3 Ways to Navigate an Ultra-Processed World

We live in an age where our food and media are ultra-processed. There are too many calories that are too good to pass up, and there is more free (often clickbait) content than one could ever consume.

While abundant food and free media offer unparalleled ease and pleasure, they pose significant challenges to our health and well-being. New research suggests that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) raise the risk of cognitive impairment and strokes as well as other adverse health effects. Meanwhile, the amount of research on problematic use of social media has dramatically increased in the last decade.

I’ve met many people who are vigilant about their food, yet consume “media snacks” equivalent to Pringles–I bet you can't eat just one headline.

On the other side are media "restrainers" who have forsaken the relentless digital news cycle in the name of mental health but consume ultra-processed snacks that are just as damaging to their brain.

We need to start thinking of media consumption like our food consumption, recognizing the parallels and developing strategies to manage both. As bestselling author Brad Stulburger says, “TikTok is like an endless bag of Skittles. Reality television is like fast food. Trending topics on the internet are akin to cheap whiskey.” Consuming these things feels good in the short term but can undermine our health in the long run.

Navigating an Ultra-Processed World

I don’t want to demonize ultra-processed food or media—I still consume my fair share—scapegoating any food group only leads to shame, blame, and disordered eating. Instead, we must face the facts:

• Ultra-processed foods (UPF) are not going away.
• Some UPFs are nutritious, not to mention convenient and affordable.
• Other UPFs pose significant threats to our physical and mental health.
• With endless external pressure to eat well, forsaking all UPF in the name of "virtuous, clean eating" only exacerbates stress and sets unrealistic expectations that diminish mental health.

The important question is this: How can we develop the skills for reclaiming control over what we consume—both physically and mentally—to enjoy the pleasures of an ultra-processed world while mitigating the dangers?

Here are three actionable strategies to help you navigate this ultra-processed world:

1. Know Your Source and Read Labels Critically

Identifying what is an ultra-processed concoction is an important first step in skillfully balancing your consumption.

• Food: Always check the ingredient list and nutritional information on food labels. If there are things you cannot pronounce or look like they belong in a chemistry lab instead of your kitchen, they’re likely signs of ultra-processed ingredients. Emulsifiers, hydrogenated oils, and artificial additives are the most common ultra-processed ingredients. Ask yourself, “Was this food grown or manufactured?”

• Information: Be wary of articles that rely heavily on clickbait headlines, lack sources, or display clear bias. If there are endless one-sentence paragraphs, generic or vague information, or errors in context or coherence, you’re probably dealing with an ultraprocessed piece of writing. Prioritize information from reputable sources offering deep insights—humans with a story and perspective you appreciate and trust. Ask yourself, “Who wrote this and why?”

2. Befriend the "Bland” and “Boring."

Blandness and boredom are subjective. What appears bland or boring results from what you’ve conditioned your nervous system to interpret as enjoyable.

Navigating an ultra-processed world involves redefining your relationship with boredom. By intentionally engaging in "boring" activities—such as reading a book, gardening, gazing at the clouds, or practicing mindfulness—you can reset your tolerance for what you perceive as mundane.

• Food: Forgo immediately slathering sauces and dressings on your meal and focus on emphasizing the flavors that are already present. While this might sound unappetizing at first, you can retrain your taste buds to find simpler foods that are more rewarding by engaging all five senses as you eat. Smelling, touching, and looking deeply at your food helps you reconnect with the present moment and appreciate the subtler texture and flavors. Over time, if you eat slowly and mindfully, you may get way more enjoyment in a single unadulterated bite than you initially thought possible.
• Information: Remember, boredom is a construct you create, and you can recreate it with training. Just like with food, you can retrain your brain to find less stimulating tasks more rewarding by embracing the simplicity and slowness of “boring.” Regularly consuming long-form writing (i.e., books over status updates) allows your mind to reset its "boring baseline," thus enhancing your ability to focus and process information critically.

3. Mind the Margins

"Minding the Margins" involves paying attention to how you mindlessly fill the gaps in your day with ultra-processed snacks or ultra-processed media bites. The issue is that ultra-processed items require little preparation and little chewing (and often little critical thinking), perpetuating a cycle of overconsumption.
Become aware of these moments at the margin so you can break the cycle and be more deliberate.

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• Food: Recognize situations and times of day when you are most likely to reach for ultra-processed snacks. Is it during mid-afternoon energy slumps? Late-night cravings? Make less-processed alternatives like fruits and vegetables the obvious and convenient option. You’ll soon discover how hard it is to mindlessly eat hundreds of calories of something like an orange or carrot.

• Information: Let the blank spaces in your day be precisely that: blank. Set boundaries and create specific rules for when and where you check your phone. For instance, don’t check your phone every time you’re waiting in line. Don’t look at your email as you're getting ready for bed. You’ll soon find that you look forward to this white space as a fertile ground for creativity and introspection.

Finding Balance Between the Extremes:

No one can totally escape living in an ultra-processed world, nor should that necessarily be the goal. Cutting out all ultra-processed food and information risks cutting yourself off from some of the pleasures and joys of modern life—snacking on bags of chips with friends while laughing at hilarious Instagram memes.

While there are dangers to over-consuming ultra-processed food and information (the very nature of ultra-processing makes overconsumption more likely), we don’t want to swing compulsively in the other direction.

Instead, we want to develop the awareness to recognize when we are indulging in ultra-processed items and do so mindfully so we can take full responsibility for the long-term impacts on our minds and bodies.

We want to break compulsive patterns of reaching for another hit of mouthwatering flavor or inbox-clearing pleasure, recognizing that UPF can prime us for such addictive-like behaviors.

We want to consciously balance foods (and information) that have been refined, packaged, and marketed for maximal consumption with minimal nutrition with those in their rawer, unadulterated form.