Discover the Hidden Dangers of Ultra-Processed Foods

Days one to three

One might assume cutting out ultra-processed foods would be a breeze. Just avoid gummy bears and American cheese, right? Well, for a health-conscious individual like myself, it was far from easy. The initial three days were a struggle. No more sliced bread or oatmeal. No packaged sandwiches during lunch breaks or chocolate rice cakes in the afternoon. At one point, a colleague offered me the remnants of her iced bun, and I stared at her as if she were plotting my demise. In fact, she was, as those seemingly innocent treats were actually ultra-processed.

A fascinating thing occurs when you give up ultra-processed foods – you also inadvertently cut out a significant amount of sugar. I was accustomed to having a cookie in the evening while watching my favorite show or grabbing a Coke for a midday energy boost. Without the sugar, I found myself craving it desperately. I resorted to spooning large amounts of honey into my herbal tea (though honey is processed, just not ultra-processed) and consuming bananas as if they were an addictive substance. I even asked my grandmother over the weekend if I could have one of her chewy vitamin supplements, only to have them snatched away because they contained sodium citrate and carnauba wax, which is also used for polishing shoes.

Days three to five

By day three, my sugar cravings began to subside (not because I wasn't consuming sugar anymore, but because I discovered that dark chocolate wasn't an ultra-processed food and could satisfy my sweet tooth in that way). If you're curious about what else I was eating during this time, it was mainly a lot of rice, vegetables, fish, meat, and sourdough bread. Lunches became a bit tricky as it wasn't convenient to constantly bring packed lunches to work.

Ultra-processed foods account for around 57% of all calories consumed in many countries, with higher percentages among children and less affluent populations. These foods have been linked to a wide range of diseases and adverse health outcomes, from dementia to cancer to depression and type 2 diabetes. It's astonishing how much we've been unknowingly consuming and how it's affecting our health. By cutting them out for a week, I began to notice subtle changes in my body and energy levels. It's a wake-up call to reevaluate what we're putting into our bodies and make more conscious food choices.