A dietitian has shared the simplest way to spot ultra-processed foods.
These foods not only have little to no nutritional value, according to experts, but they’ve been linked to a greater risk of concerning health conditions, like type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
However, in order to limit consumption of ultra-processed foods, it’s important to understand what’s in them.
“Ultra-processed means (the food) has more than five ingredients,” physician Dr. Ian Smith told Today. “Whereas processed (foods) typically have two or three ingredients that are recognizable.”
Smith also noted that ultra-processed foods can be easily spotted by checking the ingredient label for alcohol sugar substitutes, like erythritol and xylitol. These ingredients are often used in foods that are labeled “sugar-free.”
“If you can’t pronounce (the words), it’s probably not great,” he added about ingredients.
The biggest difference between processed and ultra-processed foods is how they’re made. Ultra-processed foods are industrially produced with ingredients and additives not normally found in home kitchens, and have little remaining from their natural state. These foods are engineered to be hyper-palatable, meaning you can’t stop eating them, and have long shelf lives.
On the other hand, processed foods — like canned fruits, tomato paste, cheese, salted fish, and breads with minimal ingredients — are treated using traditional methods such as canning, bottling, fermenting, or salting to extend shelf life.
Americans should try to reduce ultra-processed foods in their daily diets, Andrea Deierlein, a nutrition expert at New York University, told The Associated Press in August. For instance, instead of instant oatmeal that may contain added sugar, sodium, artificial colors, and preservatives, use plain oats sweetened with honey or maple syrup.
Processed foods retain essential nutrients like fiber and vitamins, which are usually replaced in ultra-processed foods with additives that can cause health issues.
A recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that about 55 percent of total calories consumed by Americans aged one and older came from ultra-processed foods from August 2021 to August 2023.
For adults, ultra-processed foods made up about 53 percent of total calories consumed, but for kids through age 18, it was nearly 62 percent. Young children consumed fewer calories from ultra-processed foods than older kids, the report found. Adults 60 and older consumed fewer calories from those sources than younger adults. Low-income adults consumed more ultra-processed foods than those with higher incomes.
Research has also linked ultra-processed foods to a high risk of adverse health outcomes, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and certain cancers.
A 2022 study by The BMJ found that men who ate a high amount of ultra-processed foods had a 29 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer, when compared to men who had the lowest amount of ultra-processed foods. And a 2022 study published by JAMA Neurology also found that both men and women who ate the most ultra-processed foods had a global cognitive decline rate 28 percent faster than those who did not eat those foods.
