#31: Ultra-Processed People

What's really in the foods we are eating?

Author

Ben Johnson
January 26, 2025

Hey Friends,

I’m devoting this week to an audiobook I listened to called Ultra-Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken.

He did an entire book talking about the current state of the food industry in western countries and how ultra-processed foods have a negative impact on our health.

Weekly Action Point

🚶 This week lets make it a goal to try and hit 7,000 steps each day 🚶 

7,000 steps is nothing too crazy, but mostly I wanted to put this action point in as a reminder that you should still be making a point of getting your steps in even though it’s January.

It’s great to get your workouts in, but adding in general activity and movement (like getting your steps in) is a huge part of your overall health and wellbeing.

“Ultra-Processed People”

I’m sure you have heard before that you should be prioritizing “whole, natural foods”. I know I’ve talked about it in past newsletters, and I see content all the time talking about this.

But have you ever paused a second to actually understand what that means?

What types of foods are whole, natural foods? Are there any foods in your diet you can think of that might be highly processed?

The point of this newsletter isn’t to demonize ultra-processed foods, rather I just want to bring awareness to the topic.

I’d highly recommend the book Ultra-Processed People to everyone. It totally changes how you look at the foods you eat.

I did it as an audiobook that I listened to during workouts or while meal prepping.

The book does an awesome job at framing the conversation about the differences between whole foods and processed foods. It also walks through tons of different research studies that show how/why ultra-processed foods aren’t as great for our health.

Promise though, it isn’t a boring science-y book. And if you listened to the audiobook like I did, it’s read by a guy with a great English accent which is always a bonus.

Food is extremely important for fat loss, muscle building, mental health, longevity, and pretty much every aspect of life.

In my eyes, attempting to understand the food you are eating is essential for anyone with health related goals.

What are Ultra-Processed Foods

If you are wondering what the heck I’m talking about when I say “Ultra-Processed Foods”, (gonna abbreviate it as UPF) let me help you out.

There are a couple of ways to define them. If there are ingredients on the label of the package that you can’t pronounce or have never heard of, it’s probably UPF.

Most of the time, any food with more than 5 ingredients on the package is UPF. That’s not always the case, but it’s a good general rule.

Almost any food that you eat at a fast food restaurant is UPF designed to be mass produced.

These are just a couple examples. But in general, any food that could have a marketing campaign to make more money is probably UPF.

You’ve never seen a comercial for an apple or for broccoli for example because they don’t have marketing campaigns.

But breakfast cereals? or Doritos? or Oreos? Skittles? They all have commercials or advertisements.

In general, one of the best things you can do for your health is by prioritizing whole, natural foods.

The fitness landscape is complicated and confusing.

If you’re ever wondering what to eat, chances are that choosing something that isn’t processed will be better for you than a processed option.

What are some good natural foods you could be eating?

  • Fruits

  • Vegetables

  • Beans

  • Potatoes

  • Meats

  • Some dairy like greek yogurt, milk, and cottage cheese

  • Eggs

  • Rice

There are tons of other examples, but these give you an idea of what I’m talking about. Prioritize foods like these, and you will be in a great spot.

Does that mean you should never eat processed foods? Of course not, and frankly with how prevelant they are in our food industry, it’s almost impossible to avoid them entirely.

But generally speaking, it’s very achieveable for 80% of what you eat to come from natural foods.

Again, everyone should absolutely pick up a copy of the book or listen to the audio version. Your health will thank you.

Ben’s Best

Check out this sweet potato buffalo chicken bowl I came across. This one is slightly more effort because of the veggies, but flavor is worth it. This is an awesome example of how you can eat natural foods and still make them delicious.

Also, if you don’t have a ninja creami, you should absolutely get one. Check out this recipe for an awesome cherry ice cream. This one has some processed ingredients, but that’s ok. It’s delicious and we’re shooting for 80% natural foods, not 100% :)

That’s all I have for you, have an awesome week!

Ben