Should You Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods?

We have often been told to avoid processed food, but do we really know which is processed and which is not? Ever since Robert F Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement gained some fuel after his first confirmation hearing for Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee came on January 29, the focus of health has stressed a lot on prescribed drugs, chronic diseases, and one thing he is deeply passionate about, the ultra-processed foods.

Whether or not you agree with rest of the believes, it is a fact that ultra-processed food leads to serious health conditions. There have been studies that show its link with serious health conditions including cancer and dementia. They are also not the best thing to eat.

As per a study published in BMJ in 2024 by Melissa M Lane, et. al., a diet high in ultra-processed foods can raise your risk of developing health conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and mental health disorders. Many of these ultra-processed foods that contain excess sugar, sodium, oil, and saturated trans fat could be low in beneficial nutrients. While it can make you feel food, but it will not add to your daily needs of nutrition.

What are ultra-processed foods?

The NOVA classification system is used to analyze the food processing levels. There are 4 levels, which includes:

1. Unprocessed and minimally processed foods

2. Processed culinary ingredients

3. Processed foods

4. Ultra-processed foods

The first category of foods are mostly in their natural state or are barely altered. These include carrots, apples, or milk.

The second category is where there has been some minimal processing like pressing, refining, grinding, or milling, like olive oil or flour.

Then comes processed food, which are altered from their usual state and contain sugar, oil, salt or other substances. The examples are canned tuna or cheeses.

The fourth category of ultra-processed foods have added ingredients like artificial colors and flavors, preservatives to increase shelf life and ingredients to preserve texture. Most of the packed food fall under this category.

What Foods To Avoid?

In the US, the ultra-processed food makes up to 70% of the country's food supply, while it could be tricky to avoid them, here are the categories where ultra-processed foods fall under:

• Frozen foods
• Sodas
• Hot dogs
• Deli meat
• Fast food
• Packaged cookies
• Cakes
• Salty snacks
• Plant based milks
• Jarred sauces

However, while these categories do contain ultra-processed foods, not everything here is unhealthy. For instance, while plant-based milks by default are ultra-processed foods, but they are not unhealthy like a bag of chips.

Many experts and dieticians agree that the current classification takes away a huge chunk out of the food supply, making it difficult for people to choose from. More research have shown that not everything in the category is bad for our health, plant based milks being one of them.

Though, if one has to choose what to consume, the best rule to swear by is to go for whole or minimally processed options. There are also alternatives to sugar beverages like sparkling water with fruit slices, and any more.