The Dangers of Ultra-Processed Food and Too Much Sugar
By #WSWWellness | Wall Street Wraps
A sweet coffee on the way to work. Cookies at the desk. A soft drink with lunch. Instant noodles when the day runs late.
Each choice can seem small. Together, they can leave much of the day’s food coming from products rich in sugar, salt and calories, with little room for vegetables, fruit, legumes and other nourishing foods.
The concern is the pattern that develops when these choices become everyday habits. Research links diets high in ultra-processed foods with poorer health, while controlled trials show that some of these diets can encourage people to eat more and gain weight. Excess free sugar adds its own risks, including tooth decay and unwanted weight gain. [2, 3, 6]
At #WSWWellness - @WallStreetWraps we believe people deserve a clear explanation of those risks and practical ways to improve their meals.
Researchers commonly use the NOVA classification to identify ultra-processed foods. These are industrial formulations made largely from extracted or modified food ingredients, often combined with flavorings, colorings, emulsifiers or other additives. Many soft drinks, packaged cakes and cookies, candy, instant noodles and reconstituted meat products fall into this category, depending on their formulation. [1]
Processing itself serves useful purposes. Freezing vegetables, pasteurizing milk and canning beans can make food safer, more convenient or easier to keep. Some foods classified as ultra-processed, including certain whole-wheat breads and higher-fiber cereals, can also fit into a healthy diet. Nutritional quality still matters. [2]
The strongest reason to take ultra-processed diets seriously comes from research that measures what happens when people eat them.
In a 2019 U.S. National Institutes of Health trial, 20 adults received an ultra-processed diet and an minimally processed diet for two weeks each, in random order. They could eat as much as they wanted. On the ultra-processed diet, they consumed about 500 extra calories a day and gained roughly 0.9 kg on average. They lost a similar amount during the unprocessed phase. The small, short study demonstrated an effect of the diets tested; it did not establish that every ultra-processed product causes weight gain. [3]
A 2025 trial published in Nature Medicine added useful evidence. Researchers enrolled 55 adults the were overweight or obese and provided two eight-week diets, both designed to follow UK healthy-eating guidance. Participants lost weight on both, with greater average weight loss on the minimally processed diet: about 2.1% of body weight, compared with about 1.1% on the ultra-processed diet. The finding supports paying attention to processing alongside nutritional quality. [4]
Longer-term research raises wider concerns. A 2024 review in The BMJ found associations between higher ultra-processed food intake and outcomes including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease-related death and earlier death overall. These observational findings cannot establish that processing alone caused the illnesses. Other dietary and lifestyle factors can contribute. [5]
Taken together, the evidence gives us good reasons to reduce our reliance on ultra-processed products, particularly those high in sugar, salt or saturated fat. It also calls for care with sweeping claims about individual foods.
Sugar deserves attention and is simply a poison in larger quantities and it can accumulate across a day.
The World Health Organization’s term “free sugars” includes added sugars and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and juice concentrates. Brown sugar, honey and syrup all contribute to this total. [6]
WHO recommends keeping free sugars below 10% of daily energy intake and suggests reducing them below 5% for additional benefit, particularly for dental health. On an illustrative 2,000-calorie diet, those levels equal less than 50 g and less than 25 g a day respectively. [6]
Consider a hypothetical 500 mL soft drink containing 10 g of added sugar per 100 mL. Drinking the bottle supplies 50 g of sugar, before accounting for any sweetened coffee, sauces, snacks or dessert that day.
In the Philippines, it is worth checking milk tea, sweetened iced tea, flavored coffee, powdered drinks and shakes. Recipes and serving sizes vary considerably, so the useful questions are how much sugar is in the whole serving and whether a less sweet version is available.
If you order a drink with an adjustable sugar level, ask what that setting covers. Does it include the base, pearls and toppings, or only the syrup added during preparation?
Regular sugary-drink consumption is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. A study following three large U.S. groups found that increasing sugary-drink intake was linked with higher subsequent diabetes risk, even after adjustment for body mass index and several other dietary and lifestyle factors. Reducing sugary drinks is a sensible place to begin. [8]
Dental damage is another concern. Free sugars contribute to tooth decay, and frequently sipping a sweet drink extends the exposure. NHS advice recommends limiting sugary foods and drinks to mealtimes rather than repeatedly consuming them throughout the day. [7]
Liver health is also effected by sugar. The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases advises people with fatty liver disease to avoid foods and drinks containing large amounts of simple sugars, especially fructose. Its examples include sweetened soft drinks, sports drinks, sweetened tea and juices. Diet, weight, metabolic health and other factors all matter in managing this condition. [9]
The sugars within fruit do not count as free sugars. Whole fruit also supplies fiber and nutrients, so an apple or a serving of papaya can remain part of a balanced diet. [6, 11]
Juice and smoothies need more attention to portion size. NHS guidance counts the sugars released through juicing or blending as free sugars. “No added sugar” therefore does not mean sugar-free, and adding protein does not remove the sugar already in a drink. Check the ingredients, the serving size and any sweetened additions. [7]
The same care applies to food marketed as “fitness,” “vegan,” “natural,” or “high protein.” Each label may tell you something useful, but none provides a complete nutritional assessment. Look at the full product.
When reading a label, check whether the figures describe the entire pack or a single serving. Compare similar products using the same quantity. Total sugars can include naturally occurring sugars, such as lactose in milk, as well as added sugars. Use the ingredient list alongside the nutrition panel rather than judging every food by one number. [2, 7]
Improving your diet can begin with a few repeatable changes:
• Change your usual drink. Choose water more often. Order tea or coffee without added sugar where possible, or gradually reduce the amount you add. Check syrups, sweetened milk and toppings. Drink no-sugar detox drinks and infusions if you want a splash of taste.
• Give meals a reliable structure. Include vegetables, a protein source such as eggs, fish, chicken, tofu or beans, and a suitable portion of a starchy food. Choose whole-grain options when available.
• Make a less sugary breakfast easy. Plain oats with fruit, eggs with whole-wheat toast, or plain yogurt with fruit offer alternatives to heavily sweetened cereals and pastries.
• Keep practical foods available. Frozen vegetables, canned beans and lentils, eggs, oats and seasonal fruit can help when time or money is tight. A useful pantry and freezer can make a rushed meal easier to manage.
• Ask about sauces and dressings. Find out what is included and request a smaller amount or a separate serving when that suits your needs.
• Keep treats occasional and portions deliberate. Decide what you want, serve it and enjoy it. Pay particular attention to the snacks and drinks you consume automatically while working or traveling.
These suggestions follow the broader guidance to eat a varied diet, include more fruit, vegetables and higher-fiber foods, and reduce foods and drinks high in free sugars. [10, 11]
For families, start with shared routines: water available at meals, fruit within reach and fewer sugary drinks bought for everyday use. Keep the conversation about food, energy and health. Children should be able to learn these habits without feeling ashamed of their bodies.
That is also the thinking behind #WSWWellness. Wall Street Wraps aims to make balanced choices easier to put into practice through meals built around wraps, salads and bowls.
When choosing a meal, consider the vegetables, protein, portion, dressing and drink together. A salad’s name does not tell you everything about its contents. A smoothie’s nutritional value depends on its ingredients and serving size. These are useful questions wherever you eat, including at Wall Street Wraps.
For your next lunch, start with one change you can keep: add vegetables, choose a suitable protein portion, ask about the sauce or replace the sweetened drink with water. Build from there.
Wall Street Wraps
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References
[1] Monteiro CA et al. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition. 2019;22:936–941.
[2] NHS. Processed foods.
[3] Hall KD et al. Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain. Cell Metabolism. 2019;30:67–77.e3. NIH Clinical Center research summary:
[4] Dicken SJ et al. Trial comparing ultra-processed and minimally processed diets following UK healthy-eating guidance. Nature Medicine. 2025;31:3297–3308.
[5] Lane MM et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024;384:e077310.
[6] World Health Organization. WHO calls on countries to reduce sugars intake among adults and children. 2015.
[7] NHS. Sugar: the facts.
[8] Drouin-Chartier JP et al. Changes in sugary-beverage consumption and subsequent type 2 diabetes risk in three prospective U.S. cohorts. Diabetes Care. 2019;42:2181–2189.
[9] National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for NAFLD & NASH.
[10] NHS. How to cut down on sugar in your diet.
[11] NHS. Eating a balanced diet.
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