Ultra Processed Foods: Do You Know What You’re Eating?

Ultra-processed foods get a bad rap. Is it always deserved? Here’s the skinny on UPFs.

Nutrition label reading can be a traumatic experience.   There you are in the grocery store, innocently shopping for a weekend  of football watching with your friends,  and you happen to look at the label of your beloved Nacho Cheese Doritos. 

• Corn. OK. 
• Vegetable Oil. Got it.
• Maltodextrin. Wait, what?
• Monosodium glutamate, artificial  colors Yellow 6, Yellow 5 and Red 40 ???
• Disodium Guanylate.   Help!

It’s enough to make you think twice about exactly what you are putting in your body. 

The label you are reading is a good example of an ultra-processed food, or UPF.   These foods are literally everywhere.  Some of those long words we read on labels might seem like a health concern, but might actually be either benign, or even good for you if they are preservatives or vitamins and minerals.

The secret is being a savvy shopper and snacker and knowing what’s what. 

As we continue our recognition of Nutrition Month, this week we speak to Jessica Higgins, a dietitian in our Lifestyle Medicine Program, and an expert on ultra-processed foods. Here she is with the ABC’s of UPF. 

Q: Let’s start off with the basics: What are ultra-processed foods?

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) are foods and drinks made with processed ingredients like sugar, oil, and salt, plus ingredients like protein isolates, colors, thickeners, and additives that can make foods extra tasty and appealing or have a longer shelf life. They’re also made with industrial techniques you couldn’t do in your kitchen at home. 

Q: How can we spot UPF? Are some foods more processed than others?

There are several classification systems used to identify UPF, but by far the most common is the “NOVA classification” system, a framework proposed in 2009 at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil that informs nutrition guidelines around the world.

NOVA categorizes foods into four groups, with Group 1 being the least processed and Group 4 being the most processed, or ultra-processed.

The general rule of thumb to identify UPF is to look at the ingredient list. If you see ingredients never or rarely used in your kitchen, the item could be UPF.

Q: Are UPF “bad”,  or unhealthy for us?

First, it’s important to establish that the vast majority of the foods we eat undergo some type of processing, and food processing has many benefits. Food processing helps make foods shelf stable and safe to eat. When we frame things as “natural foods good, UPF bad,” we can run into problems, like people opting to drink raw milk because it’s “more natural,” even though pasteurized, “processed” milk is unequivocally safer.

Some studies show an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity correlated with high UPF intake. This could be because the UPF that dominate our food supply are often high in nutrients we know can cause problems in excess—things like saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar.

However, there are also criticisms of these studies, in part because there isn’t a clear consensus in the field about the best way to define UPF, or if it even makes sense to judge foods based on level of processing.

For example, according to the NOVA classification system, unprocessed red meat is considered a Group 1 food, and we should eat more foods from Group 1. Yet, we know that higher intake of red meat is linked to increased risk of chronic illnesses.

Q: Okay, so, headlines can be confusing. We often hear foods like lunchmeat, bacon, or sausages are UPF. Aren’t plant-based “imitation” meat options even more processed?  

This is another example of why we can’t declare “natural foods good, UPF bad.” As you can imagine, plant-based meats are obviously considered UPF. Yet, research shows plant-based meats can be healthier than “natural” or “less processed” meats. Swapping red or processed meat for plant-based meats has been shown to reduce total and LDL cholesterol, risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Processed meats like bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and deli meats are foods to limit or avoid because we know higher intake is linked to increased risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

And here’s the thing: Many processed meats are not even considered Group 4 UPF in the NOVA system.

All this being said, plant-based meats vary in nutritional quality and can still be high in saturated fat and sodium. So regardless, you should always check the nutrition label before purchasing.

Q: Between the NOVA classification system and the results from different studies, who should we trust?

It’s important to state that the major health and nutrition agencies around the world, like our national dietary guidelines or the American Heart Association, are emphatically in agreement on the key principals of nutrition and are trusted health sources.

There is unfortunately a lot of nutrition misinformation online, especially from some characters on social media. Canola oil is a great example: recently canola and other seed oils have had a bad reputation on social media. However, canola oil can actually be beneficial to our health by helping lower cholesterol.

Q: The idea to “avoid eating what you can’t pronounce” has shaped how we read nutritional labels. Is this recommendation true, a myth, or somewhere in between?

It’s a myth. Words like “cyanocobalamin” or “ascorbic acid” are big words that might be hard to pronounce, but they’re just fancy words for vitamins. Adding vitamins to foods is an example of food processing that has eliminated many nutrient deficiencies from our country.

This ties into people’s hesitancy towards “chemicals.” The truth is, everything is made of chemicals. If people try to avoid “chemicals” and ingredients they can’t pronounce, they might end up cutting perfectly healthy foods out of their diet for no reason.

For example, trusted health and nutrition agencies agree that whole grain products, including whole wheat bread, can decrease our risk of illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Yet, packaged whole wheat bread is considered a UPF. This is an example of how some UPF can actually be a healthy addition to our diet.

Q: We all lead busy lives, and there’s a convenience factor to UPF: grab ‘n go.  It seems like many New Yorkers are fueled by protein bars alone. How can we make whole foods more convenient, and what should we look for in grab ‘n go foods?

Convenience and access are huge factors. UPF are everywhere and much more easily accessible, and sometimes cheaper, than whole foods. It’s important to note that poverty and food insecurity are intrinsically tied to UPF consumption: those experiencing food insecurity have been found to be more reliant on UPF. Food policy in our country needs to focus on making healthy eating an accessible, affordable option for all Americans.

There are three methods I encourage to try to make whole plant foods more convenient. First, think about having a variety of low-prep or no-prep whole plant foods readily available at home. Snacks like a piece of fruit with some nuts, or raw veggies with hummus are foods you can fit into your day even if you’re short on time. Also, don’t neglect frozen and canned options—with low or no added sugar or sodium, they are equally as nutritious and can last a long time.

Second, meal prep. Choose recipes rich with whole plant foods: veggies, whole grains, beans, etc. and when you cook, make enough to have leftovers for 3-4 days.

Third, explore the food options in your neighborhood and try to choose the healthier alternatives when eating out.

As for our protein-bar loving staff: Choose the options with more whole food ingredients (e.g., dates, oats, nuts) that are also low in added sugar. Remember that the daily recommended limit of added sugar is 25g/day for women and 36g/ day for men.

Q: The new Secretary of Health and Human Services has claimed “highly chemical intensive processed foods” are the “primary culprit” behind chronic disease, including autoimmune diseases and obesity. What do you think? 

As stated previously, blaming “chemicals” for chronic conditions doesn’t really make sense—all foods have chemicals, even fresh fruits and vegetables. Using language like “highly chemical” foods can make people afraid of perfectly safe foods.

Additionally, chronic disease is the result of many complex factors. Heavy reliance on UPF can be one piece of the puzzle. But we also can’t put the blame on UPF without considering why people are so reliant on UPF, particularly those experiencing poverty, who are more likely to rely on UPF and have a significantly higher risk of chronic illness.

Instead of simply blaming UPF, the new Secretary of Health and Human services would help Americans more by developing policies that make healthy eating accessible to all.

Q: Do you have any final takeaways you want to leave us with?

Hopefully you can see there’s a lot of nuance involved.

Here’s the bottom line:   if your diet is mostly made up of UPF high in sodium, added sugar, saturated fat, and calories, and low in fiber-rich, whole plant foods, then yes,  UPF can be bad for your health. 

But if you enjoy a hot dog and a small portion of those beloved Doritos once in a blue moon while watching the game,  are you doomed?  

Are all UPF, or processed foods, bad? No. They can absolutely be part of a healthy diet.

Instead of focusing on cutting UPF out of your diet, focus on the whole plant foods you can add in. Aim to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, choose whole grains more often, consider getting some of your protein from plants, like beans and lentils, and if you’re going to cut anything, cut the amount of time spent listening to the nuts on social media.