Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are foods which have been highly processed, such as breakfast cereals and packets of crisps. They typically contain ingredients which you wouldn’t use when cooking at home, such as artificial additives, and the average person now receives around 60% of their calories from these foods.

But while UPFs are often convenient – popping a ready meal in the microwave is far quicker than preparing food from scratch, and reaching for a bar of chocolate is a quick, easy fix if hunger strikes while we’re out and about – there are health implications associated with their consumption. Last year, the world’s largest review of its kind directly linked UPFs to 32 harmful effects to health, including a higher risk of early death.

Good Morning Britain regular Dr Hilary Jones says, “There is a raised awareness and consciousness about ultra-processed food, and there’s a lot of momentum building now around the health implications that these foods can cause after several decades of us relying more on UPFs.”

He adds, “Rates of obesity have accelerated markedly since I qualified as a doctor in 1979. These rates have coincided with our reliance on preservatives, colourings, artificial sweeteners and flavourings which we don’t really need and that we wouldn’t have in home cooking. While UPFs are convenient and appealing, they’re not necessarily healthy.

“The ingredients in these foods are not, in their own right, harmful, but the sheer quantity of what we’re consuming almost certainly is. We need to take stock of what we’re consuming.”

Here, we take a closer look at UPFs and suggest some ways we can lessen their influence on our health…

“You have your unprocessed foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, then you have your minimally processed foods which contain things such as salt and sugar, and then you have moderately processed foods,” Dr Hilary explains. “Ultraprocessed foods are stacked with things like preservatives, flavourings and sweeteners.”

Familiar products in the supermarket aisles that have undergone several processing steps and contain additives include crisps, biscuits and cakes. Items such as ready meals, chicken nuggets, sausages, fish fingers and instant noodles are also classified as UPFs. Even fruit yoghurts, which may be seen as healthy, are classed as UPFs according to the NOVA scale, which is used to work out how much a food has been processed. And it’s not just food you need to watch out for – fizzy drinks count as UPFs, too.

Evidence suggests that a diet high in UPFs may be harmful to us. Research suggests it could lead to a higher risk of heart disease or type 2 diabetes, among other conditions. “Other potential implications include increased risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer pancreatic cancer, adverse sleep, adverse anxiety, asthma, hypertension, Crohn’s disease, non-specific colitis, metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and high blood sugars,” Dr Hilary says.

Typically, UPFs contain high amounts of saturated fat and sugar – neither of which are great for our bodies – so pay attention to the nutritional information provided on food packaging. “The problem is, with saturated fat comes the toxins that we don’t need in our body and with increased salt comes high blood pressure,” explains Dr Hilary. “Sugar is an empty calorie and it will predispose you to insulin resistance and, eventually, diabetes.”

A study by Gousto found that 75% of people believe that convenience is a barrier to healthy eating, but giving up UPFs needn’t be hard. For example, making a list before you go to the shops means you’re less likely to reach for snacks. Dr Hilary says, “Snack on something which fills you up and is high in fibre, and which releases energy slowly.”

Business mentor and executive coach Anna Lundberg, 42, reduced her UPF intake in a bid to tackle her migraines…

“I began reducing my UPF intake around a year ago. I get migraines so I’m always looking into potential triggers, and I’d read that artificial sweeteners could be a cause. As soon as I started looking for that as an ingredient on packaging, I was seeing 50 ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce and began to question what they were.

“I’ve always been one to bake, though I used to bake sweet stuff, which isn’t great when you’re trying to be healthier. I moved into bread baking and started making my own mayonnaise and ketchup too. But I don’t put too much pressure on myself. It’s about trying to make good choices as much as possible without burning out.

“When I’m doing my weekly online shop I always look at ingredients. I make sure the chocolate I buy has just a couple of ingredients. It means taking a bit more time over my shopping, but once you have the store cupboard essentials, you can do a pretty standard shop every week.

“Since cutting down on UPFs, I’ve not had as many migraines. For me, it’s part of the bigger healthy picture alongside getting fresh air and exercising. Because I’m watching what I eat, I don’t get that rubbish feeling or low energy you can get after eating junk food. I definitely want to continue making better choices.

“I think the key is moderation and realising that sometimes, if someone is ill or you’re busy, processed foods can be convenient. I still have some processed foods. My partner buys biscuits and when they’re around, they’re very tempting!”

Gousto has partnered with Dr Hilary to promote balanced diets for better long-term health

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