Lately it seems like everyone is talking about negativity. health The effects of ultra-processed foods. The only surprising thing about this conversation is how long it took.
Most Americans now between the ages of 20 and 50 grew up in a culture filled with bright, colorful, ultra-processed foods—from the brightest jellies, chips, and Froot Loops to the whitest Wonder Bread. 80s kids craved Hot Pockets and Capri-Suns, 90s kids craved Lunchables and Gushers. (Whether their parents allowed them to have these items in the house is another story.) The '00s saw the rise of bright yellow Red Bull, followed by countless colorful energy drinks.
It's safe to say that no one was ever under the illusion that neon sodas or daylight cereal were nutritious. But only recently has it become crystal clear just how huge a role the food industry has played in obesity epidemic. The problem is not only industrial processed foods tend to be high in sugar, sodium, saturated fat and carbohydrates, but are also less filling than whole foods. There are even more insidious ways that artificial foods can lead to weight gain, including how they deprive our bodies of essential nutrients while simultaneously hijacking the hormones that control hunger and fullness. And while industrially processed foods used to serve primarily as treats or fun school lunches, they're slowly taking up more and more space in our pantry, refrigerator, and freezer—thanks in part to more and more ultra-processed foods being marketed as healthy. Result: Ultra-processed food (recently given its own acronym, UPF), now accounts for approximately 60 percent According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), caloric intake among adults in the United States.
In 2025, ultra-processed foods will become so numerous and varied that it may be difficult to know what falls into this category and what doesn't. Brief Description: The term “ultra-processed foods” was first coined as part of the NOVA food classification system developed by researchers in Brazil. This classification system divides all the foods we eat into four groups:
Group 1: Unprocessed/minimally processed foods.
This group includes foods that do not contain added ingredients and are consumed in their natural state (or very close to it), such as fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, nutslegumes, eggs and milk. Minimal processing includes typical home/restaurant food preparation such as cooking, baking, freezing, drying and chopping.
Group 2 – Processed culinary ingredients
This group includes foods that are primarily used as main ingredients to be added to other foods, such as salt, sugar, butter and vegetable oils.
Group 3 – Processed Foods
These products are also relatively simple: they typically combine two or three ingredients from food groups 1 and 2 using methods that can be implemented in the home kitchen: for example, canned foods, fish, cheese, jellies, pickles and freshly baked bread.
Group 4: Ultra-processed foods.
Ultra-processed foods are more complex, their ingredient lists filled with additives commonly used in food production but rarely or never used in home cooking, such as preservatives, synthetic vitamins, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, artificial colors and flavors, and a wide range of sweeteners. Ultra-processed foods often contain few, if any, intact foods from Group 1 of the Nova classification system. Instead, their formulations combine simplified foods, food derivatives and additives. Another way to identify ultra-processed foods is that they typically have a very long shelf life.
