From ultra-processed snacks to sugary drinks, the biggest risks are the foods we eat on repeat. Here’s what the experts say, plus simple swaps to help you stay stronger and healthier.
Every day, it feels like there’s a new food we’re meant to avoid. Perhaps it's bad for your heart, will send your cholesterol soaring, or is apparently ruining your gut.
But are there any foods that can genuinely reduce your life span?
A University of Michigan study suggested that eating a hot dog could be linked to losing 36 minutes of healthy life. Published in 2021, it analysed more than 5,800 foods and found that swapping just 10% of daily calories from processed meat for plant foods could add roughly 48 “healthy minutes” a day.
“Headlines like this certainly grab attention,” says nutritionist Dr Naomi Newman-Beinart, who is working with YorkTest. “However, it’s important to interpret this carefully. One hot dog does not literally remove 36 minutes from your life. These figures are based on long-term dietary patterns and population data.”
The real takeaway is about habit, not the occasional treat. Dr Newman-Beinart says that diets consistently high in processed meats and ultra-processed foods are associated with “increased inflammation, poorer gut health and a higher risk of chronic disease,” all of which can matter more as we age.
“Ageing already brings changes in muscle mass, metabolism and gut diversity, and regularly eating foods high in ultra-processed meats will only add an increased risk in age-related diseases to the mix.”
In other words, no single food 'ages you', but these are the dietary items most linked with poorer long-term health when they make up a big chunk of your intake.
Ultra-processed foods are typically industrially made products designed to be convenient, tasty and long-lasting.
Think fizzy drinks, crisps, packaged cakes, many sweetened breakfast cereals, instant noodles, chicken nuggets and other formed meats, as well as plenty of ready meals. Even some foods with a health halo can fall into the ultra-processed camp, including certain protein bars and high-protein snacks.
One large UK study suggests that people who eat more ultra-processed foods have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and earlier death than those who eat less.
Dr Newman-Beinart says that a diet consistently high in UPF food can increase inflammation and put you at higher risk of chronic disease. UPFs are often higher in salt and free sugars, and lower in fibre, and because they’re easy to eat (and easy to overeat), they can start to edge out the foods that protect health as we age: fruit and veg, wholegrains, legumes, oily fish and quality proteins.
“What shortens health span is habitual consumption of ultra-processed foods that displace nutrient-dense options,” she says.
Check the ingredient list. If it reads like a chemistry lab or includes a string of things you'd never find in your kitchen cupboard, chances are you're looking at an ultra-processed food.
And some of the culprits might surprise you. Flavoured yogurts, shop-bought soups and supermarket breads are all regular offenders, as are many breakfast cereals – even the ones that seem like a healthy choice. Plant-based meat alternatives are another unexpected one.
Processed meat is a bit different to UPFs. It’s a specific category: meat that’s been cured, smoked, salted or preserved such as bacon, ham, sausages, salami and hot dogs.
It might be something you grew up with as a sandwich filler or a weekend breakfast staple, which is exactly why it’s worth knowing where the evidence sits.
Cancer Research UK is very clear that eating processed meat increases the risk of bowel cancer, and says research shows that even small amounts are linked with an increased risk. That matters more after 50, simply because bowel cancer becomes more common as we age (incidence rates are highest in older age groups).
That said, this isn’t about never having a bacon bap again. “An occasional hot dog at a family barbecue or a slice of birthday cake will not undo an otherwise balanced diet,” says Dr Newman-Beinart.
The issue is when processed meats become a daily staple and start replacing those essential foods that contain fibre and nutrients, which protect your health for the long haul.
If there’s one place that sugar can quietly creep up, it’s in drinks.
And in the UK, we’re still having far more than is recommended: the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition says that free sugars (that’s added sugar, plus the sugars in honey, syrups and fruit juice) should be no more than 5% of daily energy, yet the latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey puts adults at around 10% on average, with fewer than one in five adults hitting the 5% target.
After 50, blood sugar control and heart health become even more important and sweet drinks can quietly work against both. In a large UK Biobank study, higher intake of sweet drinks was linked with a higher risk of earlier death. It’s not hard to see why: drinks are easy calories with very little satiety. You can drink a fizzy drink, a sweet coffee or a big glass of juice and still feel hungry, which makes it far easier for sugar to creep up day to day.
Blood pressure tends to creep up as we age, and salt is one of the biggest dietary drivers.
The NHS recommends that adults keep salt to no more than 6g a day (around a teaspoon), because high-salt diets raise blood pressure, a key risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
The tricky bit is that most of our salt isn’t from the shaker, it’s 'stealth' salt in everyday foods like bread, soups, sauces, ready meals, cheese and snacks. That’s why you can feel like you’re not eating salty food and still clock up a surprising amount.
Two easy ways to cut back without feeling deprived are to hold off on adding salt while you cook, then tasting at the end and only adding a little if you genuinely need it. You’ll often find that you use far less overall. It also helps to lean on flavour boosters that do the heavy lifting for taste, such as lemon, vinegar, pepper, garlic, herbs and spices, so that meals still feel punchy without quietly pushing your salt intake up.
Top tip: Compare salt per 100g, not per portion (portion sizes can be wildly optimistic). And if the label lists sodium instead, multiply it by 2.5 to get the equivalent salt figure.
Find out the seven signs you are eating too much salt,
It’s not all doom and gloom. As Dr Newman-Beinart puts it: “Food is not just fuel – it is also culture, pleasure and social connection.”
The trick is what you do most days. And if you want changes that genuinely add up over time, these small swaps will give you the biggest wins without making life feel joyless.
In the end, it’s not about eating perfectly, it’s about what you do most of the time.
“Longevity isn’t about perfection – it’s about patterns,” explains Dr Newman-Beinart.
She says that after 50, the most protective way to eat is one rich in colourful plants, high-quality protein, omega-3 fats and minimally processed foods, and that “reducing habitual intake of processed meats and ultra-processed snacks is far more important than obsessing over occasional treats”.
The goal, she adds, is not simply to live longer, but to “live stronger, sharper and more independently for as many years as possible”.
[Hero image credit: Getty]
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