How to Avoid Ultra-Processed Food (Easy tips & ideas)

It was less than a year ago that I began my whole food journey that led me to avoid ultra-processed food. It began with an obsession over cottage core aesthetic during the 2023 fall season. I was living 1,000 miles away from my husband (then boyfriend) and feeling lonely. If you know me, you know how much I love fall. I couldn’t tell you how exactly I came across cottage core, but it led me to find all sorts of people like The Cottage Fairy, Little House on the Mountain, Calico and Twine, From Scratch Farmstead, and many others.

At the same time, I wasn’t feel well physically. I was on hormonal birth control, not eating well, and sporadically exercising. I sat at a desk all day under fluorescent lights and I definitely did not prioritize a holistic lifestyle as much as I do now. I’ve known about holistic health for quite some time but I never truly embraced it. The catalyst for my changes came when I discovered the Weston A. Price Foundation. The Weston A. Price Foundation is an organization which goes against modern health and nutrition advice, like how to avoid ultra-processed food. They focus on eating good sourced proteins, fermented foods, and truly healthy fats like butter, tallow, and lard! To say I’ve become obsessed is probably an understatement.

RELATED: 12 simple ways I lost 20+ inches in 9 months

My diet is by no means perfect, but I’ve fully embraced a whole foods diet to the point where I home make about 75-80% of the foods I consume. This includes things like mayo, dressings, all desserts, and snacks. All of our meals are about 80-90% from scratch and are very nourishing. I’m still waiting to perfect a sourdough boule and I don’t yet have a local farmer from whom I’m purchasing pasture-raised meat, but this is a journey and it’s a lot of fun. Maybe you feel the same way I did – you’re physically unwell and want to get better. Or, maybe you’ve got an itch to try making things more from scratch. Join me as I give you some tips and ideas for how to avoid ultra-processed foods.

A sliver of my health journey

I’m a 90’s kids through and through. This means being raised on antibiotics, eating TONS of packaged foods with sketchy ingredients and food dyes, and receiving regular doses of childhood vaccinations. Raw milk was never once in my vocabulary and the only sourdough I was familiar with was the kind my grandmother bought from the grocery store. I wasn’t a super unhealthy kid, but I do remember regularly getting ear infections, common colds, the flu, seasonal allergies, and sinus issues. For whatever reason, my mom couldn’t breastfeed me, but when she tried dairy-based formula, I got really sick. Introduce the soy-based formula. Yikes!

I was first introduced to organic food in high school. From there, during college, I learned about our food system. In fact, in my freshman or sophomore year I watched the documentary, Food, Inc., and it actually caused me to become a vegetarian for a few months. In 2011, I got really sick from the flu shot and started to think that maybe there is something to preventative health care and eating for wellness.

I think the game changer happened in 2015. Early that year, I developed the nastiest sinus infection I’ve ever endured. It was so bad that I couldn’t swallow and was tested for strep throat. From February to August, I was placed on multiple antibiotics, none of which worked. I already was interested in natural remedies for illnesses and a woman I worked with at the time told me about homeopathy. I remember going onto the 1-800 Homeopathy website (which I think is now Boiron) and ordering something that I hoped could give me relief. The little tablets arrived shortly after and within three days, my sinus infection was GONE. Homeopathy did for me in three days what allopathic medicine couldn’t do in six months!

A sort of domino effect had started. The more I learned, the more I was hooked. And I was a product of these natural remedies so many people claimed didn’t work. All around me, friends and family members were being placed on medication for mostly preventable illnesses and diseases. While they were taking antidepressants and medication for depression and anxiety, I looked into how food, exercise, and environment might affect things like depression and anxiety. I learned about hormone health and the dangers of hormonal birth control. Switching out certain products became a priority when I learned about environmental toxins. And my eyes were opened to the horrors of food production and quality.

This brings me to my most recent leg of my health journey. First of all, please know that there is absolutely no shame around where you are currently at! You are probably in a different place than I am and that’s ok. You should never feel guilty for your current circumstances. My goal is simply to educate and inform based on what I’ve learned. And if the crunchy lifestyle isn’t your thing, no judgment there either! Anyway, my biggest priority at the moment is the food I put into my body. Knowing I want to have a child sooner than later, it’s important for me to be careful with what I’m putting into my body. This means eating whole foods, good quality meats and fats, organic produce when I can get it, and watching my consumption of sugar and alcohol. I don’t cut out any specific foods or food groups but I do try to be careful with where that food is sourced.

If you’ve gotten to this point, it means that you are probably on board with wanting to cut back on or avoid most ultra-processed foods. I’m so glad you’ve decided to join me on this discussion. Ok, so let’s dive in!

RELATED: 12 simple ways I lost 20+ inches in 9 months

What is ultra-processed food?

First, let’s define ultra-processed food and let’s talk about what it’s not. It’s important to note that most food goes through some type of processing. We’re not talking about organic frozen veggies or butchered meat. When we refer to ultra-processed food, we’re talking about foods that are “entirely altered and have high levels of unhealthy fats, refined sugars, and salt. They also undergo industrial processes, like hydrogenation and moulding, and contain additives like dyes, stabilizers, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, and defoaming agents” (ZOE.com). These are foods that come in a package, like Doritos, Hot Pockets, Pop Tarts, bottled salad dressing, and vegetable oil.

While it’s not necessarily terrible to consume ultra-processed foods very sparingly, most Americans aren’t doing that. In fact, according to Medical News Today, more than 73% of food in the US is made up of ultra-processed foods! This was quite astonishing and a little scary. Although I don’t agree with much advice mainstream nutrition gives, we can both agree that it’s important to eat a diet that consists mainly of whole foods, including good quality meats, healthy fats, fresh produce, and whole grains. Ultra-processed foods have been known to increase risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, other metabolic illnesses, gut issues, dementia, and even death!

If so much of our food is ultra-processed then, how do we avoid it? And where do we even begin? Follow my tips below to help you get started.

Tips on how to avoid ultra-processed foods

1. Shop the outer aisles of the grocery store.

2. Buy whole food ingredients. To the best of my ability, I only buy foods that have one ingredient. Actually, I buy ingredients instead of foods. I heard someone once say they don’t buy anything with more than five ingredients. This is a great piece of advice but not everyone can do it. Even so, if you’re buying food that’s packaged, make sure it only contains actually foods and not preservatives or weird chemicals. You can do a lot when you only buy whole ingredients. Craving Pop Tarts? There are recipes for them! Want some brownies? You probably already have the ingredients at home. Pizza, anyone? Pizza dough only has like four ingredients in it and again, you probably already have most of them.

3. Understand your budget may change.

4. Put your creative muscles to use. One thing I love about eating a whole food diet is creating meals for my husband and me. It’s way more fun than going to the store and putting a frozen dinner in your shopping cart. I’ve been cooking regularly since I was in high school so I wasn’t aware that there are so many people who struggle to cook for themselves. I think this is partly due to how convenient and comfortable society has become. Why cook when you can order food in just a few clicks on your phone? Why? Because it’s fun and so much healthier! And, another reason to avoid ultra-processed food. If you are not familiar with cooking for yourself, start simple with something like a soup or even a casserole. Once you have a knowledge base you can begin to expand your palette and knowledge base.

5. Read food labels. Reading food labels is a habit I got into a long time ago. With a husband who has a Master’s in nutrition, it happens quite often (even if we don’t agree on why we’re reading the labels 😉). It’s important to see what ingredients you’re putting into your body. Just because you bought an item at Whole Foods doesn’t automatically mean it’ll be healthy. In fact, many health food stores carry many items that still have sketchy ingredients like emulsifiers, seed oils, “natural flavors,” and shelf-stabilizing chemicals. Not sure about where to start when it comes to reading food labels or understanding what some of these ingredients mean? Check out Vani Hari, a.k.a., Food Babe. She has tons of great resources, including a free grocery shopping guide. It’s yet another great idea to help you avoid ultra-processed food.

6. Visit your local farmers’ market.

Before moving to Colorado, I never really needed to go to a farmers’ market because the area in which I lived is surrounded by farmland. I could access fresh food and other products easily throughout the year. In a more urban area, I don’t have that luxury. The closest farms are a 30-minute drive. If you’re in a more urban or suburban area like I am, you may have a farmers’ market near year. Local Harvest is one of my favorite websites to help locate farmers’ markets in the local area. By visiting farmers’ markets, you get to talk to the producers and sellers and learn about their growing and harvesting techniques. It also helps you weed out the ones that have sketchy practices! Ever been to a farmers’ market where they tried to sell you tomatoes with stickers on them??? Here’s a hint: Don’t buy them! Buying food at farmers’ markets ensures you’re (hopefully) getting fresh, local food at a decent price.

7. Take a trip to your local farm. If you’ve never talked to a farmer, you need to. It’s an incredible experience. True farmers are excited about their products and want to sell you good food. Unfortunately, even if you buy a chicken breast at the grocery store, it’s probably not all that safe. Most meat in the US (up to 80% of it) is raised on CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations), also known as factory farms. What’s the problem with this? The animals are usually mistreated, not allowed to roam freely, and stuffed with all sorts of yucky things like antibiotics. If they’re not given antibiotics directly, their feed and/or water supply is contaminated with things like antibiotics, mold, heavy metals, glyphosate, and other toxins. You become what you eat and in turn, you ingest the same materials the animals did.

I’ll be honest – buying good quality, grass-fed/pastured meat is more expensive than buying meat from the grocery. But, you have to determine what your priorities are. If you can’t switch to buying from a local farm now, that’s ok. You can at least start to become educated. Start by searching meat farms in your area. Peruse their websites and become familiar with their practices. See if they offer farm tours so you can see first-hand how their animals are treated. Email, call, or talk with them in person. Most honest farmers are happy to answer your questions! Eat Wild is another great resource that provides maps and lists of meat farms in your area.

8. Change up your snack game. Want a really good way to avoid ultra-processed food? Switch up your snack game. Snacks are a massive part of the average American’s diet. In fact, according to Forbes based on a study done through PLOS Global Public Health, out of more than 23k people, up to 22% of calories were consumed through snacks. That’s almost a quarter of your daily calories! Americans have jumped on the train of believing that snacks need to be a daily part of life. First of all, this is just not true (see my next point). However, if you feel you need your daily energy boost, consider swapping out the kinds of snacks you eat. Buy whole fruit, chew on some veggies with dip, or eat a good quality meat stick. Even a hardboiled egg or some nuts work great!

9. Consider ditching snacks altogether. How dare she tell me to give up my snacks!? Ok, before you come after me, hear me out. Since the industrial revolution, eating habits have changed. Americans now spend much less time at home and are opting for convenience. They want something they can eat on-the-go and can have ready in minutes. This means foregoing nourishing, home-cooked meals eaten at the table. The tradeoff is that we have a society that values convenience so much that they are concerned less with their health and more with the time it takes to open a package. Ditching snacks altogether means that you are going to need to cook wholesome, healthy meals that keep you full from one meal to the next. Not to get too deep on you, but that may mean taking a look at your eating habits and even how you spend your time.

But I promise it can be done! If you’re like me, going “cold turkey” on almost anything doesn’t work. I do well with regimented steps that help me progress toward my goals. Even if you’re a current snacker who wants to ditch them altogether, start where you currently are. What can you start to trade out? Can you carve out an extra hour or two during the week to plan and prep for better meals? Trust me, I bet there’s a lot you can do right now!

10. Make your own beverages.

Are you a coffee lover like me? Welcome to the club. I’m not a daily coffee drinker like I was, but I love a pistachio cream cold brew and an iced caramel latte like no one ever has before. The unfortunate aspect of loving coffee drinks so much is that they are filled with junk. In order to avoid ultra-processed food in my coffee drinks, I started making my own pistachio cream cold brew. Not only does it save money, but it tastes better and I can play around with the flavors to make them exactly how I want to. Making your own syrup takes less than 20 minutes and literally uses fewer than five ingredients for most recipes. You know exactly what’s going into it and can feel better about what you’re putting into your body.

Easy whole food swaps to make

Let’s say you’re convinced now and want to start making some changes. If you’ve been eating a diet that consists pretty heavily of processed food, you may not have any clue where to start. Keep reading for some ways you can easily swap out ultra-processed and packaged food for better choices. Keep in mind that, if there’s a recipe attached, it’s meant to be quick and easy so you don’t need to feel overwhelmed.

1. Homemade baked goods.

2. Snacks. When you think of snacks in the American diet, some foods probably come to mind: Pretzels, chips (I’m looking at you, Doritos), granola bars, crackers, popcorn, and trail mix. There’s nothing wrong with indulging in these every now and then. The problem is that they’ve become the norm. We love to load up on carb-heavy snacks which leave us hungry and unfulfilled. Want to avoid ultra-processed food? Buy whole food snacks! If you refuse to give up your carbs for snacks, try to pick something that has fewer ingredients (ones that you can pronounce, preferably) and be sure to pair it with a fat or protein. If you eat carbs by themselves, it’s a fast track to a glucose spike, which can lead to that mid-afternoon crash you may be feeling. Pair the carbs with protein and/or fat to keep you satiated and filled up longer.

Some great choices include: Apples with nut butter, homemade parmesan crisps with Mary’s Gone Crackers, No Bake Energy Bites, and good quality beef jerky with veggies and homemade ranch.

3. Homemade sauces, dressings, and condiments.

You may be thinking I’m crazy for mentioning this. And you may be thinking it’s going to take you too much time. But, making your own sauces, dressings, and condiments is one of the best ways to avoid ultra-processed food. Almost all mayonnaise in the store is made with industrial seed oils which is a no-go for me (The Weston A. Price Foundation explains why you should avoid seed oils and what you should use instead.). My solution? Make my own mayo. Not only is it delicious, it’s healthier and takes less than five minutes to make. All you need for equipment is an immersion blender and a jar. The best part? You probably already have most of the ingredients. Craving a Caesar salad? After you’re done making your own mayo, make this amazing Caesar dressing. Again, it only takes a few minutes!

Once you start making your own condiments, you won’t go back. It’s fun to find new recipes to try and creative ways to make your favorite store-bought products. You’ll also feel better knowing your putting healthier, more wholesome ingredients into your body.

4. Pizza. Listen, there is nothing I love more than pizza on the weekends, but a great way to avoid ultra-processed food is to make it yourself! This pizza dough recipe is ridiculously easy to make and absolutely delicious. If you have kids, this is a great way to get them involved in helping with cooking. Take it a step further and make personal pizzas, complete with a topping bar so everyone can add their favorite items to their pizza. It’s wayyyy more fun than ordering from Pizza Hut or Papa John’s. And trust me, it’ll taste a thousand times better.

5. Side dishes. As a child of the 90s, most of my childhood was spent eating things like Hamburger Helper and Knorr Pasta and Rice sides. Looking back, I can’t even fathom how much sodium and other crap I ingested. Want another way to avoid processed foods? Cook your own side dishes. Making your own garlic herb rice is so easy and very flavorful. Looking for a pasta dish? Try brown butter noodles. While this specific recipe calls for cream of chicken soup which is ultra-processed, you can either find a recipe that doesn’t use it, or you can take it a step further and make your own!

6. Salad.

You wouldn’t necessarily think of salad as being an ultra-processed food, but when it comes in a bag complete with its own “kit,” we’re calling that ultra-processed. Again, those little dressing packets are loaded with seed oils and the other toppings don’t have great ingredients in them either. Instead, opt for a simple garden salad using fresh veggies topped with your homemade dressing of choice. Looking for a crunch? Add some pumpkin seeds, pecans, or walnuts. Or have fun and make your own croutons!

RELATED: 12 simple ways I lost 20+ inches in 9 months

Are you feeling motivated yet? I’m hoping this post gave you some great ideas on why and how to avoid ultra-processed food. Even if you’re brand new to this journey, that is totally ok! Embrace the journey where you are in this moment. It just takes one decision at a time.