The backlash against ultra-processed food risks forcing women back to the kitchen, a leading nutritionist has said.

Ian Marber said the movement against convenience foods overlooked the freedom they had given women from spending hours preparing meals for their families.

The founder of the Food Doctor, a wellness brand, said ultra-processed foods (UPFs) had been unfairly demonised, despite many providing affordable and useful nutrition.

“I think this is a feminist thing,” he said. “UPF and processed food has allowed women not to be tied to the kitchen.

“People can get out and do other things and live your life another way, rather than being a provider for the family and cooking the whole time.”

Mr Marber said alarm about UPFs was also giving people “one more thing for us to worry about, which we don’t need”.

He said vegan burgers, nut cutlets and protein shakes could all be classed as ultra-processed, but could have a perfectly legitimate place in a healthy diet.

“There’s no such thing as a bad food, only a bad diet,” he told a health event in Brighton, supported by cholesterol-lowering food brand Benecol. “Some ultra-processed food is absolutely fine.”

The comments come amid an increasingly heated debate about whether industrial processing itself damages health, or whether the problem lies with particular foods.

Foods classified as ultra-processed generally contain ingredients or additives rarely used in domestic kitchens and include many ready meals, cereals and packaged snacks.

Mixed picture on UPFs

A 2024 review of data from almost 10 million people linked higher UPF consumption with 32 adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and premature death.

However, most of the evidence was observational, making it difficult to establish whether processing itself was responsible or other dietary and lifestyle factors explained the findings.

Britain’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) has also urged caution about the evidence.

Its latest review found some types of UPF were associated with poorer health, while others, including vegetarian alternatives, were not.

Results were mixed for categories including breads and cereals, dairy products, ready-to-eat foods, sauces and spreads.

SACN said it was difficult to separate the effects of processing from factors including calories, nutritional quality, obesity and socioeconomic circumstances.

However, another controlled experiment found people offered an ultra-processed diet ate more calories than those given minimally processed foods.

Mr Marber said people should instead concentrate on the basics, including getting enough protein and fibre, while eating food they enjoyed.

“If you don’t enjoy what you eat, you won’t do it for very long,” he said.

He also warned against obsessively tracking food through apps, suggesting they should be used only briefly, to understand calorie, protein and fibre intake.

“Then delete the app,” he said. “Otherwise, you become obsessed.”

He said menopause should act as a prompt for women to check their wider health because falling oestrogen could cause cholesterol levels to rise.

Women should consider having blood tests so they have a baseline for measures including cholesterol and iron as they age, he said.

Health advice ‘can become overwhelming’

The event also heard that middle-aged people should prioritise strength training as protection against the age-related loss of muscle known as sarcopenia.

Mr Marber said awareness of the condition had increased dramatically, alongside understanding of the importance of resistance exercise, protein and fibre.

But speakers warned that the deluge of health advice could itself become overwhelming, with people attempting radical lifestyle overhauls before quickly abandoning them.

Small amounts of activity incorporated into everyday life could be more achievable, the event heard, including squats while waiting for the kettle or countertop press-ups.

Mr Marber said growing older had made him less susceptible to health fads and more focused on the basics.

“Find out what you like and do more of it,” he said.

And, he suggested, ageing well should not mean eliminating every pleasure in pursuit of perfect health, and he said there was still room in his own diet for chilled Pinot Noir and fizzy sweets.