Just because your protein shake is green, doesn’t mean it’s good for you

Recent conversations around ultra-processed foods (UPFs) focus on clearly ‘unhealthy’ choices such as ready meals, fizzy drinks and confectionary. But experts are now warning that many ‘health’ products would also be classified as UPFs – and are tricking consumers into thinking otherwise. 

Interest in UPFs has risen lately thanks to experts sounding the alarm over how they impact our health.

Research from the British Medical Journal shows that higher intakes of UPFs are associated with an increased risks of cardiovascular disease-related mortality, depression, obesity and type 2 diabetes. 

‘UPFs are foods which don’t resemble their original form when we eat them,’ says dietitian Sophie Medlin.

They are typically graded using a NOVA classification, rating a food from unprocessed to ultra-processed, but you can work out if a food is a UPF yourself by looking at whether it’s made entirely or mostly from substances extracted from foods, like oils, fats, sugar, starch and protein, and if it includes ingredients like emulsifiers, sweeteners, flavour enhancers and preservatives, says Medlin. 

So-called ‘healthy’ snacks and supplements may also be UPFs

‘Foods like protein bars, greens powders, some breakfast cereals, plant milk and protein powder can all be classified as UPFs using the NOVA system. This is because they’re manufactured and no longer resemble their original form. This means that many foods with a “health halo” may not be so good for us after all,’ says Medlin. 

‘I always worry particularly about protein bars with sweeteners and colourings and the protein powders or meal replacement drinks with emulsifiers and preservatives which can end up becoming a large proportion of people’s diets when they’re trying to lose weight or be healthy.’

Research shows that even when matched like-for-like on fibre, sugar, salt and fat, UPFs lead to worse health outcomes. Essentially, this means that when a cake is made at home it is always healthier than an ultra-processed cake bought from a supermarket, even if the sugar, salt, fat and fibre content is the same.

For that reason, ultra-processed green powders won’t be anywhere near as beneficial as eating your greens, and protein powders aren’t a substitute for lean meats or wholefood-based plant protein. 

And while we may think there’s a difference between eating an ultra-processed ready meal and ultra-processed green powder, the science isn’t so simple.

‘It’s too soon to say if UPFs with potential benefits like greens powders and some vitamin powders are as bad for us as fizzy drinks and ultra-processed snack foods, for example.

‘It’s likely that some of the potential benefits may somewhat counter the downsides – but this is likely to make them neutral to our health rather than actively good for us in the long run,’ says Medlin. 

The health halo effect

Medlin adds that the way some UPFs are celebrated while others are demonised can create a hierarchy of foods.

‘I think this is because of the “health halo” effect,’ she says.

This is when a food has one positive attribute that leads to it being oversold or overestimated as a healthy food. In the instance of protein bars, the protein content gives it the ‘health halo’ and means ingredients like emulsifiers, sweeteners and other UPF red flags are ignored. 

‘Healthier UPFs are also generally more expensive and consumed by those in a higher socioeconomic bracket, so they get less vilified. People think they’re somewhat superior consuming them or selling them, despite being people who would be critical of traditional UPFs.

‘This is where formalised classification and potentially food labelling would be really helpful,’ she says. 

Rather than extremely worrying about ultra-processed foods, Medlin advises taking a logical approach to your UPF intake.

‘The research on UPFs shows that even people with the best health outcomes consumed some UPFs, telling us that they’re harmless in small doses. This is great news because they’re so common in our food systems.

‘Ideally, we want to reduce UPFs but nobody needs to be scared of them or worry about eliminating them completely. If you’re unsure about whether a food is ultra-processed, try to picture what the ingredients would have looked like in their whole form to see how much processing has taken place to get to the food as it is now.’

And remember: just because a health food is expensive, green or labelled with health claims, it doesn’t make it good for you. 

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