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How can we change our eating habits if we’re up against this? - The truth about the ultra-processed food industry

  • melissa03565
  • Jul 1
  • 5 min read

We all know that food is essential to our health. But what happens when much of what lines our supermarket shelves no longer resembles food at all?

 

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) now make up over 50% of the average shopping basket, and a staggering 65% of our children’s diets.

 

Despite glossy packaging and clever marketing, these foods are increasingly linked to chronic illness, obesity, digestive issues, and declining energy levels.

 

But even when people try to make better choices, there’s a bigger obstacle at play: the food industry itself.

 

The hidden influence of the ultra-processed food industry

The Soil Association reveal a troubling truth: industry lobbyists blocked UK government plans to promote healthy food deals.

 

The Department of Health and Social Care had aimed to encourage retailers to offer promotions on whole foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and unprocessed meat. But lobbyists representing some of the UK’s largest UPF manufacturers pressured officials to remove this advice from official guidance.

 

The result? Another win for corporate profits, and another setback for public health.


This isn’t an isolated case. Around the world, ultra-processed food companies are spending millions lobbying governments, shaping public health policy to serve their bottom line.

 

Instead of promoting nutritional wellbeing, policies are distorted to maintain dependence on highly processed, nutrient-poor products.

 

So what are ultra-processed, minimally processed, and whole foods?

Understanding the difference between food types is key to making informed choices for your health. While all food undergoes some level of processing, such as washing, chopping, or freezing, not all processing is harmful.

 

In fact, some processing can be helpful, preserving nutrients or making food safer to eat. The real concern lies in the degree and purpose of processing.

 

Whole and minimally processed foods

These are foods that are in their natural or near-natural state. They have either not been altered at all, or only processed in ways that preserve their original structure and nutritional value.

 

Examples include:

  • Fresh fruits and vegetables

  • Whole grains like oats, quinoa, or brown rice

  • Fresh meat, poultry, and fish

  • Plain yogurt and milk

  • Freshly baked bread made with basic ingredients

  • Frozen vegetables with no added sauces or seasonings

 

These foods are rich in nutrients, naturally free from chemical additives, and offer the kind of fuel your body can recognise and use effectively.

 

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs)

Ultra-processed foods are products that have been heavily altered through industrial processes. They contain multiple added ingredients not typically used in home cooking, such as:

 

  • Artificial flavourings and colours

  • Preservatives and stabilisers

  • Emulsifiers, sweeteners, and thickeners

  • Isolated proteins and modified starches

 

Examples include:

 

  • Fizzy drinks and sugary sodas

  • Packaged snacks like crisps, biscuits, and cereal bars

  • Instant noodles and powdered soups

  • Processed meats like hot dogs and chicken nuggets

  • Most ready meals

 

These foods are often designed to be hyper-palatable, making them easy to overconsume. They offer little real nutritional value while being high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.

 

Breaking the cycle of craving and dehydration

One of the most deceptive aspects of ultra-processed foods is that we often underestimate how much we’re really consuming. You might think, “I only have the occasional packet of crisps,” but even small amounts can have a powerful effect on your body.

 

UPFs are specifically engineered to over-stimulate your taste buds, making them difficult to resist. After eating them, your body often feels intensely thirsty, but that thirst is commonly misinterpreted as hunger.

 

The result? You reach for more food instead of water, and the cycle of craving and dehydration continues.

 

This is where The Jigsaw Method comes in. By helping you reset your taste buds and refine your body's internal signals, the method brings you back into a clearer relationship with your own needs. For example, when you eat something ultra-processed, like crisps, your body still cries out for hydration, but now, thanks to improved awareness, you actually hear it.

 

You reach for water instead of more food, and in that simple moment, you begin to break the addictive loop. This is the power of regular rebalancing: not denial, but deeper clarity and connection.

 

 

Reclaiming our intuition around food

So what do we do when the food system is rigged against us? When eating well feels like swimming upstream?

 

We return to something deeper: our own inner compass.

 

In her remarkable book The Wilderness Cure, author Mo Wilde documents a year of eating only 100% foraged food. Her journey revealed not only the incredible healing power of natural, unprocessed food, but also the disconnect modern life has created between our bodies and the land.

 

Of course, you don’t need to live off wild herbs and mushrooms for a year to start feeling better.

Start small.

 

Even one simple meal a week, prepared with fresh, natural ingredients, can create the contrast you need to wake up your senses and bring clarity to your food choices.

 

This contrast is powerful. It shows you what supports your energy, sleep, mood, and digestion, and what depletes it.

 

The Jigsaw Method: A realistic way to start

That’s the essence of The Jigsaw Method: a gentle, intuitive approach to changing your diet by creating small, sustainable routines that work with your schedule and rhythm.

 

It’s not about restriction or denial. It’s about building a toolkit of nourishing habits and reconnecting with how food actually makes you feel.

 

When you give your body regular moments of clarity, it becomes much easier to say no to ultra-processed foods, not from a place of willpower, but from a place of alignment.

 

 

Join the conversation and get support

 

You don’t have to do this alone. I host an online book support group on the second Tuesday of each month (7:30–8:15pm), where we explore the principles of The Jigsaw Method, share experiences, and support each other in making real, lasting changes.

 

Book your place here:

Want to hear from others already making these changes?Read some powerful stories of transformation:

 

A final thought

The truth is, we are up against a powerful system designed to keep us consuming food that does little to nourish us. But real change starts in small moments. Choosing a home-cooked meal over a ready-made one, taking the time to listen to how food makes you feel, and gently rebalancing your routine.

 

With awareness, support, and a return to your own inner knowing, you absolutely can build a diet, and a life, that truly supports your health.

 
 
 

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