4 to 40 Ingredients – What Happened?

Ever picked up a food packet, flipped it over, and thought… what even is this stuff?!

Once upon a time, a beef stew was just beef, carrots, onions, and stock. Simple, nourishing, and made from real food. But grab one off the supermarket shelf today, and suddenly, you’re looking at a long list of emulsifiers, preservatives, thickeners, sugar, flavour enhancers, and seed oils.

How did we go from four ingredients to forty?

Why So Many Ingredients?

Food manufacturers aren’t adding all these extras for fun. Every unpronounceable word in your food label has a purpose - whether it’s to:

• Extend shelf life

• Enhance texture

• Make cheap ingredients taste better

• Keep you coming back for more

  
  

It’s clever marketing and food science rolled into one, but while these additives might work for them, they don’t always work for us.

Take a look at a packet of supermarket-bought bread. Instead of just flour, water, salt, and yeast, you’ll find a cocktail of dough conditioners, preservatives, and artificial softeners, many of which aren’t even necessary if you were baking it yourself. Don’t even get me started on flavoured yoghurts, ready meals, and so-called “healthy” snack bars. Many are loaded with hidden sugars, artificial sweeteners, and gums that disrupt digestion.

What Are These Ingredients Doing to Your Body?

Ultra-processed foods don’t just add bulk to your shopping bill, they come with some hidden costs to your health:

🚨 Gut Disruption: Many additives (like emulsifiers) interfere with the gut microbiome, leading to bloating, discomfort, and inflammation. There’s even research linking certain preservatives and artificial sweeteners to leaky gut and IBS-like symptoms.

📈 Blood Sugar Spikes: Many of these foods contain refined carbs, hidden sugars, and glucose syrup, which send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster ride. The result? You get an initial energy spike, followed by a crash that leaves you feeling tired, hungry, and craving more sugar.

🧠 Cravings & Overeating: Ever wondered why a bag of crisps never feels “enough”? Many ultra-processed foods are engineered to be hyper-palatable - meaning they hit just the right mix of salt, sugar, and fat to keep you reaching for more.

💤 Energy & Sleep Disruptions: Some of these additives impact our hormones, digestion, and even sleep quality. Have you ever woken up feeling groggy after an evening of packaged snacks? That could be due to hidden MSG, artificial additives, or blood sugar fluctuations overnight.

How to Spot (and Avoid) the Worst Offenders

Keep it simple:

🔎 Read Labels - Look for real food ingredients you recognise. If you wouldn’t cook with it at home, why eat it?

📉 Minimise Ultra-Processed Foods - Not all packaged foods are bad, but ultra-processed ones loaded with additives should be an occasional choice, not a daily staple.

🥕 Choose Whole Foods When Possible - Prioritise single-ingredient, nutrient-dense foods like fresh produce, quality proteins, and healthy fats.

🛒 Shop Smart - Stick to the outer aisles of the supermarket where fresh produce, meat, and dairy are usually found. The middle aisles? That’s where the ultra-processed foods tend to live!

Your Food Label Challenge!

Here’s my challenge to you:

📦 Grab a packaged food from your kitchen and read the ingredients list.

🤯 Find something bizarre? Let’s compare notes - email me hello@kateslatter.com.

Try swapping one ultra-processed food for a whole-food alternative this week. Your gut, blood sugar, and future self will thank you!

Final Thought: Tune Into Your Body

If you’re eating more ultra-processed foods than you’d like, don’t stress -  start with awareness. Pay attention to how these foods make you feel. Notice your energy levels, digestion, mood, and cravings. The more we understand what’s in our food, the easier it is to make choices that nourish us.

Want to learn more about decoding food labels and blood sugar balance? Check out my other blogs on sugar balance. 

Good Luck!