Ultraprocessed food. By now, you’ve probably heard this term swirling around in podcasts, books, news or conversations at cocktail parties. It’s one of 2025’s buzziest terms when it comes to health and wellness. I’m here to explain exactly what it means, and arm you with the knowledge to make the right decisions when it comes to foods you buy for yourself and family.
What Is Ultraprocessed Food?
Unless you’re eating something exactly as it was when it came out of the ground, it’s been processed to some degree. Not all food processing is evil, though! Because most of us don’t live on farms where we grow all our own foods, food processing is handy, and necessary, for getting food on our table.
The trick is mostly eating foods that are as close as possible to their original state–and we’ll get to the “why” in the next section. However, there are a lot of blurred lines when it comes to processed foods. When you’re standing in the aisle at the grocery store with millions of options in front of you claiming to be “healthy,” “natural,” “local,” and “organic,” it’s easy to get hoodwinked or lose sight of what you really want.
Food Processing Examples
Here are some examples using real foods to paint a clearer picture. Again, the goal is unprocessed or minimally processed foods.
Banana:
Unprocessed: Whole banana
Minimally Processed: Freeze-dried banana slices (nothing added)
Ultraprocessed: Banana chips made with sugar and/or oil
Apple:
Unprocessed: Whole apple
Minimally processed: Dehydrated apple rings or applesauce with nothing added
Ultraprocessed: Apple pie or apple-flavored fruit snacks
Chicken:
Unprocessed: Raw chicken breast or thighs
Minimally processed: Frozen plain grilled chicken strips (maybe salt or healthy oil added)
Ultraprocessed: Chicken nuggets, breaded chicken patties
Potatoes:
Unprocessed: Fresh whole potato
Minimally processed: Frozen plain diced potatoes, possibly pre-cooked but with no additives
Ultraprocessed: Potato chips or frozen french fries
Tricks to Tell the Difference
Here’s how I think about the difference between minimally processed and ultraprocessed foods: foods that are minimally processed have been made more convenient for the consumer by slicing, cooking or prepping the food in such a way that nothing has been added. The food still resembles its original form.
In ultraprocessed foods, one or more extra ingredients have been added (particulary chemicals, preservatives, and artificial ingredients), the “main food” item is NOT the main ingredient (i.e. it’s not the first ingredient listed), and the food no longer resembles its original form. I heard this on a podcast a while ago: if people 100 years ago wouldn’t recognize it as food, it’s most likely ultraprocessed.
| Minimally Processed Food | Ultraprocessed Food |
| Few ingredients (<5) | Long list of ingredients |
| Ingredients you can find in your own kitchen | Chemical ingredients you don’t recognize or have in your kitchen |
| Whole or simply prepared | Packaged & doesn’t resemble whole food |
| Found on perimeter of grocery store | Found in the center aisles |
What’s the Big Deal, Anyway? My Parents Grew Up Eating It and They’re Fine
Now that we’re all on the same page as to exactly WHAT ultraprocessed food is, I want to highlight why we should be avoiding it. While ultraprocessed foods might be quick and tasty, they quietly work against your health goals–especially when it comes to belly fat, hormones, and chronic disease. These foods are often high in added or artificial sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial ingredients that can spike blood sugar, increase inflammation, and disrupt the delicate balance of hormones like insulin and cortisol. Over time, this can make it much harder to lose weight around the midsection and leave you feeling sluggish, moody and bloated.
If you’re comparing yourself to your grandparents or parents, thinking they ate all these foods and led long, healthy lives, think again. The ingredients in many packaged and processed foods have changed over the years–to things that are cheaper, more addictive, and worse for our health. Take a breakfast cereal like Corn Flakes. Fifty years ago, the ingredients were: corn, sugar, salt, and malt flavoring. Now, most brands of corn flakes include refined corn flour, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, BHT, synthetic vitamins, and color additives. Even something that SHOULD be simple like bread has changed dramatically: fifty years ago, bread ingredients were flour, water, salt, and yeast. Now, most commercial brands include enriched wheat flour, water, sugar, soybean oil, dough conditioners (mono- and diglycerides), calcium proponate (preservative), ascorbic acid, and enzymes. Some brands even include high fructose corn syrup, and artificial flavors and colors. If you’re looking for healthier store-bought alternatives of these foods, try Nature’s Path Organic Fruit Juice Sweetened Corn Flakes, and Ezekiel Bread or Dave’s Killer Bread.
Why do these changes matter? All these added preservatives and chemicals help the product stay shelf-stable for weeks and taste delicious, but they also disrupt gut health, promote inflammation, and make it harder for your body to regulate blood sugar and hormones.
The Bottom Line: What Do I Do About It?
Focus on unprocessed or minimally processed, whole foods. Read labels, and don’t just buy things because “you’ve always gotten this kind,” or you “grew up eating this.” This will help support stable blood sugar, steady energy, and a more balanced metabolism. Choosing these kinds of foods helps your body work WITH you, not against you, especially during midlife (ladies: perimenopause) and beyond, when hormones love to keep us guessing. Minimally processed foods are the tools we want in our toolbox to help us feel full without blood sugar crashes, and to help our bodies burn fat instead of store it.
Will it be tough at first, almost like withdrawal? Yes. There’s a reason manufacturers add sugar and chemicals to their “foods:” it makes them more addictive and tasty. Will it take more planning ahead, and more time to meal prep? Yes. If eating only minimally processed foods was easy, Nabisco, Kellogg’s and Kraft would be out of business.
I promise that the more you eat this way, your taste buds will (eventually) catch up! And ultimately, you will be on your way to achieving your wellness goals: energetic, balanced, and vibrant for the rest of your days. You’ve got this!
If you’d like one-on-one help shopping for minimally processed foods that work for you and your family, check out my Supermarket Smarts service! I also know LOTS of alternative brands for some of your favorite ultraprocessed foods, so feel free to reach out!
In Health,
Nicole
