Nourish from Within: Why I’m Choosing a Non-UPF Diet

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Somewhere between the protein bars, low-fat yoghurts and microwave “superfood” bowls, I began to look more closely at what I was eating.

The packaging told me it was healthy. There were promises of extra protein, added vitamins, fewer calories and enough wellness language to make it sound as though somebody had designed it with my health in mind. Yet when I turned the packet over, the ingredients often told a different story.

That was the beginning of my journey into the world of ultra-processed food, or UPFs.

I’m now the woman standing in the supermarket reading labels while somebody waits, patiently or otherwise, to reach the shelf behind me. More often than not, the product goes back. Not because I’m trying to eat perfectly, and not because I believe everything in a packet is bad, but because I’ve become more interested in what my food is giving me beyond convenience.

Almost all food is processed in some way. Vegetables are frozen, milk is pasteurised, beans are canned and yoghurt is fermented. Processing itself is not the problem.

Ultra-processed foods are generally industrial formulations made using ingredients and processes we wouldn’t normally use in a home kitchen. They often contain modified starches, protein isolates, emulsifiers, flavour enhancers, artificial sweeteners, colours and stabilisers. Many are designed to be convenient, extremely palatable and easy to eat quickly.

Fizzy drinks, packaged cakes, instant noodles, reconstituted meat products and many ready meals are obvious examples. The less obvious ones are often the foods marketed as healthy, including some breakfast cereals, flavoured yoghurts, protein bars, shakes and meat alternatives.

A long ingredient list does not automatically make something ultra-processed. A homemade curry could contain fifteen ingredients and still be made entirely from recognisable foods. Nor does an unfamiliar ingredient necessarily mean something is harmful. Food needs more nuance than that.

I’m not interested in becoming frightened of ingredients or dividing everything into good and bad. I simply want to understand what I’m eating and make more conscious decisions about what earns a regular place in my diet.

Midlife has made that feel increasingly important.

Hormonal changes can affect our sleep, energy, appetite, mood and body composition. At the same time, maintaining muscle and protecting our bones, heart and metabolic health become more important. Food cannot fix every menopause symptom, and I don’t believe a bowl of lentils can replace medical care, HRT where appropriate, proper rest or a conversation with a doctor. Nutrition is not the whole answer, but it is part of the puzzle.

Good nutrition is also a form of self-care.

For years, many of us were taught to think about food almost entirely in terms of weight. We counted calories, chose the low-fat version and congratulated ourselves for surviving lunch on something small and unsatisfying. I’m much more interested now in whether my food is nourishing me, supporting my body and giving me enough energy to live my life.

Research has repeatedly found an association between diets high in UPFs and poorer health outcomes, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and depression. Much of the evidence is observational, which means it can identify patterns but cannot prove that processing alone is responsible.

The UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition describes the associations as concerning while acknowledging that there are still gaps in the evidence. Researchers are continuing to examine whether the risk comes from the processing itself, from particular additives, or from the fact that many UPFs are high in calories, salt, saturated fat and free sugars while being low in fibre.

There is probably no single explanation.

Many UPFs are soft, quick to eat and designed to taste intensely rewarding. This can make it easier to consume more before the body has registered fullness. They may also replace more nutritious foods in the diet and leave us eating plenty of calories without receiving much fibre or nourishment in return.

In one controlled study, people ate more and gained weight while following an ultra-processed diet than they did on an unprocessed diet, despite the meals being matched for several nutrients. It was a small study, but it added something important to the conversation. The issue may not be limited to what appears on the nutrition label.

None of this means that one biscuit will destroy my health. It does make me pause when ultra-processed products have quietly become breakfast, lunch, dinner and every snack in between.

Reducing them has not meant removing every useful convenience from my life. Frozen vegetables, tinned beans, canned fish, plain yoghurt and microwaveable wholegrains can make eating well much easier. Packaged does not automatically mean unhealthy, just as a green label and the word “natural” do not automatically make something nourishing.

I’m leaning towards food that still resembles where it came from. My meals now include vegetables roasted with olive oil and herbs, eggs on sourdough toast, Greek yoghurt with berries, nuts and seeds, lentil and bean dishes, fish with potatoes and vegetables, homemade soups, curries and stews, wholegrains and plenty of fruit.

There is also dark chocolate, because I haven’t lost my mind.

I’m paying more attention to protein too. Maintaining muscle becomes increasingly important during and after menopause, and protein does not have to arrive in an expensive bar wearing gym clothes. Eggs, Greek yoghurt, fish, beans, lentils, tofu, nuts and seeds all count.

Fibre supports digestion, helps us feel satisfied and feeds the bacteria living in our gut. Vegetables, fruit, pulses, oats, wholegrains, nuts and seeds are simple ways to include more of it. Calcium-rich foods, vitamin D and weight-bearing exercise are also part of supporting bone health through midlife.

None of this is revolutionary. It is simply nourishment, something many women have spent years providing for everyone except themselves.

I found Ultra-Processed People by  Dr Chris van Tulleken a useful starting point. It helped me understand the food industry and changed the way I look at many of the products sold as convenient or healthy. It also made me more aware of how much effort goes into creating food that is difficult to stop eating.

I now read the ingredients as well as the amounts of sugar, salt, saturated fat, fibre and protein. The front of the packet is advertising. The back is where the useful information lives.

I have not emptied my cupboards, banned entire food groups or decided to cook everything from scratch. I make gradual swaps where they feel realistic. Sugary cereal becomes porridge. Flavoured yoghurt becomes Greek yoghurt with fruit. A heavily processed pasta sauce becomes one made mainly from tomatoes, vegetables and herbs.

I batch-cook when I have the time, but I have no desire to spend every Sunday afternoon arranging identical meals into twelve matching glass containers. Eating well has to fit into my actual life or it will not last.

There will still be cake, meals out and evenings when the easiest option wins. Food is nutrition, but it is also pleasure, comfort, culture, celebration and connection. Any way of eating that leaves no room for those things would not feel healthy to me.

This is not a detox, a punishment or another attempt to make my body smaller. It is a decision to pay attention to what helps me feel well.

Since reducing the amount of ultra-processed food I eat and building more of my meals around whole and minimally processed ingredients, I feel more satisfied after eating. My cravings are less relentless, and I have become better at recognising genuine hunger rather than automatically reaching for something designed to make me want more.

That is my experience, not a promise that everybody’s body will respond in exactly the same way.

I’m not doing this perfectly, and I don’t need to. Good nutrition is one form of self-care and one piece of a much larger midlife puzzle. It is a piece I can understand, hold and do something about.

No, I don’t miss the fake cheese.

Yes, I still eat cake.

That isn’t failure. It’s real life.

This article reflects my personal experience and is not individual medical or nutritional advice. Anyone with a medical condition, a history of disordered eating or concerns about their diet should seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.