A more accurate and helpful way to think of foods is the degree of processing they’ve undergone.
Unprocessed or minimally processed foods: They’re in their natural state, or pretty darn close. This
includes fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, dried beans and lentils, plain yogurt , raw nuts,
pasteurized milk, and frozen meat.
Processed foods : These include things that have salt, sugar, or fat added to them like canned beans and
vegetables, cheese, canned tuna, canned fruit, and fresh bread.
Ultra-processed foods : They’re items that have more ingredients included such as dyes, stabilizers, and
emulsifiers.
If you wouldn’t use these ingredients for cooking at home, then they’re likely an ultra-processed food.
You might find high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, modified starches, hydrogenated oils, and
colourings, as well as de – foaming, bulking, and bleaching agents on the food label.
Ultra-processed foods are less filling and raise our blood sugars higher than minimally processed foods.
They are generally higher in calories and sugar, lower in protein and fibre, and are associated with
obesity. They are nutritionally inferior and eating them replaces healthier nutrient –rich foods that you
could be eating instead (crispy veggies and hummus instead of pop and chips). Many of them are snack
foods and promote mindless eating, replacing the need or desire for a real meal. Not only that, they
contain pro-inflammatory ingredients, such as refined sugars (carbohydrates), and unhealthy fats, like
corn oil.
They are addictive, nutritionally void, and contain pro-inflammatory ingredients. Cooking at home is a
great proactive way to eat less ultra-processed foods.
