Can you be healthy if you eat ultra-processed foods? I asked a dietitian

So what is her verdict on my grocery shopping?

Not as bad as I expected, I’m relieved to learn. While there are UPFs in there, that doesn’t necessarily make it an unhealthy food shop. In fact, Hanan says, “there’s a good mix of foods which cover each food group”.

Just because some products have a long ingredient list, it doesn’t make them “inherently bad”, she explains, with the nutritional value “far more important”.

What about foods that contain ingredients I can barely pronounce, never mind recognise? Hanan takes my son’s chicken nuggets as an example.

“There are mandatory vitamins and minerals which manufacturers in the UK are required to add to white wheat flour such as calcium carbonate, niacin and thiamin,” she says.

Raising agents, such as disodium diphosphate, are used alongside sodium bicarbonate (baking powder) to make the batter crisp and light.

Hanan says even the most chemical-sounding ingredients will have been tested and approved under UK food laws.

“But while chicken nuggets are a good source of protein,” she warns, “they are higher in fat and salt than a plain chicken breast, so I would eat them in moderation as part of a balanced diet.”

I tell Hanan my son usually eats them with raw carrot sticks and pasta.

“One food does not make your diet healthy or unhealthy,” she says, “it’s about getting that balance over time.”