Ultra Processed Foods are chemically engineered in a lab to make you want more—hijacking your appetite, disrupting your gut, and leaving you stuck in an endless cycle of cravings and an array of health symptoms .
Let’s break down how artificial sweeteners, flavours, emulsifiers, and added sugars in UPFs affect your brain, gut, and overall appetite.
How UPFs Rewire Your Brain to Crave More
Artificial sweeteners, flavours, emulsifiers and added sugars light up the brain’s reward system even more than natural foods. They trigger a dopamine hit (your brain’s pleasure chemical), making you feel great in the moment but leaving you wanting more and more over time.
🔹 Artificial Sweeteners – Trick your brain into expecting sugar, but because they contain no calories, your body doesn’t get the energy it anticipates. This confuses hunger signals and leaves you craving real sugar even more.
🔹 Artificial Flavours – Created to be hyper-palatable, these flavours override your natural satiety signals, meaning your body doesn’t register when it’s had enough.
🔹 Added Sugars – Cause blood sugar spikes and crashes, leading to energy dips that make you crave quick fixes like more sugar or caffeine.
What to do? Prioritise real, whole foods that naturally satisfy your appetite—think protein, healthy fats, and fibre-rich foods that keep blood sugar stable.
How UPFs Wreck Your Gut (and Make You Hungrier)
Your gut microbiome plays a huge role in cravings. A balanced gut helps regulate appetite, digestion and mood. But emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, and excess sugar in UPFs can wreak havoc on your gut bacteria—leading to bloating, IBS symptoms, and even increased hunger.
🔹 Emulsifiers (e.g., polysorbate 80, carrageenan) – These are added to UPFs to improve texture, but they damage the gut lining and disrupt gut bacteria. This can lead to inflammation, bloating, and increased food cravings.
🔹 Artificial Sweeteners (like aspartame & sucralose) – Research shows they can reduce beneficial gut bacteria and increase sugar cravings, making it harder to control appetite. Aspartame is toxic for the brain.
🔹 Added Sugars – Feed bad gut bacteria, which can trigger cravings for more sugar, creating a vicious cycle.
What to do? Focus on gut-friendly foods like fermented foods (yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut), fibre-rich vegetables, and omega-3s to support a healthy microbiome and naturally reduce cravings.
How UPFs Drain Your Energy
Ever noticed how UPFs leave you feeling exhausted and sluggish? That’s because they’re often low in nutrients but high in refined carbs and additives that mess with your metabolism and energy levels.
🔹Blood Sugar Rollercoaster – Added sugars and refined carbs cause spikes and crashes, leading to fatigue and more cravings for quick energy (like sugar and caffeine).
🔹 Inflammation – Emulsifiers and preservatives can increase low-grade inflammation, which is linked to brain fog, sluggish digestion, and poor metabolism.
🔹 Poor Satiety – Because UPFs lack protein, fibre, and healthy fats, they don’t keep you full, leaving you hungrier sooner than whole foods would.
What to do? Choose whole, nutrient-dense foods that provide steady energy, such as lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats.
Final Thought
Ultra-processed foods aren’t just “unhealthy”—they’re designed to keep you coming back for more. They hijack your hunger signals, disrupt your gut, and leave you craving foods that don’t actually nourish you.
Read this to find out more about how to combat cravings.
If you’re struggling with constant cravings, bloating, fatigue, poor skin and energy crashes, it’s time for a reset. Book a free chat to find out how I can help you fix your issue at the root.
Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider for any health concerns, before starting any supplements, or making significant changes to your diet, particularly if you are taking any medication.
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