Everyone is afraid of ultra-processed foods. Here’s what you really need to know.

Hydrogenated oils arrived on the scene in 1901. They are injected into foods to make them last longer, but the hydrogenation process creates trans fats, the type of fat that increases “bad” cholesterol.

After World War II, food engineering gained momentum because the military needed large quantities of food that could be transported and remained fresh when transported.

In the sixties, processed foods were not a compromise. It was progress. In 1965, Dr. Robert Kidd of the University of Florida developed a drink to replace electrolytes lost by sweat in football players. Within a few years, Gatorade was everywhere. By the late nineties, engineered sports fuel was mainstream.

How do we classify processed foods?

In 2009, Brazilian epidemiologist Carlos Montero introduced the NOVA classification system, grouping foods by degree of processing. These are four categories: no processing/minimum (fruits and vegetables), processed ingredients such as sugar or butter, processed foods such as cheese or canned goods, and ultra-processed. His argument challenges the notion of nutrition alone, instead suggesting that how our food is made may be as important as what’s in it.

Some researchers have pointed out that NOVA paints with a pretty broad brush. Cheerios, for example, technically qualify as ultra-processed under the system, despite being made from whole grain flour and containing relatively little added sugar. It is clear that not all ultra-processed foods cause the same damage, so the system may need more attention.

But for athletes, the question of what’s important becomes a practical one: Is processing important, or what does processed food change?

Elite athletes rely on whole foods and some ultra-processed products

To find out what top athletes actually use to fuel themselves, I contacted Sri Lindley, a 2X world champion triathlete who was named the world’s best triathlete in 2001. But her daily diet doesn’t look like what the industry is selling.

At her peak, while living in Switzerland, she ate fresh meat, vegetables, dairy, whole grains — food without a label. “In Switzerland, the food culture is very different,” she told me. “Very little processed food. That’s how I lived, and that’s when I did my absolute best.”

On Olympic distance race days—nearly two hours of high-intensity exercise—she used a gel and a weak electrolyte mixture. During training, she relied on bananas and peanut butter sandwiches. Processed loads appear only occasionally. However, Lindley says that sponsorships often influence the use of sports nutrition foods by athletes. “If a company sponsored you, you used their products. Magazines promoted them. It became the norm,” he says. But gels and electrolyte mixes weren’t what made her a world champion. “The reason I did my best work was because my daily life was built around real food, consistent training, recovery, and emotional well-being.”

After surviving cancer, Lindley’s vision sharpened. “Performance and health are not separate systems,” he says. “They have a deep connection.”

As a triathlon coach, he now teaches athletes to think on two levels: build a foundation with whole foods and use sports products as tools when the workload demands it. For example, for Ironman athletes who train for four to six hours at a time, he admits that rapid delivery of carbohydrates is sometimes necessary. However, for many recreational athletes, it is not, says Dr. Christine Frey, associate professor of nutrition and nutrition at the University of Technology Jamaica.

How bad are ultra-processed sports foods, and do they have a place in our diet?

Frey has worked extensively with elite athletes – including Team Jamaica – and her research focuses on obesity, chronic diseases, and sports nutrition. He agrees that sports gels and drinks are technically UPFs.

Frey explained that among the general population, ultra-processed foods often replace whole foods and dominate daily consumption. For athletes, sports products are designed to support long-term effort, not as a food substitute. Diets high in UPF are also associated with gut inflammation and low water intake.

“The majority of the diet should consist of healthy, whole foods,” says Frey. Duration is the key variable, he says. “Sports nutrition products can be useful for endurance sports such as marathons and Ironman events. They are not necessary for short-duration sports.”

But for activities that involve about 90 minutes of sustained effort, a quick carbohydrate and electrolyte delivery can help delay fatigue, according to Frey. Below that 90-minute mark, Frey says most recreational runners can save their money instead of buying sports drinks or gels. “A regular diet, along with training and proper hydration with water, will go a long way.”

Can high performance and long-term health coexist? Fray is straightforward: they can. “Many of our Jamaican athletes have performed and performed well beyond the normal retirement age of 30,” he says. “Our athletes use whole foods for the most part.”

The message is clear: whole foods are the foundation, and sports products can be a useful tool in certain situations.

Consider this before purchasing your next energy gel or electrolyte mix

Where does that leave the rest of us—not world champions or Olympians—who want to move well and not screw themselves up in the process? The answer may be proportional. As Montero argued and as Lindley’s career illustrates, it doesn’t matter what’s in your food. This is what has been done to it, and what changes it.

Processed oils have a role. Long races, sustained high intensities, and extended sessions are moments when rapid nutrient delivery makes physiological sense. But these moments are rare for most of us.

Convenience should not replace the nutritional complexity of whole foods, such as fiber and micronutrients that build resilience, support recovery, and contribute to long-term health. The question is not whether to completely eliminate ultra-processed foods. That’s how much space they should occupy in your daily life.

Maybe the next time you stand in a convenience store looking at puff pouches, the question isn’t just what to buy. This is what you need to buy everything.

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