How Ultra-Processed Foods Are Ruining Your Health: The Science Behind Why They Are Bad for You and How to Ditch Them

Do you love eating frozen pizza, potato chips, soda, or candy bars? If so, you might be consuming a lot of ultra-processed foods without even realizing it. And that could be bad news for your health. Ultra-processed foods are foods that have been altered to include fats, starches, sugars, salts, and hydrogenated oils extracted from other foods. They’re a patchwork of ingredients, additives, and preservatives that make them taste good, look good, and last long. But they also make them unhealthy.

According to a study published in The BMJ, Ultra-Processed Foods are the main source (nearly 58%) of calories eaten in the US, and contribute almost 90% of the energy we get from added sugars. And that’s not all. Ultra-processed foods can also cause weight gain, inflammation, blood sugar spikes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and increased risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

If you care about your health and well-being, you need to know what ultra-processed foods are and how to avoid them. Are you ready to ditch ultra-processed foods and improve your health? Then keep reading and discover the science behind why they are bad for you and how to ditch them.

What are the ultra-processed foods?

Ultra-processed foods are food and drink products that have undergone specified types of food processing, usually by large food corporations. They are made mostly from substances extracted from foods, such as fats, starches, sugars, and hydrogenated oils. They also contain additives like artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and emulsifiers.

Ultra-processed foods are not the same as minimally processed or processed foods. Minimally processed foods are whole foods that have been slightly altered to make them suitable to store and safe to consume, such as frozen or canned fruits and vegetables, dried beans, and roasted nuts. Processed foods are foods that have added ingredients such as salt, oil, sugar, or other substances, such as canned fish, fruits in syrup, and freshly made bread.

Ultra-processed foods are designed to be convenient, cheap, long-lasting, and palatable. They are often ready to eat or ready to heat and have appealing textures, colors, and flavors. However, they also have negative impacts on your health, as we will see in the next section.

The Health Risks of Ultra-Processed Foods: How They Cause Weight Gain, Inflammation, and Chronic Diseases

Ultra-processed foods are foods that have undergone industrial processing and contain ingredients such as hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, flavoring agents, and emulsifiers. They are convenient, cheap, and tasty, but they can also harm your health in many ways. Here are some of the main health risks of eating too many ultra-processed foods:

Weight Gain and Obesity

One of the main problems with ultra-processed foods is that they are high in calories, fat, sugar, and salt, but low in fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This means that they provide a lot of energy but not a lot of nutrients. They also tend to be hyper-palatable, meaning that they stimulate your taste buds and make you want to eat more than you need.

As a result, eating too many ultra-processed foods can lead to weight gain and obesity, which are risk factors for many chronic diseases. A recent study published in the journal Cell Metabolism compared the effects of an ultra-processed diet to the effects of an unprocessed diet on calorie intake and weight gain. The study involved 20 healthy, overweight adults staying at a medical facility. Each study participant received an ultra-processed diet and an unprocessed diet for 14 days each.

The researchers found that study subjects consumed about 500 more calories per day on the ultra-processed diet versus the unprocessed diet. They also gained an average of 2 pounds on the ultra-processed diet and lost an average of 2 pounds on the unprocessed diet.

Another study found that people who ate more than four servings of ultra-processed foods per day had a 62% higher risk of obesity than those who ate less than two servings per day.

Inflammation

Another problem with ultra-processed foods is that they contain additives and preservatives that can trigger inflammation in your body. Inflammation is a natural response to infection or injury, but when it becomes chronic, it can damage your cells and tissues and contribute to various diseases.

Some of the additives and preservatives that can cause inflammation are artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, trans fats, nitrates, nitrites, and sulfites. These substances can also interfere with your gut microbiome, which is the community of beneficial bacteria that live in your digestive tract and help you digest food, produce vitamins, and regulate your immune system.

A study published in the journal Nutrients found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had higher levels of inflammatory markers in their blood than those who ate less. Another study published in the journal BMJ Open found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had lower levels of anti-inflammatory substances in their blood than those who ate less.

Blood Sugar Spikes

Eating too many ultra-processed foods can also affect your blood sugar levels. Ultra-processed foods are often high in refined carbohydrates and added sugars, which can cause your blood sugar levels to spike and crash. This can lead to insulin resistance, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes.

A study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had higher blood sugar levels after meals than those who ate less. Another study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had a 34% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate less.

High Cholesterol

Eating too many ultra-processed foods can also raise your cholesterol levels. Ultra-processed foods are high in saturated fats and trans fats, which can raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and lower your HDL (good) cholesterol levels. This can increase your risk of developing atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of plaque in your arteries that can narrow them and reduce blood flow. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

A study published in the journal Nutrients found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had higher LDL cholesterol levels than those who ate less. Another study published in the journal PLOS Medicine found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had a 12% higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those who ate less.

High Blood Pressure

Eating too many ultra-processed foods can also increase your intake of sodium (salt), which can raise your blood pressure levels. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, as well as kidney disease and dementia. The World Health Organization recommends limiting your sodium intake to less than 2 grams per day (or less than 5 grams of salt per day), but most people consume much more than that. One study found that more than 70% of the sodium intake in the US comes from processed foods.

A study published in the journal Hypertension found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had higher blood pressure levels than those who ate less. Another study published in the journal Circulation found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had a 13% higher risk of hypertension than those who ate less.

Cancer

Eating too many ultra-processed foods can also increase your risk of developing and dying from cancer, especially ovarian cancer. Ultra-processed foods contain substances that can damage your DNA, disrupt your hormones, and promote tumor growth.

A study published in the journal BMJ found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had a 10% higher risk of developing any cancer and a 22% higher risk of developing breast cancer than those who ate less. Another study published in the same journal found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had a 6% higher risk of dying from any cancer and a 38% higher risk of dying from ovarian cancer than those who ate less.

Eating too many ultra-processed foods can have serious consequences for your health. They can cause weight gain, inflammation, blood sugar spikes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and increased risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

That’s why you should avoid or limit these foods as much as possible and replace them with more natural and nutritious foods that provide your body with the energy and nutrients it needs.

How to Identify Processed Foods on Food Labels

One of the best ways to avoid or limit ultra-processed foods is to read food labels carefully and look for clues that indicate how processed a food is. Food labels can tell you a lot about what’s in your food and how it was made. Here are some tips on how to read food labels and identify processed foods:

Look at the ingredient list:

The ingredient list shows all the ingredients that are in the food, in order of weight from highest to lowest. The more ingredients a food has, the more processed it is. Especially look for ingredients that you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce, such as artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, or stabilizers.

These are usually added to enhance the taste, appearance, or shelf life of ultra-processed foods. For example, if you see something like “red 40”, “monosodium glutamate”, “sodium benzoate”, “aspartame”, or “xanthan gum” on the ingredient list, you know that the food is highly processed.

Look at the nutrition facts panel:

The nutrition facts panel shows the amount of calories, fat, carbohydrate, protein, fiber, sugar, sodium, and other nutrients that are in one serving of the food. You can use this information to compare different foods and choose the ones that are lower in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium, and higher in fiber and protein.

You can also use this information to check if the food has any added sugars or trans fats, which are harmful for your health. Added sugars are sugars that are not naturally present in the food, but are added during processing.

They can be listed as various names, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, corn syrup, honey, molasses, agave nectar, or cane juice. Trans fats are fats that have been artificially modified to make them more solid and stable. They can be listed as partially hydrogenated oils or shortening. Both added sugars and trans fats can increase your risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Look for claims and labels:

Some foods may have claims or labels on their packaging that indicate how processed they are. For example, some foods may claim to be “natural”, “organic”, “whole grain”, “low fat”, “low sodium”, or “no added sugar”. However, these claims and labels may not always mean what you think they mean. For example:

• A food that claims to be “natural” may still contain artificial ingredients or additives.
• A food that claims to be “organic” may still be highly processed or contain added sugars or fats.
• A food that claims to be “whole grain” may only contain a small amount of whole grains and a lot of refined grains.
• A food that claims to be “low fat” or “low sodium” may still be high in calories or sugar.
• A food that claims to have “no added sugar” may still contain natural sugars or artificial sweeteners.

Therefore, you should always check the ingredient list and the nutrition facts panel to verify these claims and labels. By reading food labels carefully and looking for clues that indicate how processed a food is, you can make better choices for your health and avoid or limit ultra-processed foods as much as possible. Remember that the fewer and simpler ingredients a food has, the less processed it is. And the more natural and nutritious ingredients a food has, the better it is for your health.

What are the Most Common and/or Dangerous Ultra-Processed Foods?

You might be wondering what kinds of foods fall into the category of ultra-processed foods. The answer is: a lot. Ultra-processed foods are everywhere in our food environment, from grocery stores to restaurants to vending machines. They are often cheap, convenient, and appealing, but they are also unhealthy and harmful.

Some examples of common ultra-processed foods are:

Chicken nuggets: These are processed meat products that have been breaded, fried, and frozen. They contain added salt, fat, sugar, and additives such as phosphates, sodium nitrite, and monosodium glutamate (MSG). They have been linked to increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and cancer.

Frozen meals: These are ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat dishes that have been precooked, packaged, and frozen. They contain added salt, fat, sugar, and additives such as artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and emulsifiers. They lack fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are found in fresh foods.

Hot dogs: These are processed meat products that have been cured, smoked, salted, or treated with chemicals such as nitrates or nitrites. They contain added salt, fat, sugar, and additives such as phosphates, sodium nitrite, and MSG. They have been linked to increased risk of colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Packaged soups: These are liquid or powdered soups that have been dehydrated, canned, or boxed. They contain added salt, fat, sugar, and additives such as artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and thickeners. They lack fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are found in fresh soups.

Potato chips: These are sliced potatoes that have been fried or baked and seasoned with salt and other flavors. They contain added salt, fat, sugar, and additives such as artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and acrylamide (a carcinogen formed during high-temperature cooking). They have been linked to increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and cancer.

Soft drinks: These are carbonated beverages that have been sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners. They contain added sugar, artificial flavors, colors, acids, and caffeine. They provide empty calories that don’t satisfy your hunger or nourish your body. They have been linked to increased risk of obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, bone loss, and kidney stones.

Sweetened breakfast cereals: These are grains that have been puffed, flaked, shredded, or extruded and coated with sugar or other sweeteners. They contain added sugar, salt, fat, and additives such as artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and fortificants. They lack fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are found in whole grains.

These are just some examples of ultra-processed foods that are widely consumed or marketed as healthy but are actually harmful to your health. There are many more out there that you should be aware of and avoid as much as possible.

How to Avoid/Replace Ultra-Processed Foods with Healthier Alternatives

Now that you know what ultra-processed foods are and why they are bad for your health, you might be wondering how to reduce your consumption of them and replace them with more natural and nutritious foods. Here are some practical tips and strategies that can help you do that:

• Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time and prepare them at home using fresh, whole, or minimally processed ingredients. This way, you can control what goes into your food and avoid the temptation of grabbing something quick and easy from the store or a vending machine. You can also save money and time by cooking in bulk and freezing or refrigerating leftovers for later use.
• Shop smart and stick to the outer aisles of the grocery store, where you can find fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Avoid the inner aisles where most of the ultra-processed foods are located. If you do need to buy some packaged or canned foods, read the labels carefully and choose products that have fewer and simpler ingredients. Look for words like “whole”, “organic”, “natural”, or “unrefined” and avoid words like “hydrogenated”, “modified”, “artificial”, or “enriched”.
• Swap ultra-processed foods with healthier alternatives that have similar tastes, textures, or functions. For example, instead of drinking soda, try sparkling water with lemon or lime. Instead of eating chips or cookies, try nuts or dried fruits. Instead of eating chicken nuggets or hot dogs, try grilled chicken or turkey breast. Instead of eating frozen pizza or microwave meals, try making your own pizza or pasta with whole wheat dough or noodles, tomato sauce, cheese, and veggies. Instead of eating sweetened breakfast cereals or pastries, try oatmeal or yogurt with fresh fruits and nuts.
• Treat yourself occasionally but moderately. It’s okay to indulge in your favorite ultra-processed foods once in a while, as long as you don’t make them a regular part of your diet. Enjoy them in small portions and savor them slowly. Balance them out with healthier foods throughout the day and week. Remember that moderation is the key to a healthy and happy lifestyle.

By following these tips and strategies, you can avoid or replace ultra-processed foods with healthier alternatives that provide your body with the energy and nutrients it needs. You can also improve your health and well-being, lower your risk of cancer and other chronic diseases, and enjoy a more satisfying and delicious diet.

Conclusion

Ultra-processed foods are foods that have been altered to include fats, starches, sugars, salts, and hydrogenated oils extracted from other foods. They’re a patchwork of ingredients, additives, and preservatives that can harm your health in many ways. They can cause weight gain, inflammation, blood sugar spikes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and increased risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

To avoid these health problems, you need to identify ultra-processed foods on food labels and replace them with more natural and nutritious foods that provide your body with the energy and nutrients it needs. You can do this by planning your meals and snacks ahead of time, shopping smart, swapping ultra-processed foods with healthier alternatives, and treating yourself occasionally but moderately.