From Asia, to Europe and the Americas

We've analysed and ranked the 20 most popular traditional dishes for their health impact.

Key findings

The Full English Breakfast contains 6 ultra-processed ingredients, versus an average of 1.6 in the other 19 dishes—280% more UPFs than the global average.
There is evidence to suggest USA's Cheeseburger and Fries, and Turkey's Doner Kebab are healthier breakfast options.
At 1,279 kcal, the Full English packs in 95% more calories than the 673 kcal average of other traditional dishes worldwide.
With the highest UPF count and calorie load of all 20, the Full English ranks dead last in our health scoring
The Full English packs 3,141 mg of sodium, 204% more than the 1,031 mg average of the other 19 dishes.
65% more sugar than the 5.2 g average globally—despite being a “savory” breakfast staple

What we did

With ultra-processed foods and digestive problems on the rise, we wanted to know: how healthy are the planet’s most iconic national dishes that have been passed down through generations.

So we analysed every ingredient within the 20 meals you’re most likely to see on dinner tables or menus worldwide, using verified nutrition data from global databases Nutritionix, SnapCalorie, Fitia, USDA, and added our own scoring model built around calories, fibre, fat, sugar, sodium, number of ultra-processed components, presence of additives, and whether the dish contains fermented foods or one of our 5 a day for bonus points.

Firstly, some stats

53%

Of the UK's calorie intake is from Ultra Processed Foods

Taken from a 2025 study.

90%

Of brits don't meet the recommended daily fibre intake of 30g.

Numbers published by Public Health England

#2

The UK has the second highest consumption of UPF's. Second behind the USA

Data from the British Medical Journal

The league table

We scored each dish using 10 health-linked metrics, normalised into a 0–100 scale.

(Lower score = worse for our health).

Rank	Country	Dish	kcal	Fat (g)	Sugar (g)	Sodium (mg)	Fibre (g)	Ultra-Processed items	Additives	Fermented foods	Score (/100)
1	UK	Full English Breakfast	1,279	89.5	8.5	3,141	8.5	6	Yes	No	32.4
2	Australia	Meat Pie & Chips	1,341	72	5	1,800	4	4	Yes	No	48.5
3	Turkey	Döner Kebab	950	58	5	1,650	3	4	Yes	No	51.7
4	USA	Cheeseburger & Fries	1,009	51	10	1,190	9	4	Yes	No	57.5
5	Canada	Poutine	886	57	1	1,588	5	3	Yes	No	58.4
6	China	Sweet & Sour Pork	964	28	24	1,000	3	2	Yes	No	61.2
7	Greece	Moussaka	556	29	6	800	4	2	Yes	No	62.6
8	Thailand	Pad Thai Curry	600	22	8	1,100	4	1	Yes	No	64.2
9	Russia	Beef Stroganoff	450	24	4	800	2	2	Yes	No	68.7
10	Mexico	Tacos	420	16	7	510	4	1	Yes	No	68.9
11	Indonesia	Nasi Goreng	619	23	4	900	3	1	Yes	No	69.7
12	Germany	Bratwurst & Sauerkraut	843	55	4	1,800	5	2	Yes	Yes	71.4
13	Italy	Spaghetti Bolognese	667	22	6	637	6	1	Yes	No	73.3
14	Brazil	Feijoada (Black bean stew)	620	35	2	1,100	7	1	Yes	No	74.3
15	Spain	Paella	752	34	2	1,300	4	1	Yes	No	74.7
16	France	Pot-au-Feu	535	16	4	900	6	0	No	No	80.0
17	Nigeria	Jollof Rice	393	15	2	700	4	1	Yes	No	82.7
18	India	Dal & Rice	293	6	1	600	7	0	No	No	90.1
19	Japan	Miso Soup + Rice	264	3	1	705	1	0	No	Yes	91.4
20	South Korea	Kimchi & Rice	300	1	2	500	5	0	No	Yes	92.0

Key Findings in detail

Full English Breakfast ranks worst in nearly every category, second highest in calories (1 279 kcal) and highest in fat (89.5 g), sodium (3 141 mg), ultra‑processed ingredients (6) and additives, with zero fermented foods.
Meat Pie & Chips is second worst: 1 341 kcal and 4 UPFs.
Döner Kebab (Turkey) is a surprise “healthier” contender with 26% fewer calories and 33% fewer UPFs than the Full English.
Cheeseburger & Fries ranks 4th with 1 009 kcal and 9 g fibre, narrowly beating out poutine.
Only 3 of the 20 dishes include fermented foods (sauerkraut, miso, kimchi), highlighting how rare gut friendly staples are globally.
The average UPF count across all dishes is 1.6. Full English’s 6 UPFs is a 280% spike above that average.
Fibre remains low across the board: even the highest‑fibre dishes provide only 40–60% of the recommended 25 g/day.
Sodium overload is common throughout the list, however the Full English delivers 136% of the UK’s daily salt limit in one meal.
Kimchi & Rice (South Korea) and Miso Soup & Rice (Japan) top the health leader board, both low calories, minimal processing, plus containing fermented foods, often seen as the best foods for gut health.

A word from our Specialist Dietitian

Specialist Registered Dietitian

Sarah Morton

RD | BSc | MSc | PgDip

This analysis sheds light on just how nutritionally imbalanced many of our most beloved traditional dishes can be especially when it comes to ultra-processed ingredients, excess saturated fat, sodium, and low fibre content. These are not just minor dietary concerns; they’re major contributors to long-term health risks like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and inflammatory conditions.

The goal isn’t to remove cultural foods from our plates, but to bring greater awareness to their composition, and consider simple adjustments like boosting fibre, reducing additives, or incorporating more fermented foods that can support gut health and overall wellbeing.

There is always a way to make a meal healthier and that can simply be done by the method of cooking a food, or by substituting an ingredient for a slightly healthier option.

What we measured and why

Metric	Why it matters
kcal	Total calories per serving. Excess calorie intake can contribute to weight gain, obesity, and related diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular conditions.
Fat (Sat/trans)	Includes: • Saturated fats — Linked to higher LDL cholesterol and increased risk of heart disease when consumed in excess. • Trans fats — Are artificially created fats strongly associated with coronary artery disease, inflammation, and poor metabolic health.
Sugar (Added)	We measured the added sugars (not naturally occurring). High sugar intake is associated with obesity, insulin resistance, tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease.
Sodium (Salt)	Measures total sodium content. High sodium is linked to elevated blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and kidney stress.
Fibre	Indicates fibre from vegetables, legumes, whole grains. Fibre supports digestive regularity, blood sugar control, heart health, and long-term weight management. It also helps to support gut health.
Ultra-Processed items	Number of ultra-processed items based on NOVA classification. Diets high in UPFs are linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome, increased cancer risk, and mental health concerns like depression.
Additives	• Emulsifiers (e.g. Polysorbate 80, CMC) — Linked to inflammation and altered metabolic markers in animal and emerging human studies. • Artificial sweeteners (e.g. Sucralose, Aspartame) — May influence glucose tolerance, appetite regulation, and gut-brain signalling. • Synthetic colours (e.g. Tartrazine, Allura Red) — Associated with hyperactivity in children and possible allergic or immune effects. • Preservatives (e.g. Sodium nitrite, benzoates, sulphites) — Some linked to cancer risk, oxidative stress, and hypersensitivity reactions.
Fermented (Live)	Fermented foods like kimchi, yogurt (with live cultures), miso and sauerkraut may support immune function, digestion, and nutrient absorption through the promotion of beneficial gut bacteria.
Score (/100)	Our scoring system addresses all of the above with lower scores being linked to poorer health outcomes; higher scores reflect more balanced, minimally processed foods better for our gut health.

The "sciency" bit

What does the research say?

Ultra processed foods are designed for extreme convenience, long shelf‑life and hyper‑palatability, but in doing so they strip out natural fibre, phytonutrients and live enzymes essential for gut and metabolic health.

While they can be handy in a pinch, the trade‑off is a product that your body treats very differently from minimally processed foods. These man‑made foods and ingredients promote over‑eating, disrupt your microbiome and have been linked to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even certain cancers.

In short, ultra‑processed foods may offer convenience, but they come at a steep cost to long‑term health.

A large study of over one million participants found that with each 10% increase in UPF intake corresponded to a 10% increase in death, with clear links to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome PMC.

Other research suggests when people switch to an ultra processed diet, they spontaneously eat more, gain weight and report greater digestive discomfort.

Beyond the processing itself, many UPFs are packed with emulsifiers and other additives that interfere directly with your intestinal lining.

Common emulsifiers like polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose damage the mucus barrier, promote gut “leakiness”, also known as leaky gut, and may contribute to inflammation and conditions such as IBS. They may even exacerbate symptoms of eczema and skin conditions PMC.

Research shows that these additives may contribute to gut dysbiosis, by shifting the balance of gut bacteria toward more pro-inflammatory species, and increasing the risk of symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhoea and unpredictable bowel habits.

Diets heavy in salt are a known driver of hypertension and may worsen IBS pain by altering the microbiome’s composition.

Finally, added sugars have been shown to drive non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and worsen insulin resistance. Human trials found that daily fructose sweetened beverages boost visceral fat and blood lipids, key indicators to chronic liver injury and type 2 diabetes.

Together, this body of evidence underpins our decision to heavily penalise UPFs, high sodium and added sugar ingredients repeatedly tied to cancer, metabolic disease and worsening gut health conditions.

The importance of testing your microbiome

Foods containing UPF's, high levels of fat, sodium, sugar and additives can significantly shift the balance of the gut microbiome, it does this by essentially feeding the "bad", harmful or opportunistic bacteria within our gut microbiome. If those bacteria types start to grow in numbers, they can overpopulate the gut microbiome and reduce the numbers of beneficial bacteria that are essential to our gut and overall health.

A comprehensive gut microbiome test kit can give us a really good picture of the state of your gut health and identify any imbalances that can cause symptoms and impact our health.

Make it healthier

The "mostly" English

Shave 500 calories off your full English with these simple swaps

Here’s a gut‑friendly reboot of the classic Full English Breakfast which cuts calories, ultra‑processed ingredients and sodium while boosting fibre and live cultures with a little hint of East Asia.

Original ingredient	Swap with	Why & benefits
Pork sausages (×2) 300 kcal, 28 g fat, UPF	Turkey sausages (×2) 240 kcal, 14 g fat, UPF	Lean turkey cuts 10 g fat & 60 kcal; many brands are minimally processed—no hidden emulsifiers or colourings.
Back bacon (×2) 150 kcal, 12 g fat, UPF	Trimmed & grilled back bacon 120 kcal, 8 g fat, UPF	Trimming & grilling reduces fat by 33% and removes brine additives.
Fried egg (1) 90 kcal, 7 g fat	Poached egg (1) 70 kcal, 5 g fat	Poaching saves 20 kcal and avoids cooking oil.
Fried bread 200 kcal, UPF Yes	Wholegrain toast (1 slice) 80 kcal, UPF No	Wholegrain adds +2 g fibre, cuts 120 kcal and removes ultra‑processed batter.
Baked beans (½ tin) 160 kcal, UPF Yes	Homemade beans (½ cup) 140 kcal, UPF No	Dried beans, tomato & spices save 20 kcal and slash sodium and additives.
Grilled tomato & mushrooms	Spinach & kimchi	Spinach adds +1 g fibre & micronutrients; kimchi gives a +5‑point fermented bonus for gut health.

Metric	Original Full English	“Mostly English”	Improvement
Calories	1 279 kcal	779 kcal	−500 kcal (−39%)
Total Fat	89.5 g	44 g	−45.5 g (−51%)
Sodium	3 141 mg	1 800 mg	−1 341 mg (−43%)
Fibre	8.5 g	14 g	+5.5 g (+65%)
Ultra-processed items	6	2	−4 items
Additives	Yes	No	Eliminated emulsifiers, colours & preservatives
Fermented foods	0	+5	Added kimchi live cultures

The full data set

Click on the individual country specific tabs to view a breakdown of the ingredients we measured during our research.

🇬🇧 Full English Breakfast

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Pork Sausage (2)	300	28	1	700	0	Yes	Yes
Back Bacon (2)	150	12	0	600	0	Yes	Yes
Black Pudding (1)	189	15.5	0.5	581	0.5	Yes	Yes
Fried Egg (1)	90	7	0	90	0	No	No
Fried Bread	200	14	0	300	1	Yes	Yes
Baked Beans (½ can)	160	1	5	500	4	Yes	Yes
Grilled Tomato	20	0	2	10	1	No	No
Mushrooms (fried)	60	5	0	10	1	No	No
Hash Brown (1)	110	7	0	350	1	Yes	Yes
Total	1,279	89.5	8.5	3,141	8.5	6	Yes

🇦🇺 Meat Pie & Chips

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Pastry Shell	400	25	1	300	1	Yes	Yes
Beef Mince	350	20	0	500	0	Yes	Yes
Onions & Seasoning	30	0.2	3	200	1	No	No
Gravy	120	5	0	200	0	Yes	Yes
Chips	341	12	3	600	3	Yes	Yes
Total	1,341	72	5	1,800	4	4	Yes

🇺🇸 Cheeseburger & Fries

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Burger (bun+patty+cheese+sauce)	650	39	8	1,040	3	Yes	Yes
Fries	359	12	2	150	6	Yes	Yes
Total	1,009	51	10	1,190	9	4	Yes

🇨🇦 Poutine

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Fries	600	35	0	900	2	Yes	Yes
Cheese Curds	160	15	0	500	0	No	No
Gravy	126	7	1	188	3	Yes	Yes
Total	886	57	1	1,588	5	3	Yes

🇹🇷 Döner Kebab

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Lamb + Beef blend	700	43	0	1,200	0	Yes	Yes
Flatread	150	3	2	350	2	Yes	Yes
Sauce	100	12	3	100	1	Yes	Yes
Total	950	58	5	1,650	3	4	Yes

🇨🇳 Sweet & Sour Pork

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Pork	400	12	0	600	0	Yes	Yes
Sauce	300	4	20	200	0	Yes	Yes
Peppers & Pineapple	264	12	4	200	3	No	No
Total	964	28	24	1,000	3	2	Yes

🇬🇷 Moussaka

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Aubergine	100	7	2	200	2	No	No
Minced Meat	200	10	0	300	0	No	No
Tomato Sauce	56	1	2	100	1	No	No
Cheese	200	11	2	200	1	Yes	Yes
Total	556	29	6	800	4	1	Yes

🇹🇭 Pad Thai

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Rice Noodles	350	5	2	400	2	Yes	Yes
Egg	90	7	0	90	0	No	No
Sauce	100	4	3	200	0	Yes	Yes
Peanuts	60	6	1	100	2	No	No
Veg Garnish	0	0	2	410	0	No	No
Total	600	22	8	1,100	4	1	Yes

🇷🇺 Beef Stroganoff

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Beef	250	15	2	400	0	No	No
Sauce (cream & mushroom)	150	6	2	200	0	Yes	Yes
Rice	50	3	0	200	2	No	No
Total	450	24	4	800	2	1	Yes

🇲🇽 Tacos al Pastor (2)

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Tortillas (2)	140	3	1	100	2	Yes	No
Marinated Pork	200	10	3	200	1	Yes	Yes
Salsa	80	3	3	210	1	No	No
Total	420	16	7	510	4	1	Yes

🇮🇩 Nasi Goreng

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Rice	300	0	1	0	0	No	No
Egg	90	7	0	90	0	No	No
Sauce	100	2	1	200	0	Yes	Yes
Vegetables	50	2	2	50	1	No	No
Oil (frying)	79	12	0	560	2	Yes	Yes
Total	619	23	4	900	3	2	Yes

🇩🇪 Bratwurst & Sauerkraut

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Bratwurst (2)	500	30	1	900	0	Yes	Yes
Sauerkraut	343	25	4	900	5	No	No
Total	843	55	4	1,800	5	1	Yes

🇮🇹 Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Spaghetti	300	2	2	10	3	No	No
Bolognese Sauce	367	20	4	627	3	Yes	Yes
Total	667	22	6	637	6	1	Yes

🇧🇷 Feijoada

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Beans	300	1	2	200	5	No	No
Pork Meat	320	34	0	900	2	Yes	Yes
Total	620	35	2	1,100	7	1	Yes

🇪🇸 Paella

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Rice	400	2	0	10	2	No	No
Seafood	200	10	1	200	1	No	No
Vegetables	152	22	1	1,090	1	No	No
Total	752	34	2	1,300	4	0	No

🇫🇷 Pot-au-Feu

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Beef	300	10	1	200	0	No	No
Vegetables	135	2	2	350	3	No	No
Broth	100	4	1	350	3	No	No
Total	535	16	4	900	6	0	No

🇳🇬 Jollof Rice

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Rice	200	1	1	0	0	No	No
Tomato Sauce	100	0	0	200	2	No	No
Oil & Spices	93	13	0	500	0	Yes	Yes
Total	393	15	2	700	2	1	Yes

🇮🇳 Dal & Rice

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Dal	200	4	1	400	5	No	No
Rice	93	2	0	200	2	No	No
Total	293	6	1	600	7	0	No

🇯🇵 Miso Soup & Rice

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Miso Soup	50	1	1	500	0	No	No
Rice	214	2	0	205	1	No	No
Total	264	3	1	705	1	0	No

🇰🇷 Kimchi & Rice

Ingredient	kcal	Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fibre	UPF	Additives
Kimchi	60	1	2	400	2	No	No
Rice	240	0	0	100	3	No	No
Total	300	1	2	500	5	0	No

Our methodology

Selecting the dishes

Top 20 globally consumed traditional dishes, drawn from UNESCO listings, national food boards and global culinary surveys.

Nutrient data collection

For every core ingredient in each dish (e.g. sausages, bread, beans, sauces), we pulled nutrient values (kcal, total fat, added sugar, sodium, fibre) from three independent, publicly accessible databases:

Nutritionix
SnapCalorie
Fitia

Where all three sources provided a value, we averaged them to smooth out recipe and measurement differences.

Ultra-processed foods and additives

We flagged each ingredient using the NOVA system, specifically categories 3-4:

Ultra-processed (UPF) = NOVA groups 3–4 (e.g. reformed meats, packaged pastry, industrial sauces).

We counted the total UPF ingredients per dish.

We also identified additives within ingredients.

Emulsifiers (e.g. Polysorbate 80, CMC)

Artificial sweeteners (Sucralose, Aspartame)

Synthetic colours (Tartrazine, Allura Red)

Preservatives (Sodium nitrite, Benzoates, Sulphites)

How we scored each dish

We used a scoring threshold of 0 - 100.

If a dish uses all of your Recommended Dailly Intake, say, 2 500 kcal, it costs you 10 points. If it only uses half your budget, it costs you 5 points, and so on.

Here is the calculation we used for the Full English Breakfast

Calories - 1 279 kcal ÷ 2 500 (RDI) × 10 = 5.1 (-5.1 points)

Fat - 89.5 g ÷ 70 g × 10 = - 12.8 points

Sugar - 8.5 g ÷ 50 g × 10 = - 1.7 points

Sodium - 3 141 mg ÷ 2 300 mg × 10 = –13.7 points

Minus processing/additives

–5 points for each ultra-processed ingredient

–10 points if any emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, colours or preservatives are used

Plus gut friendly boosts

+1 point per 2 g fibre (up to +5 points)

+5 points if a live-culture fermented food is included

Final score = 100 - (all deductions) + (all bonuses)

References

NOVA Classification System

Nutritionix Database
https://www.nutritionix.com

SnapCalorie
https://snapcalorie.com

Fitia
https://fitia.app/

UPF intake & all‑cause mortality, JAMA Internal Medicine.

British Heart Foundation
UPFs & cardiovascular risk

Emulsifiers, gut barrier disruption & inflammation, Nature.

Trans fats & coronary heart disease risk, New England Journal of Medicine.

Salt reduction & cardiovascular outcomes, BMJ.

Artificial sweeteners, microbiome changes & glucose intolerance, Nature.

Recommended daily dietary intake