Ultra-Processed Food: Why It’s Not Really Food (and How to Make better Supermarket choices)

Ultra-Processed Food: Why It’s Not Really Food (and How to Make better Supermarket choices)

Walk into any supermarket and you’ll see it straight away.
Bright packaging. Big health claims. Buzzwords like high protein, low fat, gut-friendly, natural.

And yet, many of these products aren’t really food at all.

They’re ultra-processed products - substances created in laboratories, engineered for shelf life, profit, and hyper-palatability, not nourishment.

And I learned this the hard way.

My Burnout Story (and the Missing Piece)

In my early 30s, I hit severe burnout.

At the time, I was seeing up to 80 patients a week as an Osteopath, dancing professionally at night, training hard, under-eating, over-performing, and living on adrenaline. On the outside, I looked “fit and healthy.” On the inside, my body was falling apart.

Fatigue. Brain fog. Inflammation. Poor recovery. Hormonal chaos.

When I hit rock bottom and first saw a Naturopath, things then started improving. 

Over about three years, I got around 60% better by:

• Using targeted supplements

• Removing obvious inflammatory triggers like gluten, dairy, sugar and alcohol.

And that helped. A lot.

But I never felt fully well.

Something still wasn’t right.

The Shift That Changed Everything

It wasn’t until I removed all ultra-processed foods that my health truly turned around.

Not just the obvious junk food.
The “healthy” bars.
The protein snacks.
The gluten-free replacements.
The wellness-labelled packaged foods.

Once I eliminated ultra-processed foods completely - foods made in laboratories rather than grown, picked, caught, or harvested - my body finally recovered.

That last 40% came back.

Energy returned. Inflammation settled. My nervous system calmed. My hormones stabilised. My body could finally do what it was designed to do - heal.

That experience reshaped how I view food forever.

Let’s break down what ultra-processed food actually is, why it matters for your health, and how to make better choices every time you shop.

What Is Ultra-Processed Food?

Ultra-processed foods are products made mostly from industrial ingredients, not whole foods.

They’re typically manufactured using:

• Refined starches and sugars

• Industrial seed oils

• Flavour enhancers

• Emulsifiers, stabilisers, preservatives

• Artificial or “nature-identical” colours and flavours

These foods don’t resemble anything you’d find growing in the ground, swimming in the sea, or walking on land.

They’re not cooked versions of food.
They’re re-assembled substances, designed to look and taste like food.

If it’s made in a factory from fractions of foods rather than grown, harvested, caught, or raised - that’s your clue that it's not real food.

Why Ultra-Processed Foods Are a Problem

Your body evolved to recognise real food - food that comes with fibre, enzymes, micronutrients, and natural structure.

Ultra-processed foods disrupt that system in several ways:

1. They Drive Inflammation

Ultra-processed foods are strongly linked to chronic, low-grade inflammation - a key driver behind:

• Weight gain that doesn’t respond to “doing everything right”

• Hormonal imbalance

• Joint pain and muscle stiffness

• Brain fog and fatigue

• Gut symptoms

2. They Confuse Hunger and Fullness Signals

These products are engineered to override your natural appetite regulation.

They digest quickly, spike blood sugar, and don’t provide the satiety signals your brain expects from real food.
So you stay hungry - even after eating.

3. They Disrupt the Gut Microbiome

Many additives used in ultra-processed foods damage the gut lining and negatively affect beneficial gut bacteria.

A compromised gut impacts:

• Immune function

• Hormone metabolism

• Mood and mental clarity

• Nutrient absorption

4. They Replace Real Nutrition

When ultra-processed foods dominate the diet, they crowd out foods that actually nourish the body - vegetables, quality protein, healthy fats, and fibre-rich whole foods.

Real Food vs “Fake Food”

Here’s a simple way to think about it.

Real food:

• Grows in soil

• Comes from the sea

• Falls from trees

• Is picked, harvested, hunted, or caught

• Has a short ingredient list - or no list at all

Ultra-processed products:

• Are assembled in laboratories

• Use ingredients you wouldn’t cook with at home

• Contain additives to mimic taste, texture, or colour

• Are designed for profit, not physiology

They’re not even fake food.
They’re just fake!

The Supermarket Rule That Changes Everything

Turn the packet over.

That’s where the truth lives.

In Australia

If you see numbers in the ingredient list (additives starting with 100-, 200-, 300- etc), that’s a red flag.

Outside Australia

Watch for chemical-sounding names you wouldn’t recognise as food or use in your kitchen.

If you can’t pronounce it, don’t know what it is, or your grandmother wouldn't have eaten it - pause.

A good rule of thumb:

If it looks like a science experiment, your body will treat it like one.

How to Choose Better Supermarket Options

You don’t need to shop only on the outer aisles or eat like a monk.

Instead:

• Choose products with short, recognisable ingredient lists

• Prioritise foods that resemble their original form

• Look for single-ingredient staples where possible

• Use packaged foods as helpers, not foundations

The goal is reducing exposure and increasing nourishment.

Want Help Navigating the Supermarket?

This is exactly why I created my Supermarket Secrets guide.

It’s designed to help you:

• Decode food labels quickly and confidently

• Spot ultra-processed foods in seconds

• Make better choices without overthinking

• Shop in a way that supports hormones, gut health, and inflammation

👉 Download the Supermarket Secrets guide here
www.andrearobertson.health/supermarket_secrets

 Because food should nourish your body - not confuse it.

And once you know what to look for, you’ll never see the supermarket shelves the same way again.

Andrea x

PS.... The image is an AI version of me! Though I would 1000% say NO the same way to UPFs!