An unsettling amount of time (a year) has passed since I have ‘hung up the robe’ of my legal practice (I haven’t even received my bachelor’s degree yet). I’ve traded my dreams for late nights in my home office, for late nights hunched over my coffee table reading a JSTOR article a student has referenced – but definitely not read, and saving my fiery sarcasm for the footnotes.  

But a few months ago, I met him.  

We met in the supermarket; it doesn’t really matter which one. He was in the frozen section – tall, dark and handsome. I couldn’t help but stare, and I wasn’t the only one. I invited him for dinner, and he has been in my kitchen many times since.  

All my friends say that our relationship is unhealthy, and the media seems to agree. People have been accusing him and his friends of running a covert operation to hijack people’s diets: it’s a conflict of interest, but I must defend him.  

Exhibit A: My Chemical Romance  

I must confess something. It would be unprofessional of me to omit it. 

My love affair is with a no-chicken nugget. 

The case against ultra-processed foods has gained steady traction over the past few years, coinciding with the publication of seemingly damming evidence by Chris van Tulleken, in his 2023 book ‘Ultra-Processed People’, despite the term being around for nearly 50 years. Nutritionist Michael J. Gibney highlights that since the inception of the term, the definition of ‘Ultra-processed foods’ (UPFs) has varied significantly, which means that examples of them are also unclear. The term derives from the NOVA food classification system which ‘seeks to relate food processing as the primary driver of diet quality’, with ultra-processed foods listed as the fourth, and worst, classification.  

UPFs are often marketed as convenient time-savers, but as you can imagine, they are not the healthiest – which is often the catch for convenience. Researcher Kevin Hall found that individuals ate significantly more calories and gained more weight when fed a diet high in UPFs. With this, it’s quite easy to see why UPFs have been demonised on social media – but the book that brought this into the picture has been misunderstood as Anti-Vegan, despite supporting plant-based diets, highlighted by vegan content creator Nicole Whittle. Hall and Gibney also highlight the place for UPFs for those with allergies, disabilities, and those with little time to prepare healthy meals.  

Exhibit B: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Plant-Based Protein 

I’d like to create the case for sustainable eating: the right to eat conveniently, ethically and free from judgement (which John Locke and the Founding Fathers would surely approve of, if born in an era with no-steak vegan pies). 

Growing social media trends idealise the image of a homecooked meal: your hands are dirty from the potatoes that you’ve just pulled out of your garden, and the pasta on the stove has been hand rolled this morning. This image is not realistic, and is quite elitist and ableist. Individually shaping thousands of miniature circles of dough for your au-naturel cereals every morning is simply impossible for the average person. Chronic illnesses, disabilities, mental health conditions, access to food, care giving responsibilities and long or untraditional working hours make preparing organic and healthy food a privilege. UPFs can be a lifeline to neurodivergent individuals, as highlighted by Georgina on their blog Socially Awkwarrd; providing familiar scents and tastes, which can help people try new, diverse and nutritious food. Products such as dairy-free milk and shelf-stable legumes may be all a family is able to afford, or safe for those with allergies, and yet are considered UPFs. 

Choosing a meat-free burger at the family barbeque may gain some eyerolls, and a comment on its status as a UPF, but you can munch comfortably knowing that your meal’s carbon footprint is up to 50 times lower than your family’s. 

The NHS outlines that a processed food is any food or drink that has been changed in some way when made or prepared, such as pasteurising milk and adding salt or sweeteners to meals. This means that most of the food that we eat is processed in some way, which is not a bad thing. It allows us to consume safely and makes a variety of food more accessible to people who otherwise would not be able to consume it, live in a city, far away from any farm? You’d never be able to consume milk safely. 

A Cross-Examination of The Carnivore Diet

 The backlash to UPFs has fuelled a dangerous counter-operation, Exhibit C: The Carnivore Diet. Dr Howard E. LeWine (perfect name) describes the diet as a ketogenic diet, the contents of a ‘keto’ diet, being unable to provide enough calories from forms of sugar, influencing the body to burn fat that creates ketones as an energy source. The ketones release into the bloodstream and makes the blood more acidic. The carnivore diet allows only the consumption of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, some dairy and water.  

One carnivore influencer has claimed that consuming such a diet has ‘cured’ her arthritis and depression, despite the lack of scientific evidence. The diet promises short term weight loss, and a community of individuals which are sceptical about currently recommended nutritional advice. Do not be fooled by this trend, ‘the diet is very restrictive, unbalanced and potentially unhealthy (…) especially for heart health’, is the message supported by organisations such as the British Heart Foundation. This trend is not isolated and reacts to the demonisation of all processed foods – but replacing one form of extreme for another will not unlock ancestral health secrets, but it does unlock E. coli. 

Closing Arguments 

Learned friends, esteemed seasoned judge, UPFs are not to blame. Demonising them hurts the average person, our almond milks and bags of chopped vegetables may be processed, but they allow us to go through the process of life more simply, accessibly and enjoyably. Everyone has a guilty pleasure, and my no-chicken nugget boyfriend is mine, which I enjoy in the company of freezer veggies, processed and dependable. 

By Flic Lindo, SGO Projects Officer

Sauces? 

Ultra-Processed Foods: Definitions and Policy Issues – Michael J Gibney 

How ultra-processed food took over your shopping basket – Bee Wilson & The Guardian 

Randomised Control Study on UPFS – Kevin Hall 

‘Which diet ACTUALLY each the most UPFs?? 🤔📉’ Nicole Whittle – YouTube 

‘Why does everyone hate vegans (again)??!’ Nicole Whittle – YouTube  

Autism and Ketchup! by SOCIALLYAWKWARRD 

NHS – Processed foods 

Harvard Health Processing – What is the carnivore diet? –  Howard E. LeWine, MD 

‘Carnivore diet’: New social media trend criticised by nutritionists as ‘very damaging’ – Rachel Hosie – The Independent 

How Did the Carnivore Diet Become So Popular? – T Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies – Nelson Huber-Disla 

The carnivore diet: why it’s not good for your health – The British Heart Foundation 

7 Reasons the Carnivore Diet is Unhealthy (And What to Try Instead) – Dr Gina Leisching – Gene Food Blog