It's everywhere in our diets, but the vast majority of bread on supermarket shelves, and in pre-packed sandwiches, qualifies as UPF.
Whole grains lock carbohydrate up with fibre and micronutrients, causing energy to be released slowly as we digest. The reverse is also true.
This kids' favourite, often advertised a being made exclusively from 100% breast meat, isn't always what it seems.
Chocolate itself is not a UPF, but the type contained in, or topping, your average biscuit almost certainly is, and will contain refined fats, sugar and emulsifiers.
Beside a high quantity of sugar and other refined ingredients, this toast topper almost always contains palm oil.
The original classification of ultra-processed foods highlighted those with five or more ingredients, and a quick glance at a few filled chocolate bars shows the leading products tend to have triple this number.
Deep-fried slices of fresh potato seasoned with a little salt are a processed indulgence, but it's the reconstituted starch or puffed maize snacks with tongue-shocking flavours that many of us really crave.
As you'll be gathering, it's often when a natural ingredient is being synthesised that foods turn into an 'industrially produced edible substance'.
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