Cutting down on ultra-processed foods (UPF) is a challenge many families face. After five years of effort, one family shares eight strategies that helped them reduce UPF consumption, despite the convenience of these products.
Eat more plants
Plant foods are among the easiest substitutes for UPF. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, popcorn, and roasted seaweed offer nutritious alternatives. Kary Rappaport, a pediatric occupational therapist and executive director of Solid Starts, emphasizes the importance of introducing fruits and vegetables between six and 12 months of age: "It is an exceedingly important window of time, when most babies are most developmentally open to a wide variety of foods and flavors." For older children, she suggests using small tastes, different preparations, and focusing on describing the food rather than judging it. Timing also matters: "We are all more motivated to try and like things when we're a little bit hungry," she says, recommending a tray of raw veggies with hummus before dinner. Julia Wolfson, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, advises incorporating vegetables and fruits as much as possible, even when non-UPF options are limited.
Buy the best ingredients you can afford
Chef Penny Stankiewicz recommends shopping at farmers' markets for seasonal produce: "Whatever they have in your farmers' market is what is seasonal, and what is seasonal is going to be better." While farmers' market produce may be more expensive, the flavor payoff can be significant. Alternatively, frozen and canned produce is often preserved at its peak. Learning proper storage techniques can also extend the life of fresh produce.
Openly discuss food, its effects, and its origins
Understanding where food comes from can reduce the desire for UPF. Rappaport suggests discussing how foods make bodies feel, such as the discomfort after eating too many gummy worms. Wolfson recommends familiarizing yourself with the definition of UPF to identify them by reading ingredient lists.
Learn to cook
Cooking from scratch can improve meals and reduce UPF consumption. Wolfson notes that systemic barriers like time and energy often hinder home cooking. Stankiewicz advises learning techniques like sautéing and knife skills: "Once you know how to saute, it doesn't matter what you put in the pan." Wolfson's research found that "when people cook more at home, they consume fewer ultra-processed foods," though she cautions that even frequent cooks may still get most of their calories from UPF due to their ubiquity—"almost 70% of the foods in the store are ultra processed."
Learn to bake
Replacing desserts and snacks with homemade versions can be an easy win. Stankiewicz encourages fearlessness: "Messing up is part of it and is really how you learn," noting that brownies were invented by accident. Start with simple recipes, read them through, gather ingredients, and organize them before beginning.
Make cooking at home easy
Master a few dishes and build a pantry with frequently used ingredients. Stankiewicz suggests finding a handful of accessible recipes and getting good at them. Leftovers and freezer-friendly meals can save time.
Prioritize mealtimes
Family meals have a positive impact on child development, according to Rappaport: "The research is really clear that family meals, where people are eating together, have a huge positive impact on child development across many different areas." Even if schedules are varied, finding opportunities to connect over food, like takeout at the park, can provide benefits.
Be relentlessly consistent – and don't be too hard on yourself
Over five years, this family's palates shifted to prefer non-UPF foods, making cooking routine. However, experts emphasize structural factors that make UPF reduction difficult. Wolfson notes that time and cost pressures often make UPF the most sensible choice. Eating some UPF—especially at parties or events—is not failure but reality. "When it comes to UPF consumption, don't let perfect become the enemy of good."
