'Eating ultra-processed foods every day was ruining my life'

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]When I was a toddler, if a vegetable was put in front of me, I'd refuse to eat it. I ate three things: cheese, baked beans, plain pasta. I didn't finish a meal with vegetables until I was a teenager. I was raised on ultrarocessed foods. I grew up with four siblings who wanted to eat different things. My mom needed something that was quick and that we'd agree on. Fast food and microwave, that's what I had most of the time, and I never grew out of it. My diet had a big effect on my health. I was such an overweight child that my school got me a Fitbit. They basically sat me down.

[00:00:30]You're fat. And I used to have to go for meetings to check my step count.

[00:00:34]Ultrarocessed foods are foods that are mass- prodduced. They contain high levels of additives and researchers linked them to diabetes, cancers, dementia, depression, and a shorter lifespan. I don't remember learning anything about nutrition in school until I started going to the gym in my teens.

[00:00:49]I was shocked when I found out that even the things I thought were healthy, still unhealthy. Today, adolescence in the UK consume around twothirds of their daily calories from UPFS. And that was me growing up. I'm worried about the effect my limited diet could have had on my health. Even small changes can make a difference. Now, when I look back at my diet as a child, I understand why it was that way because it was convenient. But I definitely will be teaching my child about nutrition much earlier than I learn about