Ultra-processed food is the new health villain. But it’s not quite so simple : NPR

American diet is killing us. On this point, public health experts largely agree.

And in recent years, people who want to make Americans healthier—across the ideological spectrum—have been targeting ultra-processed foods that make up most of what Americans eat.

Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that these products “poisoning“The Americans blame them for the epidemic of chronic diseases. California last month became the first US state to ban some ultra-processed foods from school lunches. And the Trump administration works on its own definition of ultra-processed foods to help guide federal policy—and consumers. One recent survey found that most U.S. shoppers say they try to avoid these products.

But here's the dilemma: Public health and nutrition experts disagree on identifying the highly processed foods that will actually help make Americans healthier.

“It's not all junk food”

The term “ultra-processed food” was developed by Brazilian researchers to describe the level of processing of food products. They came up with NOVA classification system. At one end of the spectrum are unprocessed or minimally processed foods, such as apples or frozen peas.

On the other hand, there are ultra-processed foods that are made from industrial ingredients and contain additives such as artificial colors, flavors, emulsifiers and preservatives. Think deli meats, packaged cookies and candies, sweetened drinks and frozen prepared meals.

“We are talking about additives and processing methods that are not used in home cooking,” says Dr. Dariush Mozaffariandirector of the Institute of Food and Medicine at Tufts University.

He says nearly 100 observational studies and three different randomized controlled trials have linked excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods to a host of harmful health effects, including an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer and even depression.

But not all foods that fall under the definition of ultra-processed are unhealthy, he says. Julia WolfsonAssociate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

For example, packaged whole grain breads, plant-based milks, and some yogurts are considered ultra-processed, but they may have health benefits. One study found that yogurts are associated with lower risk of colorectal cancereven if they added sugar. Other studies have found ultra-processed whole grain bread associated with lower risk type 2 diabetes And cardiovascular diseases.

And some of these products can save time and money when making at home, like jarred pasta sauce.

“Not all of them are junk foods,” Wolfson says, so no policy or health regulation should treat them the same. “I think it's important to identify the foods that pose the greatest health risks and not just treat all ultra-processed foods the same.”

But which products are you focusing on? This is a big point of contention.

Should we focus on nutrients?

On one side of the debate there are people like Dr. David LudwigProfessor of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. T.Ch. Chan and co-director of the Boston Children's Hospital Obesity Prevention Center at the New Balance Foundation. He believes that the focus should be on the overall nutritional quality of food rather than on its processing.

He argues that the concept of ultra-processed foods is too inaccurate and can stigmatize healthy foods, giving unhealthy foods a false aura of health. For example, he says, packaged cereals with low sugar and added protein would be considered ultra-processed, while plain cornflakes would be considered minimally processed, even if you piled a ton of sugar on top at home. He says he would rather see the children eat the same breakfast.

It's the same with supplements. While some supplements, such as emulsifiers, have been linked to disturbances in the gut microbiome, others, such as adding dietary fiber, are beneficial or harmless, Ludwig says.

“There are healthy ultra-processed foods, and there are unhealthy ultra-processed foods,” Ludwig says. If the categories are so diverse, “what is the purpose of this concept anyway?”

He is concerned that by targeting this food category we may end up with something similar to “fat-free” era of the 1980s and 90s. This led to a surge in low-fat, high-carb packaged snacks that were often loaded with sugar.

Instead of focusing on ultra-processed foods, he says it makes more sense target nutrients of concern given decades of evidence of harm. Chief among them, he says, are highly processed carbohydrates such as added sugar and refined grains such as white rice.

The Institute of Food Technologists, which represents food scientists around the world, has endorsed a similar approach. In comments sent to the US Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture, IFT called for a definition it focuses on the nutritional quality of foods (such as those high in salt, sugar and fat) rather than the degree of processing.

But can you really ignore processing?

Any definition that ignores the role of processing misses the big picture, says Mozaffarian of Tufts University. While ultra-processed foods tend to be high in salt, sugar and refined starch, “that's not all.”

He says, “There’s something important about the processing itself.”

According to Mozaffarian, high levels of processing change the physical and chemical structure of food in ways that change how our bodies digest it. “We have now molecularly disassembled and assembled food in a way never before in human history.”

Think of cheese puffs, which are almost impossible to recognize by the cornmeal they start with.

“When you lose the natural, intact structure, you get very, very fast digestion food in the stomach and small intestine,” says Mozaffarian. “This puts large amounts of sugar and highly processed starch into the bloodstream.”

Over time, these sugar spikes increase the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, digesting food quickly means that fewer nutrients make it to the lower intestine, where the vast majority of our gut microbes live. This way, you end up depleting your gut microbiome. And this unhealthy because gut microbes break down food your body can't digest and, in turn, produce chemical messengers that affect everything from your body. blood sugar level your immune system.

And evidence suggests that our bodies absorb more calories from ultra-processed foods than from high-fiber whole foods.

Mozaffarian says more research is needed to figure out the exact mechanisms linking ultra-processed foods to health harms, but he believes “we know enough to take action.”

So what should a consumer do?

For now, there's no escaping the fact that most foods sold in grocery stores are ultra-processed, says Johns Hopkins' Wolfson. And for many people, these products are often a more affordable and accessible option. If the Trump administration really wants to help Americans get healthier again, Wolfson says, it also needs to pass policies that help people afford healthier options.

At the same time, she says there are ways to make smarter choices in the ultra-processed food category. For example, when buying packaged bread, look for the whole grain option. And try to reduce your intake of sugar, artificially sweetened drinks and processed meats—two food categories that most closely associated with harm to health.

And she says: Get into the habit of reading ingredient lists. If it's really long and full of emulsifiers, dyes and dyes, try to find an alternative product “with the fewest ingredients you don't know and can't pronounce.”

You may not always find a non-ultra-processed option, but you can “try to maximize nutrition and minimize processed ingredients,” she says. “It's a compromise.”

Eat as many whole foods as possible. Beans and frozen fruits and vegetables are often more affordable options.

Ultimately, however: “If all the experts right now disagree on what exactly to do, imagine what that must be like for the average consumer?” – says Mozaffarian. That's why he wants to see federal policy to provide guidance.