Local Life - Wigan - March 2022

22
The dangers of
ultra-processed
foods
More than half the calories we eat in
the UK now come from ultra-processed
foods. But what does this mean for our
health, and how can we cut back?
Ultra-processed food is everywhere, and it probably
makes up more of your shopping trolley than you’d think.
The term is often used interchangeably with ‘processed
food’ but they’re not the same. So, what exactly are ultraprocessed
foods, how are they affecting our health and
what can we do to cut back?
Generally, most of the food we eat has been processed in
one way or another. Milk is pasteurised to make it safe to
drink, beans are dried and canned to extend their shelf
life, and seeds are pressed to produce oils. However, this
doesn’t necessarily make these foods unhealthy. Ultraprocessed
foods, on the other hand, contain ingredients
you wouldn’t typically find in your kitchen cupboard.
Chemicals, colourings, sweeteners, preservatives – ultraprocessed
foods are littered with them.
Some of the foods that fall into this category are
unsurprising. Crisps, fizzy drinks, biscuits and ice cream
are all highly processed, but did you know that even
breakfast cereals, white bread and ready meals are too?
It can be hard to detect highly processed foods, which
unfortunately makes us even more likely to add them to
our shopping basket. But what damage does this do to
our bodies?
Created to be convenient, cheap and tasty, ultraprocessed
foods are typically high in sugars, refined
grains, fats and salt. They also have very little nutritional
value and are highly addictive, which explains why they’re
so prevalent in our diets. They’re hard to resist! Recently,
highly processed foods have also been linked to heart
disease, diabetes, obesity and even some cancers.
As with anything though, moderation is key. There’s
nothing wrong with a biscuit dipped in your cup of tea or
a takeaway every now and again. The trick is to eat ultraprocessed
foods as part of a healthy balanced diet. So,
how can we limit the amount of highly processed foods
we consume?
Check your labels
One of the easiest ways to check whether a food product
is highly processed is to read the ingredients list. A label
full of long words you can’t pronounce is one sign that a
food is highly processed. You can also check the Nutrition
Information Panel to identify foods with high amounts of
saturated fat, sugar and sodium (salt).