Food processing is any change made to a food from its natural state. It involves processes such as washing, heating, cooling, grinding, refining and packaging. Food processing also includes adding ingredients such as salt, sugar, oils, or other fats to help foods last longer and taste better.
Nova is a food classification system that groups foods according to their degree of modification or processing:
- Group 1 – Unprocessed or minimally processed foods: These are whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and fresh eggs. Minimally processed foods are dried, ground, roasted, cut, pasteurized, or frozen whole foods. These include frozen foods with no added ingredients, whole grains, nuts and seeds without added salt or sugar, and fresh or frozen meats, poultry, and fish.
- Group 2 – Oils, fats, sugar and salt: These foods are produced from whole foods through processes such as pressing, refining, milling, milling and drying. They are used to season, cook or prepare Group 1 foods.
- Group 3 – Processed foods: These are foods made by adding Group 2 salt, oil, fat or sugar to Group 1 foods. Group 3 foods are processed to make them safe to eat and convenient to use and to improve their shelf life or taste. Examples include cheeses, fresh breads, and canned fruits, vegetables, and fish.
- Group 4 – Ultra-processed foods (UPF): These are food products made with additives such as preservatives, antioxidants, stabilizers and emulsifiers. UPFs contain little to no whole foods. Most UPFs are high in saturated fat, salt, and refined carbohydrates such as white flour and added sugars. Commercially prepared sweet or savory packaged snacks, reconstituted meat products, soy burgers, ready-to-heat meals, sweetened breakfast cereals, ice cream, and sweetened beverages are examples of UPF.
UPF AND YOUR HEALTH
UPFs are formulated to taste too good, so you’ll want to keep eating them. Because they are low in fiber, UPFs are digested quickly, so you still feel hungry. These factors facilitate excessive consumption of these foods. UPFs also provide very little nutrition. They are:
- High in sugar, fat and calories.
- Full of food additives
- Low in fiber, minerals and vitamins.
Because of their convenience, appealing taste, and the fact that they are readily available, UPFs make up a large part of many people’s diets.
- UPFs are often chosen over healthier food options like fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- More than 50% of the daily calories in the average American diet come from UPF. Children get more than 60% of their calories from these foods.
- Sandwiches such as hamburgers, salty snacks, sweet baked goods, and sweetened beverages are among the top 4 sources of calories from UPF among youth and adults in the US.
Studies have shown that a high intake of UPF is linked to certain health conditions, including:
NOT ALL PROCESSED FOODS ARE BAD
Health experts agree that whole foods are the foundation of a healthy diet. However, some processed foods also have a place. Food processing has important benefits:
- Food safety and preservation: Processing helps ensure a safe and consistent food supply and long shelf life of many foods. For example, pasteurization of milk is essential to kill harmful bacteria. Freezing or canning vegetables locks in their nutrients and preserves them so they can be consumed long after fresh produce rots.
- Fortification: Additional vitamins and minerals are added to some processed foods to help children and adults get nutrients they would otherwise lack.
- Convenience: Many families lack the time or money to purchase and prepare fresh, whole foods for every meal. It’s easier and more cost-effective to buy healthy, enriched bread, frozen or canned vegetables, dried beans, or breakfast cereals without compromising nutrition.
Processed foods can be safe and healthy if they are low in fat, salt, sugar, and additives. On the other hand, UPFs are never a healthy option and should be consumed in moderation.
TIPS TO HELP YOU MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES
It can be difficult to know which processed foods are good for you and which are not. Here are some tips to help you identify UPFs and make healthy choices:
- Learn to read food labels. Food labels give you information about the calories, number of servings, and nutrient content of packaged foods.
- Always look at the ingredients list. Food labels list ingredients ordered by weight (highest to lowest). The first 3 ingredients on the label can give you a good idea of what you’re really eating.
- Try to choose products that have fewer ingredients. If you see a long list of ingredients that you don’t recognize as food, the product is highly processed and should be avoided.
- Look for words like stabilizers, emulsifiers, artificial colors or dyes, flavor enhancers, and other additive names. Most products with these ingredients are UPF.
- Avoid products high in sugar. Sugar may have names such as maltose, corn syrup, brown sugar, fruit juice concentrate, honey, agave nectar, barley malt syrup, or dried cane juice.
- Avoid products that contain a lot of hydrogenated oils (found in margarine, baked goods, fried foods, etc.). Choose products low in saturated fat and zero trans fat.
- Opt for low sodium products. You can reduce the salt content of canned vegetables by rinsing them with water.
- Avoid products that contain additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium sulfites, nitrates, and nitrites such as sulfur dioxide, sodium bisulfite, or sodium sulfite.
- Products such as some yogurts, protein bars, and sports drinks contain added sugars and artificial ingredients, even though they are marketed as health foods.
- It’s okay to choose foods fortified with added vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, and vitamins A, D, and E.
- Make sure most of your meals are prepared with unprocessed or minimally processed foods.
