘I would agree that they can offer something nutritious to the diet, but in this case it may be about choosing the healthiest UPF which would be one that contains fewer ingredients and is higher in fibre and lower in salt and sugar.

‘I would also top it with nuts, seeds and banana to add some texture,’ he said.

Making this swap will help you to feel full between meals, it will also have less impact on your blood sugar levels, he explains. 

Processed meat

Bacon, hot dogs, canned corned beef and salami might all be processed meats — a food category demonised for decades.

Yet they are also UPFs and generally high in fat and salt.

Although it is a good source of protein and can form part of a balanced diet, eating too much processed meat increases your risk of bowel cancer, the NHS warns. 

‘Even before the attention on UPFs these foods like ham and salami have been shown to increase our risk of colorectal cancer when eaten in excess,’ Mr Hobson said. 

For a healthier swap, he suggests replacing processed meats with plant proteins or lean poultry such as chicken or turkey.  

Crisps

We don’t need to cut crisps entirely out of our diets, Mr Hobson insists… but plainer crisps might be the best option. 

Some savoury snacks and crisps are designed to make it almost impossible to put down.  

For example, Pringles promises that ‘once you pop you just can’t stop’. 

‘It takes a lot of ingredients to make these savoury snacks,’ said Mr Hobson. ‘And the very design of them means they fit easily into your mouth and are highly flavoured with a dissolvable mouth feel that makes it difficult to stop eating.’

Instead, if you are really craving the salty snack, he suggests it’s better to swap it for ‘good quality crisps that are just slightly salted’. 

That’s because plain salted crisps and snacks are most often do not contain extra additives, flavour enhancers and emulsifiers. 

Processed cheese slices 

Next time you want to make a cheese sandwich, use slices of real cheese and not processed squares, Mr Hobson recommends.

Milk and dairy products, including cheese, is a great source of protein and calcium and it can form part of balanced diet, the NHS says.

But Mr Hobson says it’s best to stick to ‘real cheese’ such as cheddar, feta and brie.

That’s because while processed cheese slices still contain calcium they are ‘loaded with emulsifiers used to give them the desired texture’. 

‘I would say just stick to real cheese slices to get the nutritional benefits in a more natural less processed product,’ he added.  

Fizzy drinks 

While fine as an occasional treat, if you are reaching for fizzy drinks every day you might want to consider a healthier swap.

‘Whether they are made with sugar or artificial sweeteners I would still try to leave them as an occasional drink or leave them out of your diet altogether,’ Mr Hobson said. 

He explains there is research to suggest drinking too many fizzy drinks can impact your gut bacteria and even lead to glucose tolerance.

‘There is research to suggest artificial sweeteners such as sucralose may impact on the diversity of bacteria in the gut,’ Mr Hobson said. 

‘Further research suggests the long-term use of artificial sweeteners may influence the body’s ability to manage glucose impacting on insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance although more research is needed here,’ he added. 

Instead, he suggests sticking to sparkling water with added fruit, veggies and herbs, such as cucumber or rosemary, to give it some flavour.  

Pre-packaged cakes and muffins 

We are all aware that cake is an occasional treat full of sugar and fat. But pre-packed cake is even worse.

Mr Hobson warns pre-packed desserts are high in saturated fat and sugar and their long shelf life means they also have a very long ingredients list. 

These ingredient lists contain as many as five emulsifiers alongside stabilisers and gelling agents, he explains. 

‘There is some research to suggest emulsifiers may impact on gut health but more research is needed,’ he added.

However, it would be hard to argue that any of these pre-packaged cakes are good for you.

‘It’s hard to find any sweet baked goods in the super market that are not UPF so short of making your own I would suggest opting for a healthier sweet treat like a pressed fruit and nut bar such as Nakd.’