Ultra-Processed Foods and Sports Nutrition: Should Athletes Be Worried?

Ultra-processed foods dominate the headlines, but what does that mean if you rely on sports nutrition to support your training?

Ultra-processed foods have become the villain of modern nutrition. Scroll through social media or glance at the headlines and you’ll see warnings linking them to obesity, heart disease and poor health.

Recently the debate was reignited by Joe Wicks’ documentary about his so-called Killer Protein Bar.

It certainly got people talking and it’s something many people have asked me about recently.  

Many athletes now wonder whether sports nutrition products like energy gels, drinks and recovery shakes - all technically classified as ultra-processed foods - are something they should be concerned about.

Why athletes rely on processed sports nutrition

When you’re exercising hard, food has to do a very specific job.

It needs to be easy to digest when your heart rate is high, quick to absorb so it can deliver energy to working muscles, and practical enough to consume during activity.

That’s exactly why sports nutrition products exist.

Energy gels provide rapidly absorbed carbohydrates. Sports drinks help maintain blood glucose and hydration during long training sessions. Recovery shakes deliver protein and carbs when your appetite disappears after a tough workout.

In other words, these products aren’t trying to replace meals - they’re solving a performance problem.

And in that context, processing is actually part of the solution.

The real issue: how often you rely on them

If you’re active, you probably eat what would generally be considered a healthy diet - oats or toast before training, a balanced meal afterwards, plenty of fruit and vegetables.

But once you start counting bottles of sports drink, energy bars and recovery shakes, you may realise how often ultra-processed products appear in your routine.

This becomes even more noticeable if you’re fuelling endurance sessions properly.

Many athletes now aim to consume 60–90 grams of carbohydrate per hour during prolonged exercise, which can mean working your way through quite a few gels, drinks or bars over a long session. Over several hours, that  can easily add up to 300–400 grams of carbs.

There’s nothing wrong with that during activity - it’s often exactly what your body needs. But it does mean there’s less room for additional processed carbohydrates later in the day.

If those foods start creeping into everyday meals and snacks, they can crowd out the whole foods that provide fibre, vitamins and healthy fats.

That’s where balance becomes important.

Do ultra-processed foods affect athletes the same way?

Much of the research linking ultra-processed foods with poor health comes from studies of sedentary populations. If you’re someone who trains regularly, your metabolism, energy expenditure and nutrient needs are very different, so those results don’t automatically apply in the same way.

During and after prolonged exercise, your body actually benefits from quickly absorbed carbohydrates and easily digestible nutrients to replenish glycogen stores and support recovery.

Interestingly, there’s also a surprising gap in the research.

Despite all the attention ultra-processed foods receive, there are very few studies examining their effects specifically in athletes. That means we don’t yet have strong evidence showing that sports nutrition products used during training carry the same risks seen in sedentary populations.

That said, context still matters. If ultra-processed foods dominate the rest of your diet outside training and recovery, the same long-term concerns could apply.

The psychological side of the UPF debate

Another aspect that often gets overlooked is how nutrition messaging affects people.

The idea that “processed equals bad” can easily turn into guilt or anxiety around food. In some cases it may even contribute to disordered eating - something that endurance sports are already vulnerable to.

Labelling foods as morally “good” or “bad” rarely helps.

It can also stigmatise foods that are affordable, convenient and widely eaten, particularly for people with limited time, income or access to cooking facilities.

Nutrition is rarely that black and white.

A practical way to think about sports nutrition

If you’re physically active, it helps to separate performance nutrition from everyday nutrition.

During training and competition, sports products are simply tools. They deliver energy and nutrients quickly when your body needs them most.

Outside those moments, real food should form the foundation of your diet.

Meals built around whole or minimally processed foods - vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, quality proteins and healthy fats - provide the nutrients that support long-term health and recovery.

If that’s the foundation of your diet, the occasional gel, drink or recovery shake isn’t a problem.

So should you worry about ultra-processed foods?

In short: not in the way the headlines suggest.

Ultra-processed sports products aren’t inherently unhealthy. They’re designed for a specific purpose - fuelling training and supporting recovery.

The real issue isn’t processing itself. It’s how often those foods replace proper meals.

If you use sports nutrition products strategically during activity, while keeping the rest of your diet centred around whole foods, you’re likely striking the right balance.

On the days you train hard, those products can make a real difference to performance and recovery. The rest of the time, your diet should still be built around whole foods.

In other words, it’s not about fearing ultra-processed foods. It’s about understanding when they genuinely help.

This article is an abridged version of my recent feature published in Cycling Weekly.