Does cutting out ultra-processed food actually lower the chemicals in your body?

What's actually in it

Ultra-processed foods go through many manufacturing steps and come in contact with multiple plastic, metal, and chemically treated surfaces. Think packaged snacks, frozen meals, instant noodles, soft drinks, and fast food. Each processing step and each layer of packaging can add chemicals: phthalates from plastic machinery, BPA from can linings, and various additives for color, texture, and shelf life.

Whole foods, by contrast, are minimally processed and often sold loose or in simple packaging.

What the research says

A 2026 proof-of-concept study in Environ Health Perspect put participants on two controlled diets: one high in ultra-processed foods and one free of them. The researchers then measured chemical levels in the participants' bodies.

People on the ultra-processed diet had higher levels of food-contact chemicals in their urine and blood. The whole-food diet group had measurably lower levels. The difference showed up within the study period, confirming that food processing is a direct route for chemical exposure.

The study identified specific chemicals that dropped when ultra-processed food was removed: phthalate metabolites, bisphenol compounds, and certain food additives. These are all chemicals that come from packaging and processing, not from the food ingredients themselves.

You don't need a perfect diet. Even replacing some ultra-processed items with fresh alternatives, like swapping packaged snacks for fruit or cooking from scratch a few nights a week, can lower your chemical load.