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08/18/25

#220 Are the products in your trolley keeping you stuck?

Why Most Supermarket Food Isn’t Really Food: The Truth About Ultra-Processed Products

When you walk into the supermarket, you expect everything on the shelves to be “food.” But here’s the uncomfortable truth: much of it isn’t food at all.

In his bestselling book Ultra-Processed People, Dr Chris van Tulleken explains how most supermarket products are actually ultra-processed foods (UPFs)—items designed in factories, not kitchens. They may look like food, smell like food, and even taste like food, but they are formulas carefully engineered to keep you hooked.

What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?

Ultra-processed foods are products that contain ingredients you would never have in your kitchen:

  • Emulsifiers

  • Flavour enhancers

  • Colourings

  • Artificial sweeteners

  • Preservatives

  • Stabilisers
  • Gums

These are added not to nourish you, but to improve shelf life, texture, and taste—making products cheap to produce and hard to resist.

Common examples include: packaged biscuits, flavoured yoghurts, soft drinks, frozen dinners, processed meats, and many “low-fat” or “diet” products.

How UPFs Affect Your Gut Microbiome

Your gut microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria that control digestion, immunity, and even mood. When you feed it with fibre-rich whole foods—like vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains—it thrives.

But UPFs disrupt this delicate ecosystem. The additives, artificial sweeteners, and lack of real fibre damage the balance of bacteria. Research shows this can:

  • Increase inflammation throughout the body

  • Lead to cravings for sugar and processed carbs

  • Slow down your metabolism

  • Contribute to digestive problems like IBS

Simply put: UPFs weaken the very system that helps keep you healthy and in balance.

Why UPFs Make Weight Loss Harder

Have you ever noticed how you can eat half a packet of biscuits and still feel hungry? That’s no accident.

Ultra-processed foods are designed to be hyper-palatable—so they override your natural hunger and fullness signals. They pack in calories but deliver very little real nutrition or fibre.

This means:

  • You stay hungry, even after eating a lot

  • Your body stores more fat

  • Weight loss becomes frustratingly slow

Dr van Tulleken’s research highlights that people who eat mostly UPFs often consume hundreds more calories a day—without realising it.

Real Food vs. Fake Food

Here’s a simple rule:
If your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognise it as food, your body won’t either.

That means focusing on:

  • Fresh fruits and vegetables

  • Beans and lentils

  • Whole grains

  • Nuts and seeds

  • Fresh meat, fish, dairy and eggs, if you eat them

These foods feed your microbiome, satisfy your hunger, and support natural weight loss.

The Bottom Line

Supermarkets are filled with products that look like food but act like Frankenfoods—engineered formulas designed to hijack your appetite, disrupt your gut, and make it harder to lose weight.

The more you eat from the farm and the less from the factory, the healthier and stronger you will feel.

✅ Want to go deeper? Read Ultra-Processed People by Dr Chris van Tulleken — and check out my latest video above.

When you are ready there are three ways I can help you escape UPFs and get back to real food: