Ultra-processed products now make up more than half the average diet in countries like the UK, and mounting research shows that they don’t just fail to fill us up.
They may be quietly rewiring the brain to reach for more food when it doesn’t need it, explains board-certified internal medicine physician, Dr Farhan Abdullah.
“Ultra-processed foods often lack nutrients but are high in sugar & calories, which can lead to over-eating,” the medical director of Magnolia Functional Wellness told GB News.
Because they’re primarily engineered for convenience and palatability, processed foods typically contain high levels of sugar, refined carbohydrates and flavour enhancers that promote excessive consumption.
Swapping ready meals for home-cooked ones could double the rate of weight loss
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Some key ultra-processed foods Dr Abdullah recommends swapping out include:
• Speciality coffee drinks
• Packaged snack foods
• Chips
• Candy
• Pastries
• Breakfast cereals
Last year, a study by University College London and UCL Hospitals NHS Trust established the first clear connection between foods of this kind and weight gain.
The research published in Nature Medicine showed that individuals who prepare meals from scratch using minimally processed ingredients shed twice as much weight as those consuming ready-made alternatives.
Both dietary approaches contained identical nutritional profiles, too, which suggests the degree of processing itself plays a significant role in weight management beyond simple calorie and nutrient content.
The trial enrolled 55 adults with an average body mass index of 32, placing them in the obese category.
Participants followed one dietary regime for eight weeks before returning to their normal eating habits for a four-week interval, then switching to the alternative diet for a further eight weeks.
Prof Chris van Tulleken, an author of the study and of the book Ultra-Processed People, said: “The global food system at the moment drives diet-related poor health and obesity, particularly because of the wide availability of cheap, unhealthy food.”
He added: “This study highlights the importance of ultra-processing in driving health outcomes in addition to the role of nutrients like fat, salt and sugar.
“It underlines the need to shift the policy focus away from individual responsibility and onto the environmental drivers of obesity, such as the influence of multinational food companies in shaping unhealthy food environments.”
Swapping out processed breakfast cereals for a minimally processed alternative can support weight loss
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Dr Samuel Dicken, the study’s lead author, noted that while previous research has associated ultra-processed foods with adverse health outcomes, not all such products are “inherently unhealthy”.
However, their softer texture and higher calorie density make overconsumption more likely.
The research team behind the study has called for significant policy interventions to tackle the issue.