Life changes after 18 months without ultra-processed food

Among the numerous strategies I’ve employed to enhance my health and manage my weight, I never anticipated this one to have the most profound effect. Eighteen months ago, in January 2024, I made the decision to completely eliminate ultra-processed foods from my diet.

This journey began with the all-too-familiar feeling of starting a new year feeling lethargic, fatigued and bloated after the festive indulgence of December. However, it has evolved into something far more significant – it’s no overstatement to say the impact has been utterly transformative, altering my dietary habits, my physical form and my understanding of food. What’s truly astounding is how effortless the transition has been.

I haven’t reduced my food intake, counted calories or fretted over fats or carbs.

This means the changes are far more likely to become lifelong habits, enhancing my prospects for a healthier future.

Here are the four major ways my life has transformed:

• I lost weight
• I enjoy so many more foods than I used to
• I perform far better when exercising
• I know a lot more about what goes into our food and how manufacturers get us to over-eat.

I’ll delve into each of these points individually, but first, let’s briefly define what constitutes ultra-processed food and how I eliminated it from my diet.

In essence, ultra-processed food (also referred to as UPF) is food that contains ingredients not typically used in home cooking, or that has undergone industrial processing. It’s often a combination of both.

Dr Chris Van Tulleken, an infectious diseases expert at University College London and BBC science broadcaster, gave a succinct definition of ultra-processed food: “If it’s wrapped in plastic and it contains at least one ingredient that you don’t typically find in a domestic kitchen, then it’s ultra-processed food.”

Some commonplace items on the list of these ultra-processed foods (UPFs) include:

• packaged bread
• breakfast cereals and granola
• flavoured yoghurts
• chocolate, biscuits, and crisps
• energy and granola bars
• fizzy drinks
• ready meals

Should you spot any of the following ingredients on the back of a product, chances are it falls under the UPF category:

• emulsifiers
• stabilisers
• dyes
• flavour enhancers
• lecithin
• xantham or guar gum

The short answer is no. Humans have been processing food for millennia.

Staples like bread, butter, cheese, and yoghurt count among processed foods – and don’t forget tinned foods. Truth be told, most foods gracing our plate today have undergone some degree of processing.

However, ultra-processed food takes it a step further. Zoe co-founder and epidemiologist Professor Tim Spector explains: “Plain yoghurt, nothing added, nothing changed, is processed because you are mixing a basic ingredient, milk, with microbes…

“It is when you take it to the next stage… [adding] various starches, emulsifiers, concentrates, artificial sweeteners and flavourings… that same yoghurt becomes ultra-processed. It is that extra step that is the main problem.”

Yet, not all technically ultra-processed foods are detrimental. High-quality dark chocolate, for instance, is considered ultra-processed but typically contains only cocoa and a smidgen of sugar.

Even Prof Spector, a leading proponent of reducing UPF consumption, asserts that items like Heinz tomato ketchup and Weetabix, while technically ultra-processed, pose no threat to our health.

Naturally, even heavily ultra-processed foods such as sweets, fizzy drinks and Pringles won’t wreak havoc if consumed sparingly rather than regularly.

Dodging ultra-processed food can seem like an insurmountable task. Supermarket aisles are brimming with them, and they often offer convenience and affordability.

Here’s a brief rundown of my approach:

• I replaced granola and milk with nuts and Greek yoghurt, as well as some fruit, for breakfast
• I swapped milk chocolate for dark chocolate boasting a high cocoa content (80 per cent or more)
• I eliminated supermarket bread, crisps, biscuits, ice cream, and pre-packaged meals.
• I stopped eating processed meat
• I ate a lot more legumes, such as chickpeas, lentils, and beans, as well as nuts
• I aimed to eat at least 30 different plants per week
• Followed advice from trusted sources like the Zoe Science and Nutrition podcast.

Prior to 2024, my go-to breakfast consisted of granola with fruit and flavoured – a routine I believed was healthy. In reality, this breakfast choice was overabundant in added sugar and ultra-processed ingredients.

The most evident impact of these dietary adjustments was my weight loss, shaving off roughly 1.5 stone in the past 18 months (a drop from 11.5 stone to just shy of 10 stone). Ultra-processed foods tend to be high in calories, but their nutritional value is inversely low.

These foods often over-deliver on sugar, salt, and detrimental fats. An experimental study involving a diet dense in ultra-processed items found that participants ingested an average of 500 additional calories daily, in contrast to those on a diet composed chiefly of unprocessed food sources.

The ultra-processed test group experienced an average weight increase of two pounds after two weeks. One particular trial had Dr Chris Van Tulleken alter his diet drastically by making ultra-processed food account for 80 per cent of it – not an unusual proportion in the UK or USA.

Reflecting on the aftermath, Dr Van Tulleken shared: “I gained a huge amount of weight in one month. I gained so much weight that if I’d continued for the whole year, I would’ve doubled my body weight.”

I discovered that adhering to a workout routine was more manageable. Over the past 18 months, I’ve haven’t increased my exercise routine – I manage to fit in a run once or twice a week, participate in one or two 45-minute circuit classes and, if I’m fortunate, squeeze in a bike ride.

Despite not increasing my workout frequency, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in my performance.

For instance, I’ve achieved three personal bests in half marathons and two in 10K runs over the past year, shaving approximately 25 minutes off my half-marathon time – an accomplishment I’m immensely proud of.

In addition to the aforementioned UPF foods, many ready-made sauces and salad dressings are ultra-processed. Therefore, if I craved unique flavours in my meals, I had to create them from scratch using spices, herbs, fruits, nuts, legumes and vegetables.

Far from being a chore, this has been the most enjoyable aspect of my new dietary approach. I’ve stumbled upon a plethora of new flavour pairings and now rely on foods that were previously seldom included in my diet, such as chickpeas, butter beans, lentils, nuts, and Greek yoghurt.

My go-to salad dressing is now a blend of Greek yoghurt and tahini, enhanced with lemon juice, olive oil or even a splash of maple syrup.

And don’t fret over fat – I regularly consume around 150g of fat daily, sometimes even more. The key point is that these are healthy fats, which are beneficial for you and plentiful in foods such as nuts and avocados.

They won’t lead to weight gain. It’s the unhealthy fats present in processed meats and foods with added sugar that pose a problem. I also aim to consume 30g of fibre each day.

Breakfast: Almost always the same thing: Greek yoghurt with a variety of nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts or cashews), seeds (such as chia, pumpkin or linseed) and a medley of fruit (usually raspberries, strawberries, bananas and blueberries). If not this, I might opt for some avocado on a slice of wholemeal sourdough from a local bakery.

Lunch: Typically lentils accompanied by an assortment of vegetables and hummus, often homemade with chickpeas or butter beans. Another alternative would be an omelette with onions and peppers.

Dinner: Usually a white fish like hake, cod, or basa (which is considerably cheaper than other white fish), or salmon, served with butter beans or chickpeas seasoned with onions, mint, and lemon juice.

Other nutritious meals include this walnut, mushroom and cauliflower ragu, this vegan chilli made with a variety of beans, this homemade hummus and this homemade pesto.

When I initially gave up ultra-processed food, my primary goal was to enhance my health and maintain a healthy weight. However, as I delved deeper into the practices of many major food corporations, I found an additional incentive in withholding my financial support.

The creation of ultra-processed foods involves staggering amounts of marketing and manipulation, including bold health assertions on vibrant, attention-grabbing packaging. Food companies have poured vast resources into understanding the science that triggers our appetites, from the sound of a packet being opened to the texture of food in our mouths and the irresistible flavours that leave us craving more.

Essentially, we are being duped into overeating. For further insight, I recommend Chris van Tulleken’s book, Ultra-Processed People. His 2024 BBC documentary Irresistible is also worth a watch.

The notion of consuming 30 different plants a week may seem daunting. But why 30?

It’s all about enhancing the health and diversity of your gut microbiome, a microbial community that experts increasingly recognise as a crucial pillar of overall health, potentially adding more healthy years to your life. As a member of Zoe, my gut microbiome score after adhering to this diet for 12 months was an impressive 93 out of 100.

A 2018 study conducted in the USA, UK and Australia found that individuals who consumed 30 or more distinct plants per week were more likely to harbour certain “beneficial” gut bacteria than those who ate just 10. Achieving the target of 30 isn’t as challenging as it might appear, given that fruits and vegetables aren’t the only foods that count.

The tally also includes a wide variety of beans (such as butter, cannellini, black, kidney, pinto), grains (like oats, quinoa or bulgar wheat), nuts (including almonds, cashews, pine nuts, walnuts and pistachios) and seeds (such as chia, pumpkin or sesame). Additionally, herbs and spices are included, and plants like coffee and cocoa, which contain beneficial chemicals that support your gut microbiome, also count towards the total.

Sweet treats are a delight for most, and I’m certainly no exception. Thankfully, you can whip up a sumptuous, healthy dessert using natural ingredients.

Take this simple recipe: a luscious chocolate mousse made with just dark chocolate, olive oil, maple syrup and aquafaba. Likewise, you can create delicious granola or a delectable chocolate and peanut butter bar that rivals a Snickers – and they’re all wholesome.

Whilst I’ve been quite diligent about avoiding ultra-processed foods (UPFs), it’s not mandatory to be as strict. Even Zoe, staunch proponents of reducing UPF consumption, merely recommend keeping it below 15 per cent of your total diet.

Co-founder Professor Tim Spector admitted to me he indulges in crisps occasionally despite warning against UPFs – noting my diet seemed “restrictive”.

Of course, the odd UPF has sneaked into my meals this year, like during a meal out or when options were limited. And I haven’t forsaken alcohol – we all deserve our vices.

So take heart – as long as you’re moving towards a healthier you, there’s no need to fret.