Richard Golian

1995-born. Charles University alum. Head of Performance at Mixit. 10+ years in marketing and data.

#myjourney #myfamily #health #cognition #philosophy #digital #artificialintelligence #darkness #security #finance #politics #banskabystrica #carpathians

Castellano Slovenčina

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Richard Golian

Hi, I am Richard. On this blog, I share thoughts, personal stories — and what I am working on. I hope this article brings you some value.

My Health Problems Disappeared When I Stopped Eating Ultra-Processed Food

Ultra-processed food and health risks

By Richard Golian

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I have had stomach problems since I was a kid. Pain, cramps, bloating, fatigue after eating, poor sleep – and eventually, frequent toothaches joined the party. Sometimes the combination of these symptoms would knock me out for weeks at a time, other times they would back off for a few days. But for most of my life, discomfort was my baseline.

Then, at the turn of 2024 and 2025, something broke. I was so exhausted I would get on the tram in the wrong direction. I was making mistakes at work, and my dentist saw me more often than some of my friends. When the adrenaline from the pre-Christmas season – the busiest time of the year in my industry, e-commerce – finally wore off, I realised I could not keep living like this. I made a simple resolution: health comes first. (I wrote about it here)

Tests, pills, and a dead end

I started seeing doctors. I went through dozens of tests – from fibroscopy to MRI scans. The result? "You are a healthy man."

Some might find that sentence frustrating. It did not solve anything. But for me, it helped. Hearing from a medical authority that I did not have any serious condition gave me permission to look elsewhere for answers.

In the meantime, I took medication that “reset” my stomach once a month. It worked... for a few days. Then the symptoms came back. I tried eliminating lactose, dairy, different food combinations. Nothing. The symptoms stayed. I dealt with the toothaches using antibiotics or extreme methods I will not even describe here.

Summary

Chronic stomach pain since childhood. Bloating, fatigue, poor sleep. Extensive medical testing found nothing. Then I stopped eating ultra-processed food — and every symptom disappeared. What we call 'food' is often nutritionally empty trash with ingredients no kitchen would recognise.
Richard Golian

If you have any thoughts, questions, or feedback, feel free to drop me a message at mail@richardgolian.com.

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Common questions on this article's topic

What is ultra-processed food?
Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations made mostly from substances derived from foods and additives, with little or no intact whole food. They are defined by the NOVA classification system developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo. Common examples include packaged snacks, instant noodles, soft drinks, and reconstituted meat products. They typically contain ingredients no home kitchen would use: emulsifiers, stabilisers, artificial flavours, and preservatives designed to maximise shelf life and addictive potential.
What health problems are linked to ultra-processed food?
A growing body of research links ultra-processed food consumption to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, and all-cause mortality. A 2024 umbrella review published in The BMJ — analysing 45 meta-analyses covering nearly 10 million participants — found consistent associations between higher ultra-processed food intake and over 30 adverse health outcomes. In the article, chronic stomach pain, bloating, fatigue, poor sleep, and recurring dental problems all disappeared after eliminating ultra-processed foods.
How much of the modern diet is ultra-processed?
In the United States, ultra-processed foods account for over 55% of total caloric intake according to recent CDC data. In the UK, the figure is approximately 57% — the highest proportion among comparable European countries. These products are engineered for maximum palatability and convenience, making them difficult to resist — which is precisely how they are designed.
Why do doctors sometimes miss the connection between food and symptoms?
In the article, extensive medical testing — from fibroscopy to MRI — found nothing wrong. The diagnosis was: you are a healthy man. This is not uncommon. Standard medical testing looks for specific pathologies, not for the cumulative effects of a poor-quality diet. The connection between ultra-processed food and chronic low-grade symptoms like fatigue, bloating, and inflammation is well-documented in nutrition research but often falls outside the scope of conventional diagnostic protocols.
What happened after quitting ultra-processed food?
In the article, the results were immediate and comprehensive. Stomach problems that had persisted since childhood disappeared. Fatigue vanished. Sleep improved. Energy and motivation increased. Even chronic dental problems — described as an endless saga of toothaches — stopped. The diet shifted to vegetables, eggs, fish, meat, kefir, and plain yogurt. Nothing with long ingredient lists. The body's response was clear and fast.
Is it necessary to completely eliminate all processed food?
In the article, the approach is not extreme. Occasional processed food is accepted as an exception, not a habit. The key change was making whole, minimally processed foods the default rather than the exception. Research supports this pragmatic approach: even modest reductions in ultra-processed food consumption are associated with measurable health improvements. The principle is simple — if the ingredient list contains words no kitchen would recognise, it probably is not food.