At Barefoot Nutrition, we believe in going back to the roots, literally. Our ethos is built around eating and living in alignment with how the human body evolve, and when you look at modern diets through that lens, one thing becomes painfully clear: ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have taken centre stage, and not in a good way.
But what exactly are ultra-processed foods? Why are they such a concern? And more importantly, what can we do to reduce them and reclaim our health?
What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?
Ultra-processed foods are not just your average takeaway or frozen dinner. They're products that go far beyond cooking or preserving real ingredients. According to the NOVA food classification system (used by the World Health Organisation), ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations made mostly or entirely from substances extracted from foods (oils, fats, sugar, starch, protein isolates) or derived from food constituents (hydrogenated fats, modified starch), with little or no whole food left.
In simpler terms: they're not food, they’re food-like products.
Common Examples of Ultra-Processed Foods:
- Sugary breakfast cereals
- Instant noodles and soups
- Soft drinks and flavoured waters
- Mass-produced bread and baked goods
- Sweet or savoury packaged snacks (crisps, biscuits, etc.)
- Processed meats like hot dogs and chicken nuggets
- “Meal replacement” shakes or bars
- Ready meals with long shelf lives
These products are often engineered for taste and convenience, not for nourishment.
Why Are Ultra-Processed Foods So Common?
UPFs are convenient, cheap, shelf-stable, and designed to be hyper-palatable. They’re everywhere; in supermarkets, vending machines, petrol stations, even in kids’ lunchboxes.
From a business point of view, ultra-processing:
- Extends shelf life
- Lowers production costs
- Enhances flavour and texture
- Creates a brandable, marketable “food product”
But from a human health standpoint, it’s an entirely different story.
Are Ultra-Processed Foods Bad for You?
In a word: yes. And not just because they contain more sugar or salt. The problem with ultra-processed foods runs far deeper.
1. Nutrient Depletion
UPFs are typically low in essential nutrients like fibre, vitamins, and minerals, and high in empty calories. Even if they’re fortified, synthetic additives rarely offer the same benefits as nutrients from real, whole foods.
2. Disruptive to Satiety
They’re engineered to be irresistible, with just the right combinations of sugar, salt, fat, and artificial flavours to keep you eating more. This overrides natural hunger and fullness signals, leading to overeating and weight gain.
3. Linked to Chronic Disease
Numerous studies have linked high UPF consumption to:
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Certain cancers
- Depression and anxiety
- Gut dysbiosis (imbalanced gut bacteria)
A 2019 study published in BMJ found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had a 62% higher risk of early death. That’s not just a small blip; that’s a red flag.
4. Harmful Additives & Hidden Ingredients
From artificial sweeteners to emulsifiers, colourants to preservatives, UPFs often contain a chemical cocktail our ancestors never encountered. Many of these additives are under-researched, especially when it comes to long-term effects on the gut microbiome, immune system, and hormone health.
5. Addictive Nature
The combination of hyper-palatable flavours, fast energy (sugar), and emotional reward makes UPFs very easy to overconsume. Some researchers even compare their brain effects to those of addictive substances.
The Paleo Perspective: Why our bodies struggle with UPFs
At Barefoot Nutrition, we follow a paleo-informed approach. That doesn’t mean we’re trying to live in caves, it means we respect our evolutionary biology.
For most of human history, we thrived on:
- Animal proteins and fats
- Wild plants, fruits, roots, and seeds
- Minimal processing (fermenting, drying, cooking)
In contrast, ultra-processed foods have only existed for the last 50–70 years, a blink in evolutionary time. Our bodies simply haven't adapted to handle refined seed oils, synthetic additives, and chemical preservatives on a daily basis.
That mismatch between our biology and modern diet is what fuels today’s health crisis.
So... Should you avoid all processed foods?
Not all processing is bad. There’s a big difference between:
- Natural processing: chopping, fermenting, drying, cold pressing, etc.
- Ultra-processing: stripping, extracting, re-engineering, recombining, and preserving with chemicals
Olive oil is processed. So is sauerkraut. But they’re minimally processed and nutrient-rich, the kind of foods our ancestors would have recognised. So, crowd out the bad by adding in more of the good - the goal isn’t perfection, it’s awareness.
How to Reduce Ultra-Processed Foods in Your Diet
Here are some Barefoot-approved steps to help you shift away from UPFs and toward real food:
1. Read Labels
If it contains more than 5 ingredients, especially ones you don’t recognise, it’s likely ultra-processed.
2. Prioritise Whole Foods
Build meals around real, recognisable ingredients: meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, nuts, fruits, and herbs.
3. Cook at Home
Even simple home-cooked meals are lightyears ahead of packaged ones. You control the ingredients, and that’s everything.
4. Replace, Don’t Restrict
Instead of just cutting things out, replace them:
- Swap fizzy drinks for sparkling water and fresh lime
- Replace cereal bars with boiled eggs or fruit and nut butter
- Try making your own trail mix instead of buying packaged snacks
5. Supplement Smartly
Even with the best wholefood diet, modern life can make it hard to get everything you need, and that’s where smart, natural supplementation can play a role. Our natural, bioavailable supplement range is designed to work with your body, filling in the gaps without synthetic fillers or isolated nutrients that do more harm than good.
Health Starts with Real Food
Ultra-processed foods may be the norm today, but that doesn’t mean they’re natural, or safe. At Barefoot Nutrition, we believe in simplifying wellness by getting back to what your body truly needs: nutrient-dense, natural food and real ingredients your body recognises and thrives on. It’s not about fads, fear, or guilt - it’s about making better choices.
For more information on The Barefoot Lifestyle and for our full range of supplements, please visit our website.
https://barefootnutrition.co.uk
https://barefootnutrition.co.uk/pages/100-natural
https://barefootnutrition.co.uk/collections/all
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10260459/
https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310
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