The UPFs which could be harming your health, according to an expert
A health expert has warned how ultra-processed foods (UPFs) can harm health; because one in five Britons revealed they eat them every day without realizing it.
UPFs include foods that have gone through various processing steps and contain artificial additives, sugar and salt. The most common examples are breakfast cereals, ready meals, sodas, and packaged snacks such as chips or desserts.
Steve Bennett, a qualified health coach who advises the House of Lords food, diet and obesity committee, explained: “Ultra-processed foods are industrially produced products with additives such as emulsifiers, stabilizers and artificial sweeteners that you would never use in the home kitchen. They are designed for shelf life and profit, not for nutrition.”
Mr Bennett highlighted that UPFs often contain a lot of sugar, as part of Sugar Awareness Week from 17-23 November.
He warned: “The real danger of sugar is that its effects quietly increase over time. Your body compensates by producing more insulin, often for years, before early signs of metabolic dysfunction begin to appear.”
Metabolic syndrome is common and linked to insulin resistance and can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular problems, according to the NHS. Early warning signs include fatigue, mood swings and energy crashes, which can be indicators of a blood sugar imbalance.
A new survey of 500 people by Saga Health Insurance in September found that one in 16 Brits don’t even know what UPF is, while Mr Bennett warned that foods people may not be aware of could be damaging to their health.
breakfast cereals
Most breakfast cereals contain at least two to four teaspoons of sugar per 12-ounce serving; The worst offenders contain about four teaspoons of sugar before milk or fruit.
But Mr Bennett said the real danger was in “healthy” food imposters where the fiber had been removed.
“Even ‘whole grain’ breakfast cereals can be ‘sugar bombs’, containing more sugar than biscuits after removing the protective fiber,” he warned.
ready meals
Ready meals, which usually come frozen or refrigerated, are often partially or fully cooked and only need to be heated in the microwave or oven before they are ready to eat.
He called prepackaged meals “chemical cocktails” and told people to watch out for types of sugar such as glucose, fructose or syrup in the first three ingredients ending in ‘-oz’. He added emulsifying agents such as polysorbates and anything that starts with ‘E’ followed by numbers is a warning sign.
Mr Bennett, founder of the Health Results website, said: “Food manufacturers understand how sugar affects the brain. When you remove fiber and add sugar, you create foods that the body struggles to regulate. It’s no coincidence, these products are designed to keep you coming back for more.”
‘Low fat’ products
Mr Bennett warned people to be wary of “deceptive” food labels such as “natural”, “low-fat” or “source of fibre” and avoid products with long ingredient lists.
Confusingly, UPF products marketed as “healthy” can be difficult to spot; One in 20 (five per cent) of Britons confuse fresh fruit and vegetables with UPFs, showing just how blurred the lines have become.
“Protein bars are often desserts with added protein powder, and low-fat yoghurts are often filled with sugar after the fat has been removed,” warned Mr Bennett.
While most people (79 percent) agreed that ready meals were overly processed, less than a third (31 percent) recognized that low-fat yoghurts fell into this category. Less than half identified protein bars (55 percent) or supermarket salads (44 percent) as UPF, despite nutritionists classifying them as such.
supermarket bread
Mr Bennett, author Fiber First DietHe said: “Even modern supermarket bread is highly processed and stripped of the fiber that once made it nutritious.
“One of the biggest problems is that fiber is systematically removed during processing. Fiber is nature’s brake pedal; it slows sugar absorption and protects the gut. Without it, sugar quickly enters the bloodstream.”
Insulin sensitivity and gut diversity naturally decline with age, leaving older adults most at risk of falling into UPFs.
“This means their bodies cannot effectively manage blood sugar spikes,” Mr Bennett added. “Add in pre-existing conditions like diabetes or heart disease, and a UPF-heavy diet acts like fuel to the fire.”
