Processed Foods and Your Results: Should You Really Worry?

The Question:

We often hear from members in Small Group Training:

“I know I should cut out processed foods… but what exactly counts as processed, and is it really that bad for my results?”

Let’s cut through the noise with science and practical advice you can use this week.

What Does “Processing” Actually Mean?

In simple terms, food processing means any action that changes a food from its original state. That can range from very light changes (like washing, chopping, or freezing vegetables) to heavy industrial processing (like combining refined ingredients, preservatives, and flavour enhancers to make packaged snacks).

Examples of processing include:

• Physical changes: chopping, grinding, pasteurising, freezing.

• Chemical changes: adding preservatives, sweeteners, or emulsifiers.

• Fortification: enriching foods with nutrients like vitamin D in milk or iodine in salt.

• Industrial formulations: combining multiple refined ingredients to create ultra-processed foods (soft drinks, sweets, ready meals).

So “processing” isn’t automatically bad, it just describes how far the food has been changed from its natural state, and for what purpose.

What Do We Mean by “Processed Foods”?

“Processed” is a spectrum:

Researchers often use the NOVA classification system to make these distinctions (Monteiro et al., 2017).

The Real Issue with Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs)

UPFs aren’t “poison,” but they’re often:

• Hyper-palatable (engineered to keep you eating),

• Calorie-dense, low in protein/fibre (poor satiety),

• Effortless (frictionless access → higher intake).

A landmark NIH study found people consumed ~500 kcal/day more on an ultra-processed diet compared to an unprocessed one even when meals were matched for calories and macros. Over two weeks, this led to significant weight gain (Hall et al., 2019).

A 2023 meta-analysis confirmed that higher UPF intake is linked with greater obesity risk across populations (Moradi et al., 2023). An umbrella review of 45 meta-analyses in 2024 also found consistent associations between UPFs and poor outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity (Lane et al., 2024).

Takeaway: UPFs make it easier to overeat and harder to manage appetite. If fat loss is your goal, cutting back on them is a simple win.

What About Organic Foods?

“Organic = better” is another oversimplification.

• Nutrient content: A review found no consistent nutritional advantage of organic over conventional foods (Dangour et al., 2009). Another large meta-analysis came to the same conclusion, noting only small differences in some micronutrients (Smith-Spangler et al., 2012).

• Antioxidants: Some studies report higher polyphenols in organic crops, but the differences are modest and not always meaningful in practice (Barański et al., 2014).

• Pesticide residues: The EU’s most recent monitoring shows overall risk from residues is very low, well below safety limits (EFSA, 2025). Importantly, organic farming still uses pesticides, just different ones, So “organic” doesn’t necessarily mean pesticide-free.

Takeaway: Eating more fruits and vegetables, regardless of label, is far more important for your health than choosing organic every time.

Processed Foods and Muscle Gain

Not all processing is bad:

• Protein powders/bars are technically processed but proven effective for hitting daily protein targets.

• Frozen fruit/veg can be just as nutrient-rich (or richer) than “fresh” produce that has spent days in storage.

• Canned beans are an easy, affordable fibre and plant-protein source.

The issue isn’t processing, it’s relying too heavily on nutrient-poor, ultra-processed foods that don’t support recovery or satiety.

The Positives of Food Technology

It’s easy to focus only on the negatives of processed foods, but modern food technology has also been one of the biggest drivers of improved health worldwide:

• Food safety: Pasteurisation, sterilisation, and packaging reduced foodborne illness dramatically.

• Longer shelf life: Freezing, canning, and preservatives lowered food waste and improved access in remote or low-income areas.

• Nutrient fortification: Products like iodised salt, fortified cereals, and vitamin-D milk cut rates of rickets, goitre, and other deficiencies in entire populations.

• Accessibility & affordability: Processing makes foods cheaper and easier to transport, which is vital in feeding large populations.

• Convenience for health goals: Protein powders, canned beans, and frozen vegetables make it easier for busy people to consistently hit protein, fibre, and micronutrient targets.

Population impact: These advances have played a major role in reducing nutrient deficiencies and infectious diseases over the last century, especially in children and vulnerable groups.

Takeaway: Food technology isn’t the villain. It has made diets safer, more affordable, and in many ways more nutritious. The goal isn’t to avoid processing altogether, but to choose processed foods that support your goals.

How Does This Affect Your Goals?

At The Lab, most of our members come in with two main goals: losing body fat or building muscle while getting healthier. Here’s how food processing links directly to those results:

• For Fat Loss:
  Ultra-processed foods are designed to be easy to overeat. They’re calorie-dense and don’t fill you up as much. That makes it harder to stay in a calorie deficit, the key driver of fat loss. On the flip side, choosing minimally processed foods (lean meats, vegetables, whole grains) makes sticking to your plan easier because you feel fuller on fewer calories (Hall et al., 2019; Moradi et al., 2023).

• For Muscle Gain:
  Muscle growth requires enough protein and calories to recover and adapt. Some processed foods, like protein powders, bars, and fortified dairy, are actually great tools here, they help you hit protein targets consistently. But if your diet is mainly ultra-processed foods, you risk missing out on micronutrients and fibre that support recovery, digestion, and long-term health.

• For Health & Energy:
  A diet high in UPFs has been linked with poorer heart health, diabetes risk, and weight gain over time (Lane et al., 2024). In contrast, diets based on minimally processed foods are linked with better energy levels, more stable blood sugar, and lower risk of chronic disease.

Bottom line for members: If your goal is fat loss, muscle gain, or simply feeling healthier, the type of processing matters because it shapes appetite, recovery, and consistency. The gym is where you stimulate change, but your food choices decide whether you actually see the results.

A Traffic-Light Way to Think About It

• Green (Go): minimally processed staples (meat, fish, eggs, veg, fruit, rice, oats).

• Amber (Caution): processed but useful (protein powders, bread, tinned beans).

• Red (Moderation): ultra-processed treats (crisps, cakes, fizzy drinks).

No food is automatically banned, but the balance matters.

A Real-Life Scenario

Two people both target 1,900 kcal/day:

• Person A: 80% minimally processed + a protein shake + frozen veg.

• Person B: 70% ultra-processed foods like pastries, ready meals, and sweets.

Same calories on paper. But Person A feels full, recovers better, and sticks to the plan. Person B feels hungrier, recovers poorly, and risks overshooting calories.

That’s how processing plays out in real life.

What the Research Actually Shows

• Ultra-processed foods (UPFs):

  • Controlled trial: +500 kcal/day intake and weight gain in 2 weeks (Hall et al., 2019).

  • Meta-analysis: higher UPF intake consistently linked to overweight/obesity (Moradi et al., 2023).

  • Umbrella review: UPFs associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity (Lane et al., 2024).

  • Plain takeaway: UPFs aren’t toxic, but they make it very easy to overeat.

• Organic vs conventional:

  • Reviews show no overall nutrient advantage for organic (Dangour et al., 2009; Smith-Spangler et al., 2012).

  • Organic crops sometimes show slightly higher antioxidants (Barański et al., 2014), but differences are modest.

  • EU monitoring shows pesticide risks are very low in conventional foods (EFSA, 2025).

  • Plain takeaway: Eating more fruit/veg is what matters, organic or not.

• Processing in general:

  • Not all processing is harmful. Foods like whey protein, frozen veg, canned beans are technically processed but support satiety, recovery, and convenience.

  • Plain takeaway: Focus on diet quality, not just the “processed” label.

• Food technology & public health:

  • Fortification and preservation have reduced population-wide nutrient deficiencies and made safe, nutritious food more accessible.

  • Plain takeaway: Processing has also been a major positive for public health.

3 Key Things to Remember

1. Not all processing is bad. Frozen veg, canned beans, and protein powder can actually help you hit your goals.

2. Ultra-processed foods make overeating easy. They’re tasty and convenient, but relying on them too much makes fat loss harder.

3. Organic isn’t magic. Eating more fruit and veg, of any kind, matters far more than the label.

Blind Spots to Be Aware Of

Even though this article digs into the research, there are areas we haven’t fully explored that you may still wonder about:

• Individual tolerance: Some people feel better avoiding certain additives, sweeteners, or specific foods, and that’s okay, even if the research shows no harm for most.

• Food environment & behaviour: Overeating isn’t just about calories in a lab, it’s also about habits, emotional eating, and social settings. That’s something we work on individually with members.

• Health beyond weight: Most of the evidence here focuses on obesity, appetite, and nutrients. Broader discussions (like sustainability of food systems) matter too, but weren’t the focus here.

Bottom line: Nutrition science gives us the big picture, but your results come down to how you eat day to day, in your real life.

The Final Word

No, processed foods aren’t “killing your gains,” but leaning heavily on ultra-processed, low-satiety foods will make fat loss and recovery harder.

The smart approach? Build your base diet from whole and minimally processed foods, use helpful processed foods as tools, and keep ultra-processed foods as the occasional extra.

👉 Want personal, no-nonsense guidance? Our team at The Lab Liverpool will help you find the sweet spot between training, nutrition, and real-life habits. Whether it’s Personal Training or Small Group Training, we’ll set the plan and walk it with you.

References

• Dangour AD, et al. Nutritional quality of organic vs conventional foods: no overall nutrient advantage. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009.

• Smith-Spangler C, et al. Are organic foods safer or healthier? A systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2012.

• Barański M, et al. Higher antioxidant content in organic crops: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Nutr. 2014.

• Hall KD, et al. Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: an inpatient RCT. Cell Metab. 2019.

• Monteiro CA, et al. NOVA classification and the concept of ultra-processed foods. World Nutr. 2017.

• Moradi S, et al. Ultra-processed food consumption and risk of overweight/obesity: a meta-analysis. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2023.

• Lane MM, et al. Ultra-processed food consumption and health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024.

• EFSA. European Food Safety Authority annual report on pesticide residues: overall dietary risk very low. EFSA Journal. 2025.