Top nutritionist Dr Federica Amati has given a surprise verdict on family staples Weetabix and baked beans as families try to cut back on their ultra-processed food intake. The author of author of Every Body Should Know This and head nutritionist at Zoe, the health science company founded by Tim Spector, was speaking out as evidence grows that ultra-processed food can lead to an increased risk of high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.
The rise of highly processed food including crisps, bacon, and fizzy drinks has led to an obesity crisis in the Uk, with government figures showing that in the year 2022 to 2023, 64.0% of adults aged 18 years and over in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity.
A survey published in September 2024 by the NHS found one in eight children aged between two and 10 in England are obese. Obesity rates in 2022 were 12% among those aged between two and 10, and 19% in those aged between 11 and 15.
Writing in The Times, Dr Amati said people don’t have to be too extreme in their approach to the issue. She said: “We all know by now that a high intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is bad for health. Research has connected UPFs to an increased risk of obesity, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome and heart disease. It has also been linked to the rise in colorectal cancer in younger people, according to new research by Cancer Research UK. However, it’s not quite as simple as all or nothing.”
She explained that nutritionists and epidemiologists the Nova classification to group foods from 1-4: 1-3 covering those foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed cooking ingredients such as butter; group 4 being foods that are industrially manufactured and made almost entirely from compounds extracted from foods and using chemicals synthesised in laboratories, with artificial cosmetic additives as part of their ingredients list.
But she explained that while some products might appear on the lists – such as Weetabix and baked beans, it’s not necessary for most people to cut them out. She said: “However, while the Nova system has done a great job of making us think about how much our food is processed, it wasn’t designed to tell us about the different health effects of these foods and how to make better dietary choices. Take baked beans, for example, which are classified in Nova group 4. No nutrition professional would say, ‘on’t eat baked beans,’ because for many people they are the only beans they eat and they’re fibre-rich. The same goes for Weetabix. Technically it’s a UPF, but it doesn’t contain a raft of additives and is also rich in fibre — a nutrient of which most of us don’t eat anywhere near enough.
“We also need to consider the amount of UPF we are eating. High intakes are linked to poorer health, but lower intakes — usually 15 per cent of our calorie intake — are not. Alarmingly, in the UK more than 65 per cent of our calorie intake is from UPFs. But if you go to Italy, where I am from, it’s 14 per cent. This is what we need to aim for, and it’s doable.”
Dr Amati said one of the big issues was the fact that if people are eating ultra-processed foods, they are probably replacing whole original plant based nutrition. She said: “We know that a diet low in wholegrains is a leading factor in diet-related diseases. In fact, this kind of diet kills a lot more people than a diet that is high in trans fats. It is the fact we are not eating enough whole foods that is driving ill health.
“So when it comes to cutting down UPFs, my advice is that you do not have to be terrified of eating any of these foods, or deny yourself ever having a treat. I love an occasional croissant from a really good bakery, but I wouldn’t eat a mass-produced one from a supermarket. With any UPFs, just look out for the ones that are high in sugar, salt and saturated fats and low in fibre, as well as those that contain a long list of industrial additives such as emulsifiers, sweeteners and bulking agents that you might consider not eating every day. Learn also to spot foods that are marketed as healthy but are full of additives.”