Ultra-Processed Foods: What are They and Should You Ban them from Your Diet?

Oh boy, good question.  In fact, it was something I wanted to find out myself.  As a dietitian, I’ve told people over the years to “shop the perimeter of the grocery store” and “eat foods closer to their original source”.  But times change and recommendations change with more information.  I no longer make that kind of blanket statement; it’s much more nuanced.  There are perfectly healthy foods in the middle of the grocery store such as nuts and seeds, oatmeal, beans, rice, tuna, and I love me some frozen vegetables!  But they’re processed?  So is milk and that’s on the perimeter…So, processed foods are good for me…but not all of them?  And now a new phase is being tossed around “ultra-processed”.  Wait, wait, what’s the difference between processed and ULTRA-processed? How do you know if a food is ultra-processed?  

Let’s start with the basics

Per the Information Food International Council, “Food processing is any deliberate change in a food that occurs before it’s available for us to eat”.  That’s as simple as washing it, cutting it, and freezing it as broccoli florets, which I LOVE.  Or it is as complex as a frozen dinner with a bunch of different ingredients.  That is a HUGE range. We need some foods to be processed for us to consume them, like milk, nuts, seeds, beans, and flour (it’s not like we can just eat a stalk of wheat). Processing makes some foods easier to use, more accessible, taste better, and saves us tons of time.  On the flip side, foods like twinkies, chicken nuggets, soda, sugary breakfast cereals, etc, are highly processed and not technically needed in anyone’s diet.  Processing in general is not a bad thing, but can something be too processed?

Introducing…NOVA (which is the name, not an acronym) 

“NOVA is the food classification that categorizes foods according to the extent and purpose of food processing, rather than in terms of nutrients”.  In 2010, NOVA came up with four distinct groups that food falls into, check it out.

Group	Definition	Examples
1:  Unprocessed or minimally processed foods	Water, various edible parts of plants, and animal products that are untouched or minimally alter (removing inedible parts, or drying, squeezing, etc) and nothing is added	Fruits/vegetables (fresh, dried, frozen, 100% juice), seeds, nuts, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, milk (including powdered), yogurt, herbs, spices, beans, lentils, flour, oats, coffee, tea
2: Processed culinary ingredients	Items obtained from group 1 or from nature by processes such as pressing, refining, grinding, milling, etc to make them usable in kitchens	Salt, sugar, honey, maple syrup, pressed vegetables oils, butter, lard, starches from corn and other plants
3: Processed foods	Simple products made by adding group 2 to item(s) in group 1 through processes like canning, bottling, fermentation	Canned vegetables, salted nuts/seeds, smoked meats/fish, canned fish, freshly made bread, fresh cheese, fruits in syrup
4: Ultra-Processed food and drink products	Industrial formulations typically with 5 or more ingredients.  The purpose is to make a food with low-cost ingredients and increase shelf-life and palatability.	Carbonated beverages, sweet/savory snacks, ice cream, candy, mass produced bread/rolls, margarine/spreads, cookies, fruit yogurts, granola/energy bars, infant formula, baby food, ready to eat meals, prepared burgers/sausage, and plenty more

Got it, so…what does it all mean?

This classification system enables researchers to use consistent definitions when studying ultra-processed foods and their associated risk level to various disease states.  Food surveys in Europe, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and South American countries, estimates that ultra-processed foods make up 22%-58% of total daily intake.  Studies are now showing a link between a high intake of ultra-processed foods and an increased risk for heart disease as well as a negative impact on blood pressure, blood sugar, BMI, and cholesterol. 

It makes sense, right?  

The more ultra-processed foods a person is eating, the less room in their diet for whole fruits, vegetables, grains, lean meats, beans, and legumes.  Also, ultra-processed foods tend to be higher in calories and lower in nutrients.  There definitely needs to be more research done, but you can start taking a look at the foods you consume now.  Personally, I don’t think ultra-processed foods should be done away with completely (Reese’s cups are SO good), but if your diet is leaving more towards 50% ultra-processed foods, you might want to start making some swaps to get that percentage a little lower.  How low?  Well, that’s why there needs to be more research 😉

Here are a few suggestions

Ultra-processed	Processed	Minimally Processed
Soda	Carbonated Flavored Water	Water with fruit slices
Candy bar	Chocolate covered raisins	Dark chocolate squares with minimal ingredients
White bread	Whole grain bread	Homemade whole grain bread
Sweetened breakfast cereal (think Lucky Charms type)	Bran cereal	Oatmeal at home
Impossible burger patty (20 ingredients!)	Plain McDonald’s burger patty	Homemade burger patty

Bottom line

• Try eating lots of fruits and vegetables, fresh, frozen or canned (just make sure YOU do the seasoning at home)
• Cook at home more often
• Start taking a peek at ingredient list on food items: Ultra-processed foods often contain added oils, fats, starches, protein substances or enzymes, flavorings and preservatives, and a lot of salt and sugar.  See if you can find an item that doesn’t have these, for example peanut butter often comes with added oil and sugar, try to find one that is just peanuts.
• Take a peek at the added sugar on the nutrition facts, the recommendation is 25g per day for women and 36g per day for men, look for ones with less than 5g added sugar per serving
• Snack on whole foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds rather than prepackaged snacks.
• Go slowly, don’t change your whole diet overnight, it’s too overwhelming.  Make easy changes first, like swapping out your cereal, then try to up your game by making grilled chicken for your lunch instead of buying lunch meat.  Bonus level would be homemade salad dressings.  Make small, sustainable changes slowly and keep building on them until you reach a level that works for you.  You might be able to remove all ultra-processed foods, or maybe you have a few items a day that you can’t part with, and that’s ok.  

It’s not that any one food is bad for us, it’s the balance of your day.  Making small changes over time by replacing some ultra-processed foods with minimally processed foods can make a big impact on your health in the long term.  

So what are you waiting for?  Tell us one swap you can make today, we’d love to hear it!

Stay Happy, Stay Healthy

This blog was written by Chris Henigan MS, RD, LDN, co-founder of Simple Start Nutrition.  For more blog posts and nutrition information follow @simplestartnutrition on Instagram and Facebook.  Also feel free to contact us, by visiting our website (simplestartnutrition.com) to schedule an appointment to discuss your nutrition related needs.  We’re here to help.