Share
Field Notes
Ultra-Processed Foods: Are They Actually Killing Us? (Because I Eat Them Constantly)
Season 1, Ep. 13
•
This week on Field Notes, we enter the land of: Ultra-Processed Food.
According to certain very serious doctors on the internet, UPFs are now:
Cool.
Not dramatic at all.
So naturally, I’ve decided to test whether cutting them out for a week will:
- Improve my migraines
- Reduce my exhaustion
- Fix my yo-yo weight history
- Or simply make me feral and resentful
Because unfortunately… most of the things listed as “ultra-processed” are the things I actually eat.
- What actually counts as Ultra-Processed Food (and how inconsistent the definitions are)
- The claim that UPFs are worse than tobacco
- The inflammation / microbiome argument
- The counter-argument from registered dietitians
- Whether the research is observational or causal
- Food anxiety vs legitimate health concern
- My chaotic personal diet
- Growing up on enforced raw spinach
- Cheese-based GCSE breakdowns
- Yo-yo weight cycles and hyper-palatable food
- Ozempic changing the household food dynamic
- Whether non-UPF eating is realistic with children
- Why I eat like a 19-year-old boy with a student loan
- And whether “whole foods” are actually practical in real life
My current diet includes:
- Fistfuls of turkey
- Salt & vinegar crisps
- Tuna pasta
- Mushroom coffee
- Minimal fruit
- Suspiciously little fibre
Meanwhile the internet is telling me my gut lining is dissolving and my liver is weeping.
So this week I attempt to go:
👉 UPF-Free (or as close as I can manage)
And we’ll see whether:
- My energy changes
- My migraines shift
- My mood improves
- Or whether I simply miss crisps
- Are we pathologising modern food?
- Is this another wellness panic?
- Or is the hyper-palatable environment genuinely wrecking us?
- Can a busy parent realistically cook everything from scratch?
- And why does cutting processed food feel so emotionally loaded?
This week’s dilemma:
“I’ve narrowed it down to three husband contenders. How do I choose?”
Featuring:
- The Strong Stomach Theory™
- The Chap Olympiad
- Escape room testing
- Vomit resilience
- And a brief detour into secret families
You’re welcome.
If you’d like to improve your life without becoming insufferable:
Join the book club / self-improvement group chat over on Substack.
This month:
👉 Atomic Habits by James Clear
You’ll get:
- Weekly practical breakdowns
- Private podcast episodes
- Cheat sheets
- Knowledge topics
- And a place to collectively sort ourselves out
Join here:
https://rosehoneymorgan.substack.com/subscribe
Or sign up free for the weekly notes.
Follow on Instagram:
@rosehoneymorgan
@field.notes.pod
Share this episode with someone who:
- Owns at least three types of oat milk
- Is suspicious of emulsifiers
- Or eats crisps in the car and calls it “lunch”
More episodes
View all episodes
19. Could Electrifying Your Brain Fix Your Mood?
36:57||Season 1, Ep. 19Today’s episode is about mental health, low mood, chronic anxiety, executive dysfunction, and a slightly alarming-looking headset that may or may not be about to change my life.I’m trying the Flow Neuroscience headset — a non-invasive medical device that uses tDCS (transcranial Direct Current Stimulation) to stimulate the part of the brain linked to depression.In simpler terms:I am, apparently, going to start plugging my forehead into a charger.And honestly? At this point I’m open to it.In this episode I talk about:My long history of low mood, dread, anxiety, and general internal gloomEverything I’ve already tried:CBTEMDRAcceptance and Commitment Therapymedicationexercisewatersleeptrying really hard not to lose the plotWhat the Flow headset actually isHow it’s meant to workWhy the NHS uses itThe statistics that made me willing to strap an electrical device to my headWhether this is cutting-edge science or a sign that modern life has gone badly wrongWhy our ancestors may have had lives that were more naturally protective of mental health than ours are nowAlso in this episode:A new Ask Guru & Granny segment on beauty, Botox, fillers, lipstick, tailored clothing, and why my mother believes a teaspoon of botulism could kill the human race.So, as usual, it’s a mixed bag.What happens next?I’m starting the headset experiment now.On Friday I’ll report back on:what it feels likewhether it hurtswhat the app is likeand whether I feel even slightly less like I’m permanently treading emotional waterThe bigger results, apparently, take a few weeks — so this is just the beginningSend in your dilemmas for Ask Guru & GrannyIf you want me and Old Ma to attempt to solve your problems, send them over.DM me on Instagram:@rosehoneymorgan@field.notes.podAnd if I ignored your last one by accident, just bump it and send it again.Join the book clubWe’ve just started Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway inside the Actually Trying book club.https://rosehoneymorgan.substack.com/freetrialIf you enjoyed this episodePlease follow the show, leave a review, or share it with a friend who:is hanging on by a threadhas tried everythingor would absolutely try electrically charging their forehead if it meant feeling a bit more perky18. Field Report: Did Gray Scale Actually Stop My Doomscrolling?
10:32||Season 1, Ep. 18Last week I tested the internet’s favourite anti-doomscrolling trick:turning your phone to gray scale (black and white).The theory is simple: remove the bright colours that hijack your brain’s dopamine system and suddenly your phone becomes far less addictive.Did it cut my screen time in half?Well… not exactly.But it did reveal some interesting things about how our brains react to colour, stimulation, and the endless scroll.In this week’s Field Report we discuss:Whether gray scale actually reduced my screen timeWhy social media becomes weirdly less appealing in black and whiteHow the experiment accidentally pushed me into a ChatGPT rabbit holeWhy real life suddenly looked much more colourful and vividA brief “Have We Lost the Plot?” anthropology segment on humans and colour stimulationThe unexpected downside: trying to play phone games in grayscalePlus:Find of the WeekAppreciating colour again (and the joy of bold interiors)Fail of the WeekSpending another two hours helping June solve a murder in June’s JourneyLinks & Things MentionedJoin the Actually Trying Book Club👉 https://rosehoneymorgan.substack.com/freetrialLucy’s interiors Instagram👉 https://www.instagram.com/lucycollierinteriorsFollow the ShowFollow the podcast so you don’t miss next week’s experiment.If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend who is also trying (and occasionally failing) to reduce their screen time.Next WeekNext week’s topic may or may not make brands even more nervous about working with me… but at this point the damage is probably already done.See you then.17. How to Cut Your Doomscrolling in Half (Apparently)
19:57||Season 1, Ep. 17If your screen time is creeping up…If your phone feels impossible to put down…If the real world is starting to look a bit dull by comparison…This week I’m testing a free, surprisingly simple method that claims to reduce doomscrolling fast.No apps.No discipline hacks.No expensive “digital detox” retreats.Just one setting change.In this episode we discuss:How color and contrast hijack your dopamine systemWhy overstimulation can make the real world feel flatThe “gray scale” method and how to set it upAnd why I realised I needed to fix this — urgentlyI’m committing to a full week of gray scale to see if it genuinely reduces screen time.If you try it too, let me know what happens.The Instructions To enable grayscale on an iPhone, navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters, then toggle "Color Filters" on and select "Grayscale"To turn on grayscale on Android, go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > Bedtime mode and enable "Grayscale"📲 DM me on Instagram:@rosehoneymorgan@field.notes.podI’ll report back with the results.⭐ If this episode helps:Follow the show, leave a review, or send it to the friend who says “I don’t go on my phone that much” but somehow knows every trend16. Field Report: No Processed Food for 4 Days (Was It Worth It?)
11:38||Season 1, Ep. 16📚 Book Club Free Trial : https://rosehoneymorgan.substack.com/freetrialNext month’s book: Feel the Fear and Do It AnywayLink in show notes.Join us so I can reject brands with confidence.ANYWAYI’m back from the front lines.Four whole days.Zero processed food.Planned, chopped, cooked, washed up.Repeated.Never again.In this episode we discuss:The emotional toll of planning three meals a day like a Victorian housewifeWhether chopping board dinners are secretly geniusWhy cheeseboard dinner is an elite parenting hackThe M&S “non-UPF” range (sausages, buns, ketchup — full review)Migraines, morale, and missing BiscoffBeing dropped by my first big brand deal and spiralling publiclyWhether I should sell my soul for a podcast editorAnd if early death from crisps is simply a trade-off I’m willing to makeThe experiment verdict?Did I feel superhuman?No.Did I feel morally superior?Briefly.Did I miss ready meals with my entire being?Yes.🧀 FIND OF THE WEEKCheeseboard dinner.Elevated picky bits.Zero guilt.Highly recommend.❌ FAIL OF THE WEEKEverything else.If you’ve cracked the code on eating well without turning it into a full-time job, tell me.📲 DM me on Instagram:@rosehoneymorgan@field.notes.pod⭐ If you enjoyed this episode:Follow the show.Leave a review.Send it to a friend but pre warn them about which episodes are shite.15. How to Avoid Processed Food When You Hate Cooking
15:09||Season 1, Ep. 15Last week I tried going ultra-processed-food-free.I lasted one day.Then I got violently ill.Was it the chicken?Was it soft play?Was it karma for mocking chopping-board influencers?Unclear.This week is Take 2.Because the real question isn’t “Is processed food bad?”It’s:How on earth are we supposed to avoid it if we can’t cook and don’t have a private chef?In this episode we discuss:My catastrophic attempt at roasting a chickenWhy I owe chopping-board people an apologyCottage cheese and berries (I’m still not convinced)The alarming bacteria situation on cutting boardsThe new M&S “UPF-free” rangeWhy modern health advice quietly assumes unlimited timeWhether there’s a realistic middle ground between crisps and grinding your own flourI’m trialling:The single-ingredient chopping board approachThe M&S UPF-free rangeAnd whatever I can manage without poisoning myself againI’ll report back properly in Friday’s Field Report.If you have:Healthy ready meal recommendationsLow-effort meal hacksOr thoughts on whether I’ve lost the plotTell me.📲 DM me on Instagram:@rosehoneymorgan@field.notes.podI read them. I respond. I occasionally take your advice.Private chef reel link : https://www.instagram.com/reel/CteX-QfMvkD/?igsh=cjR4bzNlOHM2eGU3⭐ If you enjoyed this episode:Follow the show, leave a review, or send it to a friend who owns a chopping board but still eats waffles daily.14. Field Report: The UPF Free Experiment Has Gone Badly Wrong
01:20||Season 1, Ep. 14This week’s update is… brief.After confidently declaring I would attempt a week of ultra-processed-food-free living, I made it:👉 One day.And now I am recording this hunched over a sick bowl in what can only be described as the pink fluffy gown of shame.Is it norovirus?Is it food poisoning?Is it my body rebelling against actual vegetables?We do not yet know.What we do know:• Cooking is dangerous• My stomach muscles are shot• The commitment to this podcast remains intactFull debrief on Monday — assuming I survive.—📚 Join “Actually Trying” for the proper breakdowns (when I’m upright again): https://rosehoneymorgan.substack.com/freetrial📲 Follow along for live chaos:@rosehoneymorgan@field.notes.podLike. Subscribe. Send electrolytes.12. Field Report: I Tried Nervous System Regulation for a Week… Did It Work?
16:41||Season 1, Ep. 12This week’s Field Report is the follow-up on vagus nerve regulation, still-face parenting, and trying to soothe our fried nervous systems.I tested the homework:Ice water dunk.Breath work.Humming (unfortunately, in public).Links MentionedVagus nerve stimulation device - https://shorturl.at/Q0YQQBreath work app - https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/breathwrk-breathing-exercises/id1481804500Gospel Sunday Service Choir track - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qre8LJVd3o (wait for SIA to come out and sing with them, it gets me every time. Also look up 'sunday service choir' on youtube or spotify and enjoy the full album. I love 'rain' and 'father stretch' the most. 📚 Join “Actually Trying”Private podcast episodes, book breakdowns, and practical self-improvement without becoming unbearable.https://rosehoneymorgan.substack.com/subscribeFollow on Instagram:@rosehoneymorgan@field.notes.podNew episodes every Monday (deep dive) and Friday (Field Report).In this episode we discuss:Full head ice dunk attempts (and whether they calm you down or just make you feel mildly feral)Why breath work felt surprisingly effectiveThe school gate humming incidentThe still-face experiment and why scrolling in front of your kids hits differentlyWhy regulation starts in the body, not the brainWhether overthinking (and over-ChatGPT-ing) makes stress worseThe new vagus nerve stimulation device you can clip to your earThe gospel choir soundtrack that fuelled my public “moment”Why humans used to regulate naturally (and now need calendar reminders to breathe)💀 Fail of the WeekPublic humming.Misread eye contact.A minor wellbeing check from one of the two hot dads.We move.💡 Find of the WeekRegulation is physical.You cannot reason your way out of stress when your heart is racing.Long exhales > spiralling thoughts.Unclench your jaw > rewrite your narrative.Body first. Brain second.11. How Are We Supposed to Calm Down Now? Vagus Nerve & Stress
13:34||Season 1, Ep. 11Vagus Nerve Tips, Stress & Still Face ParentingThis week I force you to join in with whatever the mad reels tell us to do - so concentrate.My algorithm is obsessed with vagus nerve regulation: calm your nervous system, soothe your vagal tone, stop being on edge, stop snapping, stop doom-scrolling and just… relax.So naturally, I decided to look into it.In this episode I unpack why modern life feels so dysregulating, why scrolling feels calming but actually isn’t, and whether humming, cold water, jaw unclenching and breathing like an ancient human might help — or whether we’ve officially lost the plot.You may need to unclench your teeth while listening.🧠 What We Cover• Why “just calm down” doesn’t work• The Still Face experiment — and why blank-facing kids backfires• What the vagus nerve actually does (without wellness nonsense)• Why your body has to feel safe before your brain can think• The most common vagus nerve tips from Instagram• Which ones felt useful, which felt weird, and which I’ll actually keep🧪 The Internet Advice I TestedIncluding:• Humming & singing• Breathing out longer than in• Jaw and tongue relaxation• Cold water on the face• Slow movement instead of checking outNo ice baths. No candles. No pretending we live in a monastery.🏺 Have We Lost the Plot?Probably not.Humans have always regulated themselves through:• movement• rhythm• cold exposure• shared calmWe just used to do it naturally — now we have to remember.🔁 Field Report Coming FridayI’ll report back on whether any of this helped in real life, or whether it joined the long list of things that sounded promising and didn’t survive a weekday.📚 JOIN “ACTUALLY TRYING”If you want help actually applying this stuff (without becoming insufferable):👉 https://rosehoneymorgan.substack.com/subscribeThis month’s book:Atomic Habits – James ClearYou’ll get:• Weekly breakdowns you can actually use• Private podcast episodes• Cheat sheets & summaries• Anti-brain-rot knowledge topicsYou can also join free for the notes via email.📲 STAY IN THE GROUP CHATFollow along on Instagram:• @rosehoneymorgan• @field.notes.podAnd come back Friday for the field report.