An interesting read that is well researched and presented in an informative way that definitely makes you think.

Wow, you don’t realise how much crap you eat till you read the ingredients! The Western countries' food supplies are outrageous and the amount of stuff we consume that isn’t right for our bodies, honestly makes me sick.

Hill did an excellent job of explaining the various food categories and what we should be consuming. Much of it is common knowledge; for instance, we know that eating at McDonald's or grabbing a cake from the shop isn’t beneficial for our health. However, we often choose the easy option, and as a result, our bodies suffer for it. From hormone imbalances and autoimmune conditions to mental health and fertility, she explains it all! I’m going to be recommending this to every woman I know.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rachel Quin for my ARC.

A very informative book with a lot of in depth research to back it up. I feel that as someone who has had an allotment for over 25 years I have a lot more control of what I am eating compared with those who eat from supermarkets packets and find and this was highlighted. It would appear that just spending money on Pringles and other expense crisps is not wise. Although a lot of the focus on the book is on women and the issues they have in life we men also have issues and these are touched on. Plenty of 'food for thought'. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for this eCopy to review

Ultra-Processed Women by Milli Hill, is a revelation. Hill takes a hard, unflinching look at the ultra-processed food industry and its specific, often overlooked impact on women’s health. From hormone imbalances and autoimmune conditions to mental health and fertility, she lays out the science in a way that’s both accessible and deeply personal. It’s not just about what we eat, it’s about how the food system has been shaped to exploit women’s bodies and choices.

What struck me most was how empowering it felt. Hill doesn’t just sound the alarm she hands you the tools to break free. Her writing is sharp, grounded, and full of righteous fire, but also incredibly practical. She offers real steps to reclaim your health, your kitchen, and your autonomy, without guilt or shame.

Reading this felt like a wake-up call and a rallying cry all at once. If you’ve ever felt out of sync with your body and wondered if your diet might be part of the story, this book is for you. It’s bold, brilliant, and absolutely essential. I’ll be recommending it to every woman I know.

Ultra-Processed Women is a thorough and comprehensive study on ultra-processed food (UPF) that asks the question ‘what about women?’

I chose to read this as I was particularly interested in learning what constitutes UPF. What I found was so much more. A well-written and researched book that not only defines UPF in simple terms but explores political, environmental and scientific discourse and the impact on everyone but makes specific considerations for issues relating to women. It follows the importance of quality of food from childhood to becoming a mother, right through to menopause and beyond. I can’t recommend this book enough. It is rich in sources and even had recipes and tips for cooking your own food so you can break up with UPF for good.

This is a very informative read full of things I wish I had known sooner. It’s a book you would flick through all the time and read the chapters again to inform yourself better. The world we live in with foods that we didn’t realise are Ultra Processed are everywhere, it’s quite scary. The way fruit and nuts change when they are in smoothies, my smoothie maker is now in the bin. It’s better to eat the whole food rather than changing it. A great book for woman to try to better educate us to eat better. A great 4 star read, thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This book is written in a similar style to van Tulleken’s “Ultra-processed people” - jovial, but chock-a-block with information. I had feared it would be a pink-haired, Birkenstock-clad wimmin’s war screech, but I needn’t have worried.
This is an information-dense, clear tome on ultraprocessed foods, their pervasiveness and impact on not just women - all backed by research and accompagnied by extensive reference material. It’s quite scary to think how the food industry wheedled its way into every corner of nutrition for all ages, into cosmetics and even pet food:

“Although our supermarkets may seem to be filled with a huge variety of brands, in reality almost all of them come under the umbrella of just ten huge global corporations: Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Danone, Kellogg’s, Ferrero, Mars, KraftHeinz and Mondelēz, International.”
“At the time of writing, the CEO of every major global food company in
the world is a man.”
“75 per cent of the global food supply comes from only twelve plants and five animal species.”

However, there are ways shown here to reduce minimise or indeed eliminate ultra-processed food from our lives and that’s worth pursuing!

Sorry, Mr van Tulleken, you’re good, but I think I prefer Ms Hill.

In Ultra-Processed Women, journalist and women’s health advocate Milli Hill delivers a compelling and urgent examination of how ultra-processed foods uniquely impact the female body. Going beyond the usual warnings about processed food, Hill unpacks scientific research that links these ‘industrially produced food-like items’ with issues such as period pain, hormone imbalance, depression, autoimmune diseases, and even Alzheimer’s.

Hill’s approach is clear-headed and relatable, blending down-to-earth explanations with an unflinching look at the food industry’s decades-long exploitation of women through targeted advertising. The book reveals the broader consequences of ultra-processed eating habits, from environmental harm to the erosion of communal and cultural connections around food and cooking.

More than just a health guide, Ultra-Processed Women is a call to arms. Hill equips readers with practical tools and empowering strategies to break free from the grip of processed foods without guilt or sacrifice. Her argument that changing our diets can be a radical form of resistance in today’s ultra-processed world is both inspiring and timely.

A must-read for anyone wanting to reclaim their health and challenge the status quo.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Great informative book which I’ll keep referring to. Basically need to curb eating processed food to keep me healthy. Thank for preview read.

The deceits of the advertising and food industry never ends. Over decades, consumers have been seduced away from genuine food into the blanket of fast, instant ready and prepacked stuff which is often mikes away from the original. Don’t get me wrong; I use canned and frozen. But my basic meals come from raw meat and fresh vegetables as the basis for a meal. I’ve read the contents on the back of many food products and find the list of additives appalling.
Until recently, I didn’t fully understand UPF, but having read a couple of books and a few articles, frankly, people should be up in arms and demanding change. I’m convinced that within a few years, the numerous health issues including cancers, diabetes, heart disease etc, will be definitively linked to UPF consumption.
This is a rewarding read. The author explains the issues without being over dramatic. This enables the reader to make balanced and informed choices and there’s plenty of sound guidance, Removing all UPF isn’t easy and I’ve found a few revelations, so it’s challenged me to think further about what I buy. I’m an older reader in reasonable general health. I doubt that changes will add significant years to my life. But I hope to decline as mentally and physically intact as possible and, for me, a good diet is part of the key. The way women are targeted birders on criminal and this is a wake up call. I’d urge everyone to read this book and at least decide whether they’re doing the best for the self and family. It’s informed, well written and full of practical advice.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy

I have read a few books on UPF now and this one still taught me more. It is focused more on how UPF affects women specifically and have useful tips on reducing exposure.

Recent discussions about nutrition and health have moved beyond surface-level advice and started to address the broader consequences of ultra-processed foods, especially for women.

Milli Hill’s Ultra-Processed Women stands out by uncovering the overlooked effects of these foods on women’s bodies and minds. While popular culture often frames dietary choices as simply a matter of willpower or wellness trends, Hill brings attention to research on connections between ultra-processed foods and issues ranging from hormonal disruption to mental health challenges and even neurodegenerative diseases. Her approach, direct and relatable, is aimed at challenging not just eating habits but the entire system that pushes these products onto women.

Hill’s writing is notable for its conversational style, presenting dense research and cultural critique in a way that is easy for readers to absorb and apply. She moves beyond the usual nutrition tropes, arguing that the prevalence of ultra-processed foods is not a matter of individual weakness but a consequence of targeted marketing and structural inequalities. The book frequently references the deliberate strategies by the food industry to appeal specifically to women, like the “pink it and shrink it” tactic. These marketing efforts often exacerbate existing health inequities by disguising harmful products in supposedly empowering or convenient packaging.

The author draws on new studies linking ultra-processed foods with a variety of health outcomes that go beyond gastrointestinal discomfort. For instance, she points to research indicating potential connections with menstrual pain, mood disorders, and cognitive decline. Hill’s critique also addresses the intersection of nutrition with broader economic and environmental systems.

One of the book’s strengths is that it avoids shaming the reader. Instead, Hill offers practical advice for regaining autonomy in the face of an often-predatory food environment. She emphasizes that resistance is possible without expensive or impractical gestures.

Ultra-Processed Women reframes the conversations around food and health for women, linking personal wellbeing with systemic critique. Hill’s work echoes arguments in literature on health equity and mental health that call for nuanced, empathetic, and actionable approaches to complex challenges.

By situating individual choices within larger marketing, economic, and cultural forces, Hill provides a handbook for change that feels both supportive and motivating. This book stands apart from generic nutrition guides, encouraging readers to see shifts in their relationship with food as both practical and political acts, empowering rather than punitive.

The relevance of her insights is reinforced by the growing recognition, across fields, that addressing wellbeing requires more than technical fixes; it demands genuine attention to collective and lived experience.

I have become much more interested in healthy eating as I have got older so I couldn’t wait to read this book.

It was so interesting and has definitely taught me to be so much more aware when choosing and cooking food for myself and my family. The recipes were really helpful and my shopping list each week is now totally different with a focus on much more fresh food.

I would recommend this book to all women as I think it’s definitely a must read and the resources at the end of the book are so helpful.

Thanks to NetGalley, Milli Hill and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Every woman should read this book. (Actually, every human should read this book). I have been interested in Ultra Processed Food for some time now, and have read a few books on the subject. 'Ultra-Processed Women' taught me stuff I didn't know, but more than that, it was tailored towards how UPF affects women in particular. And what Hill has discovered is truly disturbing. I had no idea about UPF in cosmetics, and now I will be very careful what I buy. I am already eating as well as I can, but Hill explained how UPF disrupts so much of the female body, and I am now committed even more to being careful what I put in, and on, my body. The book is so easy to read, so relatable, so very important.

This is a thoughtful book on how ultra processed foods affect women, because their bodies are different from men.
Also they may be more conditioned to buy these foods by social pressure, for example in wishing they were thinner, or sknny which is the word the author uses. There is a lot more to this book than the examples I have given,. Whether we agree with all that is said in the book or not it is a good read, that shows the impact of these foods on males, but in particular on women.
I did not finish the book because it was heavy going at times and for the same reason I missed bits out, especially the bits not relevant to me. However the bits I did read were good and although I disagreed with some of what the author said, it was worth my time reading it.