Real Food vs. Ultra-Processed: Where Simple Plan Fits

You’ve probably seen it all over your feed lately:

• “Eat real food.”

• “Cut out ultra-processed stuff.”

• New pyramids, new guidelines, new debates.

Meanwhile you’re just trying to get through the week without living on cereal and drive-thru.

So let’s strip the drama out of it and talk about what really matters:

• What “real food” actually means

• What people are talking about when they say “ultra-processed”

• And where Simple Plan meals fit into that picture

No fads, no fear-mongering—just a simple way to think about what’s on your plate.

What People Mean by “Real Food”

Different experts use slightly different definitions, but most people are talking about foods that look pretty close to how they started:

• Proteins: chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, fish, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese

• Carbs: potatoes, rice, oats, beans, fruit, whole-grain breads and pastas

• Fats: olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, cheese, butter

• Veggies: fresh, frozen, roasted, steamed—whatever form you’ll actually eat

Real food doesn’t have to be plain or boring. Sauces, seasonings, and sensible shortcuts all count. The key idea is:

You can mostly recognize the ingredients without needing a chemistry degree.

What Is “Ultra-Processed” Food?

On the other end of the spectrum is what people call ultra-processed food.

Think:

• Stacks of chips, candy, pastries, and packaged snacks

• Sugary drinks

• Frozen “meals” where the ingredient list is longer than your grocery list

• Things that are more lab project than recipe

Typical signs you’re in ultra-processed territory:

• A long list of ingredients you don’t cook with at home

• Lots of added sugar or “mystery” oils

• Super intense flavors that make it hard to stop eating (you know that feeling)

These foods aren’t “evil,” and having a treat sometimes is fine. The problem is when most of your calories come from this category. That’s when it’s easier to overeat, feel sluggish, and drift away from your goals.

Ready-to-Eat Doesn’t Have to Mean Ultra-Processed

Here’s where things get confusing:

“Ready-to-eat” or “ready-to-heat” is not the same thing as “ultra-processed.”

You can have:

• A microwave tray full of mystery ingredients and sugary sauce, or

• A ready-to-heat meal that’s basically: seasoned chicken, rice, veggies, and a sauce you could make at home

They both take three minutes in the microwave.

They are not the same thing.

What matters isn’t whether the meal is cooked in your kitchen or ours.

What matters is what’s in it and how it’s put together.

How Simple Plan Thinks About “Real Food”

When we build Simple Plan meals, we start with three questions:

1. What’s the protein?

   Most meals are built around chicken, turkey, beef, or other quality protein sources.

2. Where are the carbs and fats coming from?

   Things like potatoes, rice, pasta, beans, tortillas, cheese, and sensible oils—not a bunch of random fillers.

3. What does the ingredient list look like?

   We aim for ingredients you’d recognize, with fewer additives and less sugar than typical fast food or frozen dinners. Yes, you’ll see some “sub-ingredients” you might not recognize right away—and that’s okay. You don’t have to know every single ingredient to know that things like hot sauce, spice blends, and marinades can absolutely fit into a healthy way of eating.

Then we portion everything into:

• Controlled calories (most meals in the 400–600 range)

• High protein (we want you hitting those protein goals - 30g+ per meal)

• Balanced carbs and fats to support energy and satisfaction

In other words:

Real-food recipes, cooked in our kitchen, portioned and labeled so you don’t have to do the math.

How to Use “Real Food vs. Ultra-Processed” in Real Life

You don’t need to obsess over every bite. A simple way to think about your week:

1. Make most of your meals “real food” meals.

   
   

   • Plenty of protein

   • Some kind of fruit or veg

   • A sensible carb and fat source

   
   

2. Let ultra-processed foods be the “sometimes” extras, not the base of your diet.

   
   

3. Use prepared meals as a tool, not a trap.

   A ready-to-heat meal built from real ingredients can be one of the best ways to avoid the “I’m starving, drive-thru it is” spiral.

That’s exactly where Simple Plan fits.

Where Simple Plan Fits Into Your Week

Here are a few ways our clients use Simple Plan to keep things simple and aligned with the “real food” idea:

• Anchor meals:

  One Simple Plan meal every workday for lunch, so at least one meal a day is always on point.

• Emergency back-ups:

  2–3 meals in the fridge or freezer for the nights when nothing went according to plan.

• Challenge support:

  If you’re in one of our challenges, making sure your meals are dialed in takes a lot of pressure off the rest of your habits (steps, water, workouts).

You still get to cook, eat out, and enjoy life—you just have a safety net of real-food, high-protein meals ready when things get busy.

The Simple Plan Philosophy (In One Sentence)

Life is complicated. Your health shouldn’t be. ®

You don’t need a perfect diet, a color-coded pyramid, or a dozen new rules.

You just need more meals built from real food, and fewer moments where ultra-processed options are the only thing around.

If you want help with that part, that’s what we’re here for.

👉 When you’re ready, you can [view this week’s menu] and stock up on real-food meals for next week—no cooking, no guesswork, just heat, eat, and get on with your day.