What are the negative impacts of ultra-processed food?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 28-year-old male and have been trying to improve my diet. I keep hearing about ultra-processed foods and their negative health impacts. Could you explain what exactly makes a food "ultra-processed"? Are all processed foods bad for health, or are there different levels of processing? I am confused about which foods I should avoid, and which are fine in moderation. Also, how does food processing affect the nutritional value of what we eat? I would appreciate any guidance on identifying and limiting ultra-processed foods in my diet. Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern.

The consensus is that ultra-processed food is unhealthy. Diets high in ultra-processed foods have been linked with increased risk of heart disease, weight gain, cancer, and even mortality, but why? Processing changes the complex structure of nutrients in a food, which scientists call the food matrix.

Heavily processed foods often include unhealthy levels of added sugar, sodium, and fat. These ingredients make the food we eat taste better, but too much of them leads to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes (high blood sugar levels).

Here is a short list of some unhealthy processed foods to avoid:

1. Sugary beverages such as sweetened coffee and tea, energy drinks, and soft drinks.

2. Deli meats (cooked meats that have been sliced and prepared for a sandwich and other light dining options), hot dogs, and sausages.

3. Frozen pizza and frozen meals.

4. Packaged snacks such as chips, cookies, crackers and baked goods.

5. Most breakfast cereals.

6. Canned or instant soups.

The eight worst ultra-processed foods include:

1. Energy drinks. These legal stimulants combine sugars like glucose and sucrose with ingredients like caffeine to boost metabolism and increase alertness.

2. Mass-produced bread.

3. Breakfast cereals.

4. Hot dogs.

5. Vegan 'meat'.

6. Chicken nuggets.

7. Reformulated potato snacks.

8. Margarine.

Other actions you can take to cut back on ultra-processed foods are:

1. Cooking at home as often as you can.

2. Bringing a packed lunch to school or work.

3. Checking food labels for saturated fat, sodium, and sugar quantity.

4. Snacking on whole foods, rather than pre-packaged snacks.

5. Trying to reduce how much fast food you eat.

I hope that you get your answer.

Please let me know if you want some help.

Thank you.