Can two diets both look “healthy” but affect your body differently?
A 2025 clinical trial tested this by comparing a minimally processed diet with an ultra-processed one. Both followed the UK Eatwell Guide.
What happened?
- On the minimally processed diet, participants lost about 2.06% of their body weight.
- On the ultra-processed diet, they lost about 1.05%.
- The estimated daily energy deficit was also larger: about 290 kcal vs 120 kcal.
In simple terms, participants seemed to eat less and lose more weight on the less-processed diet.
So, is processing the reason?
Maybe — but not necessarily.
The study suggests that food processing could matter, but researchers have also pointed out that differences in the foods themselves may have contributed to the results.
The takeaway
Ultra-processed foods are not automatically “bad.” But choosing more minimally processed foods may make healthy eating easier for some people.
Would you notice a difference if you swapped some ultra-processed foods for less-processed alternatives?!!!
Author: Saif Ali Abdulateef AL-RUBAYE
