Ultra-processed foods are unhealthy and addictive, how do you switch to as much unprocessed food as possible?

A box of lasagna sauce with some fresh vegetables, a wrap with a sauce, or just a ready-made salad. You think you're being healthy, but appearances can be deceiving. Ultra-processed foods are designed to trick our brains. Physically, this takes a heavy toll: we get sick from it. What does it do to us? And more importantly: how do you get rid of it?

Metro speaks with a nutritionist, a hormone expert and two people who changed course and put an end to the packets and bags.

Our food industry is making us sick. Belgian general practitioner Staf Hendrickx wrote a book about it, titled "I Don't Swallow This Anymore . " Ultra-processed foods increase the risk of premature death . You often recognize them by the enormous number of ingredients , including added sugars, artificial flavors, and artificial flavors. Hear more about this in the video above.

Nutritionist and food psychology coach Carola van Bemmelen has written seven books on sugar and nutrition and currently primarily coaches women over 50 in their dietary choices. Food technologist and health coach Ralph Moorman highlights the seductive power of UPF ( ultraprocessed food ) and the importance of motivation. Cora Wubbels and Lars Konijnenberg also share their personal stories about the changes that come with cutting out ultraprocessed foods.

Carola van Bemmelen explains that ultra-processed foods are deliberately designed to be irresistible. "The food industry has developed formulas that hit the perfect 'bliss point': the perfect mix of sugar, fat, and salt that gives your brain a huge reward. Think of a hamburger at McDonald's: after two bites, you'll want more. That's not a coincidence; it's deliberately designed that way."

That reward is accompanied by a false sense of satiety. Your brain signals: more! "The problem isn't your willpower, but a biochemical reaction in your body," says Van Bemmelen. Moreover, your body doesn't recognize many ingredients as food. "As soon as you have to explain the ingredients on a package, you can assume your body can't use them either. For your cells, that's dead weight instead of building blocks."

Ralph Moorman, food technologist and health coach, explains how this reward system works. "Ultra-processed foods are often literally optimized to maximise your brain's rewards. Think of the perfect crunch, aroma, or colour. They stimulate the release of feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine." If you do succumb to this type of unhealthy food, it's often not due to 'real hunger' but rather to emotional eating. "We're programmed to numb negative feelings and amplify positive ones with sweet, fatty, and salty snacks, and that doesn't work with minimally processed cooked broccoli. This makes moderation and making healthy choices very difficult in today's world."

For Cora Wubbels (59), ultra-processed food was a daily routine for years. She thought she was eating healthy by adding pre-packaged vegetables. Until the scale hit 168 kilos and her thyroid shut down. "You're hungry all day long. That signal is so strong that you can't resist. My thyroid simply gave up. That's what ultra-processed food did to me."

No one realized how much suffering lay beneath the surface. "Everyone saw me as the gregarious, fat one. At parties, I joined in, ate a pastry. No one saw the struggle I was waging inside. It's a visible condition, but at the same time, a silent struggle."

She gained weight and struggled with severe physical complaints. Finally, she flipped the switch. She resolutely got rid of bags, packets, ice cream, and ultra-processed snacks. "When I did that, my body finally calmed down. I still eat what I want, but in a different way. I read labels and make conscious choices."

And it worked: she managed to lose weight. She went from a size 62 to a size 50. Before, she could only walk five meters with a shopping cart, but now she walks the dog in the woods for an hour. "That's so incredibly different. It's not just about losing weight, but about feeling good again at a cellular level."

Lars Konijnenberg (36) also knew convenience food from his childhood. "Just like any normal Dutch child, I grew up with cola and iced tea. Just normal food, but not particularly healthy food."

A trip to the Philippines changed everything. He contracted malaria, after which many of his organs malfunctioned and even nearly failed. The prognosis was very bleak. Doctors predicted he would likely need medication to support his kidneys for the rest of his life. "I didn't want that. I wanted to see what nutrition could do. I started with ginger and turmeric and switched to pure, unpackaged food."

His basic rule became simple: no more food wrapped in layers of plastic, no long ingredient lists. "If there are ten unpronounceable ingredients on a label, I skip it. I'm not a purist; my kids can go to McDonald's too. But fundamentally, I want to know what I'm eating."

He noticed the effects quickly: he had more energy and fewer ailments. "I see people my age already struggling with skin problems or infections. I don't have any problems. A healthy diet simply gives you an advantage."

Yet both Konijnenberg and Wubbels know how tempting convenience remains. "Putting a pizza in the oven is, of course, super simple," says Konijnenberg. "Making your own dough takes more time. Jarred pasta sauce is a breeze, chopping your own vegetables takes longer. It requires discipline."

Van Bemmelen sees that cooking is a lost skill for many people. "Many people don't even know how to boil a potato anymore. Our generation grew up with Chicken Tonight and ready-made pasta sauces. We've started to misunderstand convenience. For the same price you pay for Chinese food, you can cook for a week."

How do you break free from the grip of the food industry, which wants to keep us fat, addicted, and unhealthy? It can be difficult to immediately overhaul your entire diet and lifestyle. Van Bemmelen advocates for small, achievable steps. "Give up soda , fruit juice, and lemonade. Choose water, coffee, or tea." Isn't that boring? Not necessarily. "You can spice up your water with lemon, cucumber, or rosemary. Your brain might find it boring, but your body will benefit."

Her second tip: "Replace wheat bread with spelt bread, and top it with a thicker topping for greater satiety." Desserts are also a culprit, full of artificial colors and flavors. There's room for improvement there, too. "Swap desserts for yogurt with fresh fruit," she advises. Cooking can also be simpler than we think. "Make a large pot of broth every now and then and freeze it. Then you always have a healthy base for soup."

Moorman emphasizes that your environment plays a key role. "We live in an obesogenic environment. If you're constantly exposed to stimuli—smells, colors, special offers—it's logical that you'll succumb. So it starts with awareness and adjusting your immediate environment."

Konijnenberg also has tips for avoiding ultra-processed foods. He recommends a 30-day reset. "Your gut flora is like a garden. If you feed it with ultra-processed foods, your body will continue to crave them. But after 30 days of pure eating, you'll naturally start craving cucumbers or carrots." That might sound a bit unlikely, but he's experienced it firsthand.

His practical tip: always have healthy snacks on hand. "If you don't have junk food in the house, you won't eat it. Put out carrots, cucumbers, or cherry tomatoes. You'll grab whatever's there." Wubbels agrees: "It's not about being strict, but about making conscious choices. As soon as you eat well, your body calms down. Then you'll automatically feel like you're doing better."

Switching takes effort, but it's rewarding. Van Bemmelen explains that it also becomes visible in your intestines. "Billions of bacteria live in your gut. Some love sugar, others healthy food. When you start eating healthier, the good bacteria grow. Your body protests at first, but then you actually start to crave healthy food."

That process also affects your mood. "Healthy bacteria produce dopamine and serotonin. You feel better and naturally make different choices. It's a positive spiral. That's where true comfort lies: in a body that functions well."

"Healthy choices take more effort at first," says Moorman. "But the beauty is: once you start feeling better, it becomes easier to resist the temptation for short-term happiness that comes from eating an unhealthy snack. Being thin doesn't necessarily make you happy, but being happy does make you thin!"