How healthy is YOUR DIET?

Ultra-processed foods could be doing you no good here’s how to root them out and eat better

- FAYE M SMITH

No time to cook? Been overdoing the ready meals? Or maybe you've been popping unhealthy choices into your trolley without even realising. That's because it's not just processed foods you need to avoid when shopping - 'ultra-processed' ones are what to look out for - and they are causing serious harm to our health. These products aren't just the usual refined fast food, but a more extreme version. And the worrying news? They're everywhere.

'Ultra-processed foods (UPFS) have undergone multiple stages of industrial processing, which transforms raw ingredients into highly processed, ready-to-eat items,' says registered nutritionist Gabi Zaromskyte, founder of Honestly Nutrition.

The easiest way to spot them is by reading labels when at the supermarket - anything with more than five ingredients should be a red flag. 'UPFs typically have long ingredient lists,' says Gabi. 'They commonly have high levels of saturated fat, sugars and sodium, as well as ingredients not used in a home kitchen, like high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated or interesterified oils and hydrolysed proteins.' Other ingredients often found in UPFs include sweeteners, flavourings, stabilisers, thickeners, colours, gums and emulsifiers - all of which extend shelf life and increase palatability, but can also have all-round negative health effects.

If you're feeling run-down, putting on weight you can't shift or suffering from regular health niggles, you could be consuming more UPFS than recommended. Here's what you should try to avoid.

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