WTF! What The Food Are You Really Eating?
Ageing's public enemy #1 and the non-foods that could be killing you
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
It was 2008.
The opening page of Michael Pollen’s book In Defense of Food, an admonishment of processed food, was as simple as it was powerful.
For me, these words hit hard. It was at the start of what would be a 16-year career heading up food magazines. My magazine’s publishing partner was a leading supermarket.
In this issue, 16 years later, I’m finally able to tackle a topic like this head-on. (Ah, the joys of ad-free journalism!)
I can’t tell you how liberating it is to take this fresh look at these "edible food-like substances”, as Michael Pollen called them, and unpick how we stage a personal revolution against the Food Giants that make them.
Letting go of those things that no longer serve us is nourishment in itself.
WTF! What The Food are you really eating?
When Michael Pollen made his compelling case, back in 2008, the processed foods he had in his sights made up what we all thought then was a shocking 70% of supermarket products in American supermarkets.
Fast forward, and the situation is so much worse. Appallingly, it’s now 73-80% of foods in U.S. supermarkets. BUT that’s not all processed foods. That’s the worst of the worst—ultra-processed foods (UPFs)! We know this because we now have an official classification system (called NOVA) which ranks processed foods according to the degree of processing.
Those ultra-processed foods, the junkiest of the junk, now absolutely dominate our grocery shelves. And thanks to an explosion of studies, we also now know far more about the menace these UPFs wreak on our body… and our lifespan.
Frustratingly, avoiding these foods is harder than ever. Food companies are savvier in getting us to purchase them—and overeat them! And while some governments have stepped up, others have made things worse. (Hello, Australian Health Star Ratings that have allowed Food Giants to gain four- and five-star ratings for their UPFs!)
But never fear! Right here, right now, we’re taking the great detour. And we’re even sparking joy. Yes, Marie Kondo-style—with a twist—in the kitchen. We'll also be giving the middle finger to Food Giants. Voting with our little snap-clipped granny purses.
See, I told you there was joy in this. :-)
Meet the menace
Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations. They take foods from their natural state and synthesise them, often in labs with all manner of enhancers and additives. Their aim are clear: to make products hyper-palatable, and in doing so make more money for their stakeholders.
And they've been enormously successful. Across leading Western countries, ultra-processed foods now account for a huge proportion of our average daily calories: 60% in the US, 57% in the UK and 42% in Australia.
There’s a lot at stake here: $2.5 trillion annually, and the market continues to grow at a steady rate of about 3-5% annually.
What the science says
Research into the impact of UPFs on the human body really only started in earnest around a decade ago. Since then, study after study has unequivocally revealed their danger. But two studies in particular made the scientific world go "gulp".
In a Spanish study¹, published in the British Medical Journal in 2019, the diets and health of nearly 20,000 university graduates were followed for a decade. The findings were alarming. Participants who consumed more than four servings of ultra-processed foods daily had a 62% higher risk of mortality compared to those eating less than two servings, and each additional daily serving increased mortality risk by 18%.
This was backed up in 2023 when one of the largest studies to date² found each 10% increase in UPFs in terms of average percentage of daily calories, increased mortality risk by 15%. What was particularly concerning with this study, which looked at 10 million subjects, was that the detrimental impacts of UPFs were the same, regardless of age, sex, lifestyle, and overall dietary quality.
Yes, you read that right… regardless of dietary quality. In other words:
even for those people with an otherwise healthy diet, the detrimental impacts of UPFs were the same!
UPFs Explained: What They Are and How They Harm You
Science is still emerging in this area, but here's an overview of what we know so far about the key health hazards posed by ultra-processed foods.
Strange Ingredients:
UPFs contain "manufactured ingredients" that your great-grandparents wouldn't recognise, and never show up in home cooking. These lab-created additives extend shelf life, artificially create irresistible flavours and textures, and they enable health claims like "low sugar," or “low fat”.
Three Silent Killers:
We all know the dangers of fat, sugar and salt—three things that UPFs often have in high quantities. However, over recent years, in order to gamify packaging claims, Food Giants have become more sophisticated. By reducing sugar and fat in particular, they often introduce even more chemicals—like artificial sweeteners and modified oils. Many researchers have noted that these chemicals confuse your body's natural fullness signals, keeping you coming back for more.
Biological Strangers:
Until recent decades, the thousands of chemicals that we’re now consuming via UPFs were completely unknown to human bodies. Although studies are clear about just how harmful UPFs are to our health, scientists are still uncovering exactly how they cause damage.
Gut Disruptors:
Strong evidence is emerging that UPFs harm your gut's friendly microbes, reducing diversity and even changing the make up of your microbiome. This disruption affects everything from your immune system to your mood, and can even manipulate your appetite to crave more processed foods.
7 reasons why women 50+ should minimise UPFs
When we throw a lens on the impacts of ultra-processed foods on women 50+, having a roadmap to detour UPFs becomes even more urgent and critical. It’s clear that UPFs take us in the absolute opposite direction of all eight compass points of the Joyspan Compass. Here’s just some of the havoc UPFs unleash on us:
Faster Ageing:
UPFs cause oxidative stress and cellular damage, speeding up the ageing process when your body is already busy handling age-related changes.Hormone Problems:
Many additives in UPFs mess with your endocrine system, potentially making menopausal symptoms and post-menopausal health issues worse.Weaker Bones:
Phosphate additives in UPFs can throw off calcium metabolism, adding to faster bone loss when osteoporosis risk is already higher.Increased Inflammation:
UPFs trigger widespread inflammation (aka inflammaging), a key driver of age-related diseases including arthritis, heart disease, and memory problems.Metabolism Issues:
After menopause, women naturally experience changes in metabolism and fat distribution. UPFs loaded with refined carbs and unhealthy fats make these challenges even harder.Brain Health Decline:
Research shows UPF consumption is linked to faster cognitive decline and higher dementia risk – particularly concerning for women, who face higher rates of Alzheimer's disease.Higher Cancer Risk:
Nitrates, acrylamide, and other compounds in UPFs can increase cancer risk, particularly relevant for hormone-sensitive cancers that become more common after menopause.
You can see why this is our first essential roadmap for our Joyful Resilience Project. It’s a cornerstone of health that we can’t afford to ignore.
We want to drive right round this sucker.
So let’s look at how we do this—foot to the floor, and whistling out the window all the way.
The Great Ultra-Processed Foods Detour
Women 50+, this is specially for you!
Whereas the jury is out on many things across the spectrum of nutrition science, every expert agrees: ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are hands down one of THE worst things you can do for your health.
After three months researching this article, I’ve come to think of UPFs like Vegas—all glitz and glamour. But, with UPFs, “what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas”. Sadly, they screw with our bodies, long after the memories have faded.
Oh the joy of ditching UPFs at the kerb, along with accelerated ageing, weaker bones, inflammation (aka inflammaging), exacerbated menopausal symptoms and higher dementia and cancer risks, and that’s not even the all of it. Here’s your gentle road out!
Plan your trip
As with everything in the Joyful Resilience Project, there is no hurry or haste. Everything is customisable. Take your time and go at your preferred pace. Every small movement in the right direction is a victory and a cause for celebration. You don’t have to be perfect.
Everything you need is here. But you don’t have to do everything, everywhere and all at once. My personal experience is that know-how trickles down slowly. One day you may turn around and see that you’re literally on track. And if you really want ease and simplicity, for every roadmap there’s always my suggested Express Route.
Key attractions
Of course, round here, we’re all about journeying towards the longest and most pleasurable Joyspan. Let’s take a look at where UPFs take us, compass point by compass point.
🤗 Thrive Together:
UPFs can damage cognitive function and social bonds through inflammation and nutrient deficiencies.
📈 Boss Your Body:
UPFs simultaneously disrupt metabolism, trigger inflammation/ inflammaging, and compromise your heart and bones—all critical systems for women over 50. Without these UPFs, your body regains metabolic control, experiences less systemic inflammation, and maintains stronger bones and heart health. The phosphate additives in UPFs that interfere with calcium metabolism are eliminated, directly supporting your bone density when osteoporosis risk is highest.
🏃♀️ Move It:
UPFs create energy crashes that make consistent exercise challenging.
🥗 Prime Your Plate:
UPFs rob your body of essential nutrients. By eliminating them, you allow your cells to receive the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients needed for repair, regeneration and thriving health.
🧠 Nurture Your Neurons:
The brain is especially vulnerable to the inflammatory compounds in UPFs, which can accelerate cognitive aging.
🌱 Cultivate Peace:
Emerging research links UPF consumption with higher rates of anxiety and depression.
💤 Sleep Sweetly:
The artificial ingredients in UPFs can trigger inflammation and blood sugar fluctuations that disrupt sleep patterns. Eliminating them helps protect your precious deep sleep phases.
⚖️ Optimize Your Hormones:
The harmful chemicals in many UPFs interfere with hormone function when women over 50 need hormonal balance most. Removing these allows your body to better manage the natural hormonal transitions of midlife.
It’s not a pretty picture, but luckily the detour is just up ahead!