Food Labels, Fibre, and Ultra-Processed Foods: What Really Matters | Rhiannon Lambert

The Proof with Simon Hill

Simon Hill

Nutrition, Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.9 • 3.1K Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2026

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ultra-processed foods are now the central nutrition conversation of the decade, but the gap between the marketing and the evidence has never been wider. In this episode, I sit down with registered nutritionist and Sunday Times bestselling author Rhiannon Lambert to bring some practical clarity to what the science actually says. We get into how the NOVA system can be too blunt to be useful, why calorie counts on packets are often 30 to 40 per cent inaccurate, what the most recent UPF and cancer data actually shows, and how to spot the difference between sensible fortification and the additives that are genuinely worth questioning. What we cover: What ultra-processed foods really are, and why the NOVA category is so blunt The food matrix and why calorie labels can be misleading UPFs, cancer risk, and the UCL home-cooking study The UK colourings linked to hyperactivity, MSG, and artificial sweeteners How to read a label in under thirty seconds Practical strategies for cooking more at home, even on a budget This is a conversation about reclaiming the kitchen without falling into purism. If it lands, a quick rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify makes a real difference. To learn more from Rhiannon Lambert, visit her clinic at rhitrition.com, follow her on Instagram at instagram.com/rhitrition and TikTok at tiktok.com/@rhitrition, and pick up her books, The Unprocessed Plate **and The Fibre Formula. You can also find her co-hosting The Wellness Scoop podcast with Ella Mills. This episode is brought to you by: 38TERA Consider 38TERA's DMN prebiotic supplement a daily multivitamin for your gut. Formulated by yours truly and gastroenterologist Dr Will Bulsiewicz. Use code THEPROOF for a discount at checkout. 38Tera ships to the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Momentous My go-to supplement brand for protein and creatine is Momentous. Use code THEPROOF for up to 35% off your first order at livemomentous.com. Momentous ships to many countries worldwide depending on local import regulations. ProLon ProLon’s 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet is a science-backed, plant-based program designed to support metabolic health while keeping your body in a fasting-like state. Get 15% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift at ProLonLife.com. ProLon ships within the United States. IM8 With 92 nutrients, including Vitamin B12, Iodine, Selenium and Vitamin D, in highly absorbable forms, IM8 Daily Essentials is the perfect all-in-one daily multi-vitamin to ensure you meet your daily micronutrient needs. IM8 is offering an exclusive 10% off your first order with a free welcome kit when you enter the promo code SIMON at checkout on im8health.com. IM8 ships to 27 countries including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and many regions across Europe, Asia, and South America. HomeServe HomeServe helps protect your home from unexpected repair costs, covering things like plumbing, electrical, and HVAC issues that standard insurance often doesn’t include. With 24/7 support and access to local contractors, it takes the stress out of urgent repairs. Plans start from $4.99 a month at HomeServe.com. WHOOP WHOOP, the most advanced fitness and health wearable available. Your personalised fitness and health coach to recover faster, sleep better, and train smarter. Claim your first month free on join.whoop.com/simon. WHOOP ships to 56+ international markets, including the US, Canada, most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Singapore, and parts of Asia. Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com Host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Subscribe & Connect: YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Instagram: @simonhill Twitter: @theproof Facebook: The Proof with Simon Hill

Transcript

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0:00.0	Believe it or not, ultra-processed foods now make up more than half of what the average American,
0:06.4	Australian or Brit puts in their shopping cart each week.
0:10.1	And for children, it's closer to 70% of their daily calories.
0:14.3	And the public conversation about this category of foods has become, frankly, a mess,
0:19.1	with one side telling you every ultra-processed food is a poison,
0:22.9	and the other telling you it's overblown.
0:25.3	And in the middle, people trying to feed themselves and their families without a clear idea of what actually matters.
0:31.6	My guest today is Rianne and Lambert.
0:33.5	She's one of the UK's most respected registered nutritionists.
0:36.9	She's been in clinical practice for over a decade, and she's the author of seven books,
0:41.1	including the unprocessed plate.
0:43.6	What I like about Riannon's approach is that she doesn't do fear.
0:47.5	She doesn't do absolutes.
0:49.4	In this conversation, we unpack why some ultra-processed foods are genuinely worth worrying about,
0:55.9	and others are perfectly fine in your shopping car, sometimes even a better choice than what
1:01.0	they're replacing.
1:02.4	We get into the six specific ingredients to err on the side of caution with, and we talk about
1:07.1	how these foods as a category drive over consumption of calories, whether
1:11.9	they're truly addictive in the same way that alcohol or cigarettes are, how to choose a healthy
1:17.8	loaf of bread, the marketing tactics that trip people up in the supermarket aisle, and
1:23.2	plenty more.
1:24.5	This is the practical evidence-based conversation about ultra-processed foods I wish
	...

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