The body has to get used to the lack of sugar, salt and other added ingredients before reaping the benefits of eating fewer processed foods, according to nutritionist and dietitian, Deborah Malkoff-Cohen. Typical symptoms at first might include anxiety, bloating, cravings and headaches, among others. “These are the typical symptoms we can feel when we cut out processed foods mostly from sugar withdrawals,” she says. “How severe and how many of these you are likely to experience will depend on how processed your diet currently is and how sugar-addicted you are.” After a few days, the sugar metabolism normalises again, and those awful symptoms and cravings go away if you don’t give in and start the vicious cycle all over again, Malkoff-Cohen says.