Ultra-processed food. The term is everywhere, and you might be starting to tune it out, along with buzzwords like “microbiome” and “anti-inflammatory.” But what exactly *is* ultra-processed food? And does it really matter? A sandwich is still a sandwich, right?
I used to think the same. But then I took a closer look at this so-called “buzzword” and realized there might be something to it. Ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, make up a whopping 57% of all calories consumed in the United States, even more so among children and lower-income populations. Research has linked them to a wide range of health problems, from dementia and cancer to depression and type 2 diabetes. It’s like the food we thought we were consuming was, in fact, consuming us.
I decided to try an experiment: cutting out UPFs for a week to see what, if any, changes I noticed. But first, what exactly *are* UPFs and why are they so bad?
The definition of UPFs can be a bit fuzzy, but Dr. Chris van Tulleken, author of *Ultra-Processed People,* puts it simply: “If it’s wrapped in plastic and has at least one ingredient that you wouldn’t usually find in a standard home kitchen, it’s UPF.” Think additives, emulsifiers, and modified starches – ingredients you probably wouldn’t recognize as real food. The exact reasons why these ingredients are unhealthy are still being studied, but the idea is that our bodies aren’t built for processing them in large amounts.
So, what does this mean in real life? Let’s get into my experiment.
Days One to Three
I naively thought cutting out UPFs would be easy. Just avoid processed meats and packaged cheese – no big deal, right? Wrong. The first three days were surprisingly tough. No sliced bread or muesli for breakfast, no pre-packaged sandwiches for lunch, no rice cakes for an afternoon snack. When a coworker offered me the remnants of her iced bun, I looked at her like she was trying to poison me. And in a way, she was.
Giving up UPFs meant cutting out a lot of sugar, too. I usually enjoyed a cookie in the evening while watching TV or grabbed a Coke for a midday caffeine boost. Without that easy access to sugar, I started to crave it like crazy. I found myself spooning honey (processed, but not *ultra*-processed) into my herbal tea and eating bananas as if they were an addictive drug. “Can I have one of your chewy vitamin supplements?” I asked my grandmother, only to have her snatch them away because they contained “sodium citrate” and “carnauba wax” – the latter being used to polish shoes.
Days Three to Five
My sugar cravings began to subside around day three (not because I was avoiding sugar entirely, but because I discovered that dark chocolate wasn’t a UPF, so I could still get my fix). My diet consisted mostly of rice, vegetables, fish, meat, and sourdough bread. Lunch was tricky, as bringing packed lunches to work every day isn’t always practical, but I found some workarounds. Leon’s Golden Glow Dhal, for example, appeared to be UPF-free, as were a few (but not all) of those Re: Nourish soups. The best strategy is to pre-make your lunches to avoid spending hours scanning ingredient lists for hidden emulsifiers.
Around this time, I also started to notice improvements in my sleep. I’ve always been a light sleeper, waking up at odd hours and tossing and turning. But now, I slept soundly through the night, waking up with a creased face like a baby after a nap. My anxiety levels also seemed to decrease noticeably – likely a byproduct of the extra sleep. An email I received on day four, one that would usually have sent me into a tailspin, simply didn’t bother me.
Days Five to Seven
Aside from better sleep and reduced anxiety, I didn’t experience any major physical changes by day seven. I suspect a week isn’t enough time for dramatic transformations. But I was surprised by the subtle changes I noticed in such a short period.
The biggest change by day seven was my perspective on food. Ice cream started to look strangely repulsive (shop-bought ice cream contains “xanthan gum,” a slimy substance produced by bacteria). Packaged biscuits seemed like little discs of… well, I’m not sure what. And vegan cheese, which I love, started to resemble a strange, glue-like substance.
Now, I’m not trying to be snobbish about it. I’m clearly going to have a biscuit every now and then. And most people, myself included, simply don’t have the time or budget to completely eliminate UPFs from their diet. But will I go back to eating sausages with the same gusto? Probably not. It’s just not as fun when you know they share an ingredient with insecticides.
This experiment showed me that even a small shift in my eating habits could lead to noticeable improvements in my overall well-being. While a completely UPF-free diet might not be realistic for everyone, understanding the impact of these foods can empower us to make healthier choices.
