As I report more, I’ve stopped thinking of UPFs as food at all – and I suspect corporations don’t care how their products affect consumers
’ve been standing in the dairy aisle at my local grocery store, poring over the nutrition labels on the backs of different soy, almond and oat milk containers, for 15 minutes when I decide: maybe not this week. I’ve spent the past four months reporting on ultra-processed foods and wanted to see whether it’d be possible to go even a week without them.
Wandering the aisles, I select ingredients for a fish, couscous and vegetable stew; a quiche; and sandwiches . Crushed tomatoes are fine, but a prepared tomato spread is not; pie crust is OK if I make it from scratch, but not if I buy it pre-made. Then I stock up on snacks: apples and cheddar cheese, hummus and pita chips , snap peas and mangoes.
Despite having no immediate family history of colon cancer or symptoms myself, I had my first pre-cancerous colon polyp removed at the age of 28. To be safe, I’ll return for screenings every five years – but in the meantime, I’ve been left wondering: how could I be living my life differently to prevent any more? Should I stop drinking? Go on daily walks? Give up all ultra-processed foods?
As I report more on UPFs, I’m troubled by two things. Recently, I’ve stopped thinking of UPFs as food at all. Scientists will instead call these “food products” as a reminder that they’re made not so much of food, but of products extracted from food – fats, starches and added sugars – and additives.
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