Ultra-Processed Food and Training: A Practical, Unfussy View
You do not need to eliminate ultra-processed food to lose weight, but eating less of it usually makes weight loss easier. The main reason is practical: many ultra-processed foods are energy-dense, low in fibre and protein, and very easy to eat quickly, so it is simple to take in more than you meant to without feeling full. Fat loss still comes down to eating less energy than you use over time. Cutting back on the worst offenders is one of the most reliable ways to do that without counting every calorie. You do not need to fear a tin of beans or a pot of yoghurt.
What “ultra-processed” actually means
The term comes from the NOVA classification, which sorts food by how much it has been processed rather than by its nutrients. Roughly:
- Unprocessed or minimally processed: fresh meat, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables, milk, oats, frozen peas.
- Processed culinary ingredients: oil, butter, salt, sugar, flour.
- Processed foods: things made by adding those ingredients to whole foods. Cheese, tinned fish, traditional bread, cured ham.
- Ultra-processed foods: industrial formulations, often with ingredients you would not find in a home kitchen, such as emulsifiers, modified starches, flavourings and sweeteners. Crisps, sweets, most packaged cakes and biscuits, fizzy drinks, many ready meals, but also many supermarket breads, flavoured yoghurts and protein bars.
That last group is very broad. It puts a doughnut and a wholemeal sliced loaf in the same category, which is part of why the topic generates so much confusion.
What the UK evidence says
In 2025 the government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition reviewed the evidence (SACN’s rapid evidence update on processed foods and health). In short: higher intakes of ultra-processed food are consistently linked with poorer health outcomes, including weight gain, but the committee was cautious about whether processing itself is the cause, or whether it is mostly that these foods tend to be high in fat, sugar and salt and low in fibre. Its advice was not to create a new rule about processing but to keep following existing healthy eating guidance.
That is a sensible place to stand. The well-known metabolic ward study run by Kevin Hall at the US National Institutes of Health in 2019 found that people offered an ultra-processed diet ate around 500 calories a day more than when offered a minimally processed one, and ate it faster (Hall et al., Cell Metabolism, 2019). That is one small, short study, but it matches what most coaches see in practice: the problem is mainly how much people end up eating.
Why it matters for someone who trains
It displaces protein and fibre
A lunch of a meal deal sandwich, crisps and a soft drink is not a disaster. But it is often low in protein relative to its calories, and fibre is usually thin. Protein matters for holding on to muscle while losing fat, and fibre helps keep you full. See our guides on protein for fat loss and how much fibre you need.
It is easy to graze on
Foods engineered to be pleasant and soft are easy to eat at a desk without noticing. Most “I eat well but cannot lose weight” conversations end up at the biscuit tin, the office snacks or the evening crisps, not at dinner.
Some of it is genuinely useful
Protein yoghurts, some protein bars, wholegrain cereals, plain sliced bread and tinned soups can all count as ultra-processed. For a busy person, a high-protein yoghurt at 4pm can be the difference between a good evening and an empty fridge raid. Labels matter more than categories.
A traffic-light approach that works without obsessing
| Keep freely | Use deliberately | Treat as occasional |
|---|---|---|
| Frozen vegetables and fruit, tinned beans and fish, plain yoghurt, oats, eggs, fresh meat and fish | Protein yoghurts and bars, wholegrain bread, simple ready meals with a short list of ingredients, cooked chicken | Crisps, biscuits, pastries, sweets, sugary drinks, fried takeaway, most “snack” products |
The middle column is where judgement comes in. Read the label for protein, fibre and calories per portion, and ask whether this food is helping you hit your targets or just filling a gap.
Five changes that make the biggest difference
- Fix the 3pm to 5pm window. This is where most unplanned calories land. Have a planned snack with protein in it, such as yoghurt, a boiled egg or a handful of nuts with fruit. Our list of high-protein snacks from UK supermarkets is a good starting point.
- Swap drinks first. Sugary drinks and sweetened coffees add energy without fullness. Water, tea, coffee or diet versions are the easy win.
- Build lunch around a protein you chose. A salad box with chicken or fish, or leftovers, usually beats a sandwich built for shelf life.
- Keep the occasional foods out of reach, not banned. If they are in the cupboard you see every evening, you will eat them. Buy them for an occasion instead.
- Cook a few simple things in bulk. One pot of chilli or a tray of roast vegetables and chicken covers several meals and costs less time than people expect.
Mistakes people make
- Turning it into a purity test. Cutting out every packaged food often means cutting out convenient protein and fibre too. Then people give up within a fortnight.
- Assuming “unprocessed” means low-calorie. Homemade granola, nuts, olive oil and cheese are all minimally processed and very energy-dense.
- Trusting health-halo packaging. “Natural”, “plant-based” and “no refined sugar” say nothing about calories or protein.
- Ignoring the weekend. A careful Monday to Friday and a loose Saturday and Sunday often cancel each other out.
Where training fits
None of this replaces the basics: enough protein, a moderate calorie deficit if fat loss is the goal, regular strength training to keep muscle, and decent sleep. When clients start 1-1 personal training with me in Highgate, we look at a normal week of eating before changing anything, then pick the two or three swaps that will matter most. Usually that is snacks and drinks, not dinners. The InBody scanner in the studio helps show whether weight loss is coming from fat rather than muscle, which is useful feedback when you are adjusting food. For the underlying arithmetic, read what a calorie deficit is.
If you have diabetes, a history of disordered eating, or a medical condition affected by diet, speak to your GP or a registered dietitian before making significant changes.
Questions we get asked
Is protein powder ultra-processed?
Most of it is, by the NOVA definition. That does not make it harmful. It is a convenient way to add protein when food alone falls short, and the label tells you what you are getting.
Can I lose weight eating ready meals?
Yes, if the total energy is right and protein is reasonable. Many people do well with a simple ready meal plus a bag of salad or frozen vegetables on busy nights.
Should I cut out ultra-processed food completely?
There is no need. Reducing the snack-type foods and drinks gives most of the benefit. Keep the useful ones.
Are sweeteners a problem for weight loss?
For most people, switching from sugary to sweetened drinks reduces calorie intake. If you prefer to avoid them, water and unsweetened tea or coffee work just as well. To get help building your food around your training, see what our private training studio offers.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready to start training properly? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
Visit The Highgate House · Private personal training
The Highgate House, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6.
