4. Ultra-Processed Snacks
Snack foods such as chips, cookies, snack cakes, candy, and many sugary cereals are ultra-processed and tend to be detrimental to gut health when consumed regularly, says Johanna Forlivio, a physician assistant who specializes in gastroenterology at Northwell Health’s Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, New York.
“These foods are typically low in fiber and high in refined starch, added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat,” she says. “When they become habitual, they … replace foods that nourish microbial diversity like vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Studies suggest this leads to a less favorable gut microbiome and increases inflammatory pathways.”
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For gut health, the most problematic item is usually not a single food, but a diet composed primarily of low-fiber, ultra-processed foods, says Forlivio. This pattern matters because the gut microbiome depends heavily on an overall diversity of nutrients, which is difficult to get when ultra-processed snacks are what you reach for most often.
