There is no shortcut to nutrition, but limiting your intake of highly processed foods is probably as close as you can get. Though there is considerable argument over the optimal diet — is it vegan, keto, carnivore, low carb, balanced, high fiber, something else? — the one point almost every medical professional (and every study conducted on the topic) will agree upon is that highly processed foods should be avoided.
At first this can be a confusing idea. If new technology is good — the latest iPhone or car is usually faster than last year’s model — shouldn’t new foods made by scientists in a lab be better than older foods that haven’t been improved in hundreds of years? Though this is an appealing idea, when it comes to human health it turns out that is generally not the case. Almost every study of highly-processed food intake shows much worse outcomes than whole foods.
In today’s age of food tracking and calorie counting apps, it is easy to misunderstand food as simply consisting of calories from fat, protein and carbs. As long as you hit your total calorie goals and macro breakdown, everything is fine right? These variables are very important, but far from the full story.
How processed a meal is matters almost as much, and is an important question that often goes overlooked.
What exactly is “processed food”? Why are processed foods bad? How do you avoid them? Does the research really show any benefit from removing them? Are whole foods any better?
What is a processed food?
The official definition is...
A “processed food” is one that has been processed (or changed) in some way, so that’s it is different than how it is found in nature.
USDA defines processed food as “any raw agricultural commodity subjected to washing, cleaning, milling, cutting, chopping, heating, pasteurizing, blanching, cooking, canning, freezing, drying, dehydrating, mixing, packaging, or other procedures that alter the food from its natural state. The food may include the addition of other ingredients such as preservatives, flavors, nutrients and other food additives or substances approved for use in food products, such as salt, sugars, and fats.”
Most food undergoes some level of “processing.” Not all processing destroys nutrients or makes a food an “unhealthy” choice. Eating nothing but raw foods isn’t the goal. Washing and chopping a potato, for example, is a very mild form of food processing. But it won't have much affect on nutrient content, and shouldn’t be considered harmful. However, then frying the potato is a much more extreme step of food processing, which can add oxidized fats and destroy vitamins. Beyond that, preserving and packaging it into a bag of chips can take it from highly processed to ultra-processed and beyond.
The danger of food processing comes when foods are very far removed from how they are found in nature, with addition of highly processed ingredients, like sugar, to create ULTRA processed foods. Ultra-processed foods are likely the foods that come to mind when you think of “processed foods” and are most associated with poor health outcomes. Departing from the natural state is often bad because the human body evolved for millions of years to have certain types of foods. Many of these newly processed creations depart drastically from what the body expects and can handle.
Some common examples of ultra-processed foods include breakfast cereal, bags of chips or crackers, margarine, or chocolate bars. Processed foods often come in a package — with a bar code or some nice marketing on the cover — and can sit on the shelf for weeks. Any alcohols or packaged sweets also fall into this category.
Foods like this have gone beyond simple processing of cooking or chopping, to the point of being considered ultra-processed. These kind of foods that start to approach the highly or ultra-processed territory should be avoided in your daily habits.
Ultra-processed foods
These foods are very obviously changed from their natural state and are more likely made by a company in a factory instead of cooked by a human in a kitchen.
Micheal Pollan described hyper-processed foods as “foods that tend to be cooked with many ingredients that no human keeps in their pantry.”
They’re not processed for no reason — the processing generally makes them last longer, easier to enjoy eating in high amounts, and therefore much easier to sell. However, these processing methods destroy delicate nutrients like vitamins, strip foods of healthy fiber, and make them much easier to eat (and overeat).
Sugar is one of the most common ultra-processed foods. Partially hydrogenated oils and refined flours also make a frequent appearance in packaged foods and can be considered extremely processed food products. If you aren’t careful, these ingredients can be making their way into your repeat meals. Unfortunately, they are almost everywhere. Even foods marketed as “healthy” like “bagged salad mixes” or a “yogurt parfait” can easily become a more processed meal than a whole one.
Why it matters
Nutrient Density
Micronutrients like vitamins and minerals are one of the main reasons we need to eat food. Without them, we would get sick and eventually die. An ultra-processed food often contains an unevenly high ratio of calories to nutrients. But the problem isn’t necessarily in the calories alone.
There is a common misconception that because a calorie deficit does result in weight loss, any source of calorie is equivalent and food processing has no impact. For example, someone may think “a 200 calorie bag of chips is the same as eating a 200 calorie potato with the right portion sizes.” For short-term weight loss, this is true. However, that approach is likely to result in worse health outcomes and results.
Food processing should be considered as one of the primary variables to optimize the health of your diet, in addition to looking at total calories. Since food processing can be more easy to determine (you may not really know if a certain item is 200 or 400 or 600 calories, but it should be quite obvious if it is highly processed), it may be a better variable to focus on. That doesn’t mean you can eat an infinite amount of low-processed foods with no impact, but ultimately success will come from getting the correct amount of calories from mostly whole foods.
The way our bodies respond to ultra-processed foods and their harmful additives create many health problems.
Creates Food Addictions: Ultra-processed foods are engineered to taste good and sell more products. They are highly palatable (high sugar and fat, two nutrients our brains are hard-wired to love), addictive, and much more likely to promote overeating with their lack of satiating nutrients like fiber.* A tendency to eat more ultra-processed foods was found among those diagnosed with food addiction. Highly processed food addiction (HPFA) has been associated with negative outcomes, including higher body mass index, more frequent binge eating, greater failure in weight loss treatment trials, and poorer mental and physical health. *, *
Weight gain
Gaining bodyfat can be a mystery for people, but often the culprit can be processed foods. The addictive nature, high calorie, and ease of overconsumption of highly processed food can build a perfect foundation for unhealthy weight gain (of more fat rather than lean muscle).
Food processing removes the satiating nutrients like fiber and water. This makes it easy to overeat these foods without ever feeling full. The associated blood sugar spike causes a crash, which leads to cravings for more highly palatable food in a vicious cycle. After a few rounds of this, you’re can end up eating far more calories than you need — and still feel hungry!
Studies have shown people who eat the most processed foods, tend to gain the most weight over time. Lowering your consumption of these foods can help prevent obesity and overweight. *, *
In a unique controlled feeding study, the effect of food processing and weight gain is perfectly illustrated. Twenty adults were placed on either a highly-processed diet or an unprocessed diet. They were given meals that had contained the same amount of calories, macronutrients, fiber, sugar, and sodium. The only difference was the level of processing of the foods. Participants were told to eat as much or as little as they wanted...
After two weeks, the ultra-processed eaters had gained 2 lbs and the unprocessed group? Had LOST roughly the same amount of weight! Next, they switched participants to the other diet and found the same results. Eating processed foods was directly correlated with overeating, and therefore weight gain.*
Ages you faster. Even if you’re not worried about your bodyfat and happy with your body composition, processed food can have an impact on your longevity. Researchers found that eating three or more servings a day of highly-processed food was linked to shorter telomeres, which are chromosome structures that mark your biological age.
Many processed foods contain refined flours and sugar, two ingredients that are more likely to spike your blood sugar and lead to insulin resistance which is associated with increased dementia risk and neurological decline. *, *
Increases disease risk. The way ultra-processed foods are engineered creates a perfect storm to promote disease in our body. Consuming hydrogenated fats and processed oils negatively affect your blood lipid levels. High amounts of sugar combined with the removal of fiber and protein in many processed foods can create blood sugar spikes and a loss of insulin sensitivity. The addition of preservatives like salt and nitrates can affect blood pressure and promote cancer development.
Ultimately, a diet high in ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of overweight, obesity*, metabolic syndrome*, depression, T2 Diabetes*, heart disease, cognitive decline (especially with ultra-processed meats and fats)*, and certain cancers*. In case it isn’t clear, these are all very serious conditions that everyone should avoid.
Reduces necessary healthy nutrients from your diet. Perhaps one of the most overlooked problems with ultra-processed foods isn’t just with what they are adding to your diet, but what they are taking away. These foods are often much lower in important nutrients (like essential vitamins and minerals) than whole foods.
Researchers found people who ate the most processed food were also less likely to include other nutritious whole foods like fruits and vegetables. They also ate less protein, less fiber, and were less likely to consume healthy unsaturated fats, nutrients we know to be important for good health and helping you achieve a healthy weight. *
Unwanted Side Effects Many food additives are relatively new to our food system, and haven't been studied in long-term trials. Additives like MSG, artificial colors and flavors are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA if eaten in small quantities. However, they can have side effects like headaches or digestive issues, especially for individuals with sensitivities to these products. Because these ingredients aren’t actually necessary or useful for the human body, it’s prudent to keep them out of your food supply.
A Spectrum of Food Processing
Food processing is not black and white. It can be a whole spectrum, from a raw fruit to an ultra-processed packaged food that sat in a box for a year, or somewhere in between. Identifying how processed a meal is will be the first step in understanding and improving your processed food intake. This spectrum from whole foods to ultra-processed exists for every category of food — meats, fruits, even salads.
Whole fruit → fruit juice (or dried fruit) → fruit-flavored popsicles or fruit-flavored sweetened yogurt → fruit flavored product
Eating a fresh piece of fruit is the best way to maximize the nutrients you’re taking in while balancing blood sugar levels. Whole fruits come with their own source of fiber like the peel (an apple) and the seeds (a kiwi), even the water found within the fruit help to fill you up and keep your blood sugar balanced. However, even something extremely nutritious like a fruit can be taken from a whole food to a highly processed state.
When fruit is dried, natural sugars are concentrated (sometimes dried fruit is even sweetened with sugar) and it’s far less filling. You may eat one or two apricots at a sitting, but the lack of water in dried apricots makes it much easier to easily eat 7 or 8 without thinking twice.
Fruit juice is another example of a processed food. When the peel, seeds, pith, and other filling parts of fruit are removed by juicing, we create an overly sweet beverage that can wreak havoc on our blood sugar levels. The rush of sugar into the bloodstream causes a blood sugar crash which can cause us to feel more hungry or tired in the short term... or lead to more serious problems like insulin resistance or diabetes.
Fruit-flavored products could contain little to no fruit at all, meaning little to no nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and more. Furthermore, they are likely loaded with sugar, artificial flavors, and artificial colors to make them look more appealing. At the other extreme of this spectrum, we could go from a whole fresh strawberry to strawberry flavored ice cream.
Sticking to whole fruits when possible is the best way to get the most nutrient bang for your buck, and avoid any ingredients that may not be serving your body.
This range, from minimally-processed whole food versions to highly-processed less nutritious editions, exists for almost anything. Even salads.
Salad made with fresh greens, vegetables, chicken, dressed in an olive-oil dressing→ Bagged greens with raisins, cheese, and bottled poppyseed dressing → Bagged salad mix with croutons, creamy dressing, and bacon bits
Ingredients matter! Just because any of these foods is classified as “salad”, the degree of processing of the additional ingredients can drastically change the macronutrient ratio and overall nutrition of the meal. This can take even a “salad” from being a high-fiber, vitamin-packed meal, to a meal high in sugar and saturated fat... not so different from eating dessert.
Nutrients are lost from fresh greens as time passes*, so opting for the freshest ingredients will give you more nutrients like vitamin C or folate per serving than bagged lettuce, especially from mixes that have been sitting on store shelves for weeks. *, *
Bagged salad mixes can still be a convenient way to increase your vegetable consumption, but be mindful that not all mixes are created equal. You could make a bagged salad kit much healthier by swapping pre-packaged dressing (usually high in sugar, vegetable oils, and preservatives) for olive oil and vinegar, leaving out the dried fruit, or swapping croutons (largely a source of oil and refined flour) for something more “whole” like sunflower seeds.
Meat can also undergo a wide range of food processing, both in terms of the original item as well as how it is prepared and stored.
Grass-fed beef from naturally raised cows → conventionally raised beef → Sausage or pre-made meatballs with added nitrates, sugar, fillers, additives
Processed meats like bacon, sausage, salami, hot dogs, are cured using salt and additives like nitrates which can increase your risk of developing certain cancers. Diets high in processed meats are also linked to a greater risk of heart disease. Many pre-made meat products like meatballs or jerky contain extra salt and sugar you want to avoid as well. *, *
The additives aren’t the only thing to consider. The way meat is raised — especially what they are fed —can affect the nutrient content. Just like mercury can accumulate up the food chain, the nutrients or food processing can accumulate. Generally, the more naturally the animal is raised (cows allowed to graze on grass, chickens given access to pastures where they can eat bugs and plants, fish raised in the wild rather than in a farm) the more nutrients these animals can provide us.
Conventionally raised animals given a “processed” feed that contains soy, grains, and other cheap fillers can cut down on costs and space. This can result in cheaper prices, but also results in the whole thing becoming a processed food, high in the wrong types of fats. Generally, processed foods to avoid will be high in Omega-6 fatty acids, while the preferable less-processed options will have more Omega-3.
This is another example of where looking only at the calorie counts, or even macronutrient ratios and protein grams, can provide an incomplete picture.
Grass-fed beef contains up to 3 times more Omega-3 fatty acids, (one of the most beneficial fats for your heart) than conventionally raised beef. Eggs from hens that are allowed time outside in a pasture will contain more vitamin D, Vitamin E and Omega-3 fatty acids than eggs from chickens in cages fed bags of processed food.
Avoiding eating products from animals that are fed a processed diet is a great strategy for avoiding the harmful effects of processed foods in your diet. *, *, *
Fats are a common point of argument when it comes to nutrition. Are they good for you? Do they clog your arteries? As with everything else, the answer can come down to food processing.
Cold pressed, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, whole nuts, fresh butter → Light olive oil, flavored nut butter → Highly processed vegetable oils, like canola oil → Margarine or Shortening, hydrogenated oils
Fats are an important part of a healthy diet and can provide amazing benefits to the body. The key to maximizing these benefits is eating the right types of fats. Focusing on minimally processed fats by eating whole foods such nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, fatty fish, will help you capitalize on the healthiest fats possible.
The more a fat is processed, the more likely it won’t provide health benefits and will instead have detrimental effects on your body. For example, when fats are heated, they oxidize to form harmful compounds. Heating of oils and fats can also destroy beneficial nutrients like antioxidants or vitamins. *, *
Fried foods are also high in damaged, oxidized fats which have been shown to increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. When oils are reused over and over for deep-frying, the fats break down into smaller pieces, increasing the amount of unhealthy fats being absorbed into the food. *, *.
The most extreme form of fat processing is called hydrogenation. When liquid fats like vegetable oils are exposed to extreme heat and pressure, they create a solid fat (such as the case with margarine or shortening). This causes some of the chemical bonds within the fat to change to a “trans” arrangement, creating a “trans fatty acid”. These are the worst fats for your body. They simultaneously elevate bad cholesterol (LDL) while lowering good cholesterol (HDL), increasing your risk of heart disease. These types of hydrogenated oils can be found in the ingredient list of ultra-processed packaged foods, and should be avoided. *, *, *, *
What about cooking oils? When using oil, stick to oils that come from foods that are naturally high in fat such as olives, walnuts, or avocados. These oils from fruits or nuts are simply “pressed” to extract the oil, rather than requiring heat or chemical additives to process the oil into a usable form. This is a very minimal amount of processing. Look for words such as “cold pressed” or “first pressed” (also known as virgin) to ensure you’re eating the most nutritious type. Each subsequent “pressing” means more antioxidants are lost, such as the case with regular (not virgin), or light olive oil.
Avoid oils from things like corn, cottonseeds, canola or other vegetables, which require extensive processing. Turning a substance like corn or seeds into oil is not an easy process, and requires an extreme amount of processing. Despite their marketing as healthy, they are highly processed and anything but.
How to avoid processed foods
At this point, hopefully you are decently convinced that processed foods can be harmful to human health. Now the first question is generally how processed your current foods are.
Here are some simple questions to ask yourself before purchasing or eating something, that can help you determine how processed it is...
1. How many processing “steps” did the food undergo before you ate it?
Let's think of a baked potato VS potato chips: A baked potato requires very few processing steps before it’s eaten, it’s simply picked, washed, and baked, retaining many of its nutrients and fiber while also containing no added salt, sugar, or fat, unless you add it yourself. Since you have control over your own flavor additions, you could include high-quality ingredients like cultured sour cream, fresh herbs, or grass-fed beef chili.
A bag of potato chips, however, is picked, peeled, sliced, deep-fried in a highly processed oil, coated in salt and artificial flavors or additives such as maltodextrin. Then they are sealed into a bag filled with nitrogen gas to keep them fresh for months. You lose any control over the ingredients and instead, have a very highly processed food item. It is also less likely to be used in a balanced meal. It’s unlikely that the potato chips end up as a side dish with a fresh salad.
Be wary of food advertisers who try to trick consumers into thinking a highly processed food is healthy for you by changing a few ingredients, such as the case with “bean chips” or “plantain chips” or gluten-free/vegan versions of things.
The reason you shouldn’t eat loads of potato chips isn't because of the potatoes. It’s because of the excessive processing, which didn’t change. In fact, sometimes even more extreme processing is needed to create the gluten-free or keto-friendly or vegetarian versions of foods.
2. What additional ingredients have been added to the food?
Watch out for sugar, salt, fat, but also artificial colors, flavors, or other chemical additives.
Fortunately, you can read the ingredient list to know exactly what is in something. Chances are, if the ingredient list is long, or filled with ingredients that aren’t recognizable as food, such as “high fructose corn syrup”, “sodium benzoate,” “hydrogenated oil,” or “yellow six,” you know you are looking at an ultra-processed food. Some of these things may be harmful on their own, but also indicators that the entire item went through excessive processing.
3. Was the food heated at ultra-high temperatures, or hydrogenated to change its structure?
Fried foods are an example of this, which unfortunately includes some popular items like french fries. Many packaged foods contain “hydrogenated” ingredients.
These methods of food processing are the most detrimental. Shortening and margarine are made from solidifying palm, corn, or soybean oil through “hydrogenation” or adding hydrogen to oils at high temperatures.
They raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in our blood and wreak havoc on our bodies. Additionally, extreme temperatures destroy beneficial nutrients like vitamin C and B vitamins, so foods that have undergone high heat treatment like canned vegetables will be far less nutritious.
Common Ingredients to Avoid
A great way to make sure you’re avoiding processed foods is to check the food label and ingredients list. Just like you probably check the price of an item before deciding to get it, you should get into the habit of reading the ingredients, which can tell you a bit more about the true price or benefits. Ingredients are listed in order of weight, and will give you a good idea of how processed a food item is. If sugar, refined flours, or hydrogenated oils are found toward the top of the list, you can assume that food is ultra-processed and should probably put it back on the shelf.
Sugar. Sugar is snuck into many processed foods to improve flavor and shelf life, and is no secret that it’s harmful to your health when over-consumed. Be aware that food companies disguise sugar under other names such as corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, agave nectar, evaporated cane juice, dextrose, rice syrup, or malt syrup.
Pay close attention to the amount of “added sugars” listed on the label. Some foods like fruit or dairy products will contain sugars that are naturally found within the food. Added sugars, however, have been added to the product during food processing.
Excess Sodium. Processed foods like jarred pasta sauce, canned foods, condiments, ready-to-eat foods, chips, and crackers contain excessively high levels of salt. Too much salt from processed foods can increase blood pressure and the risk of developing kidney and heart disease. *
Salt is referred to as sodium on labels and can be found on the label as monosodium glutamate or disodium phosphate. Look at food labels and avoid food products that are high in sodium (provide more than 20% of your daily value).
Trans Fats These unhealthy fats are commonly found in pastries, shortening, frozen entrees, margarine, microwave popcorn, fried foods, and non-dairy coffee creamer. They increase your risk of heart disease by lowering good cholesterol (HDL) and increasing bad cholesterol (LDL) and total triglyceride levels. *, *, *.
This is a tricky one, because if a serving of food contains less than 1g of trans fats, the FDA allows it to be labeled as containing 0g trans fats on the food label. Luckily, by checking the ingredient list for “partially hydrogenated oil” you can more accurately tell if a food has any amount of trans fats in it and put it back on the shelf.
Artificial Colors and Preservatives While generally recognized as safe in moderate amounts, many of these ingredients have not been in our foods long enough to know long-term effects, and have sparked concern for their role as possible carcinogens. While the jury is still out on many of these additives, it’s wise to reduce consumption of these additives whenever possible to avoid any negative consequences.
- Nitrites (sodium nitrite, potassium nitrite) are usually found in processed meats *
- BHA (banned in California , mandatory labeling everywhere else) due to its carcinogenic nature * and promotion of fat accumulation contributing to obesity *
- Carrageenan (Studies are inconclusive, but there is data that degraded carrageenan (found in food-grade carrageenan) promotes inflammation and certain cancers. *, * It’s still GRAS by the FDA but in 2016, the National Organic Standards Board voted to remove carrageenan from their approved list. This means foods made with carrageenan can no longer be labeled “USDA organic.”
Label Comparison
For a more practical example, let’s look at some food labels of common breakfast cereals to practice choosing the best, most “whole food” option.
Generally speaking, whole grain products should contain more fiber and protein (two nutrients that are reduced during the refining process), so we can compare those along with other signs of food processing (like amount of added sugar and the ingredient list). We’ll be omitting extra vitamins and minerals that are used for fortification to make the ingredient lists more concise.
Comparing Popular Breakfast Cereals
What about fortified foods? Fortified foods are simply foods that have vitamins and minerals added. While vitamins often make food more nutritious (such as the case with fortified milk or iodized salt) they shouldn’t be mistaken for being as nutritious as “whole foods”.
Many times, nutrients are lost during processing, then added back in to prevent nutrient deficiencies, as is the case with “enriched” flour. This may look ok on the nutrition label, but is not as optimal as eating the original unprocessed foods. This doesn’t mean that ALL nutrients are accounted for or added back. For example, refined, even enriched flours don't contain the bran (and fiber) that is supplied by whole grain flour.
You can’t eat a pizza and take a multivitamin and expect the same results as someone who meets their nutrient goals by eating a variety of whole foods. This is partly from different macronutrients, but also due to bioavailability. When you eat nutrient-rich foods throughout the day, you eat higher quality sources of these nutrients and are allowing them more opportunites to be fully absorbed and utilized by your body.
Bioavailability in Whole Foods
What is the opposite of eating highly processed foods? Whole foods.
Whole foods contain not just individually useful vitamins, but often combinations of nutrients that often work together to become more effective and increase their bioavailability and absorption rate.
For example, when you eat an apple, you are eating a source of quercetin, an antioxidant that supports a healthy immune system. Quercetin taken on its own (or in a supplement) isn’t well absorbed by your body. However, the absorption improves when eaten with a source of insoluble fiber, and becomes even more effective in the presence of vitamin C... coincidentally, both of which an apple provides! *
Certain nutrients like vitamin A, D, E, and K, are fat-soluble and require a source of fat to optimize their absorption and utilization in the body. Eating foods like nuts, seeds, or salmon will provide you with these fat-soluble vitamins and a source of healthy fat in one, increasing your body’s ability to use these important nutrients. *
You don’t need to understand or memorize all these complex chemical pathways, but just know that they exist. If you simply prioritize whole foods and avoid processed foods when possible, you will be able to gain most of the benefits of these cellular interactions.
How to get more whole foods
So you’re ready to stop (or at least reduce) eating processed foods, but where do you start? You could begin simply by replacing common processed foods with less processed versions.
Instead of buying sweetened yogurt or ice cream, buy plain yogurt and fresh berries. Instead of orange juice, eat some whole oranges. Instead of cooking with canola oil, cook with extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil. Instead of eating sugary cereal every morning, eat some fresh eggs or a less sugary option.
It doesn’t mean you need to never eat french fries again, or can never enjoy yourself. Make small swaps and changes each day and you’ll be capitalizing on the benefits of whole foods immediately. Small changes really add up, and still give you the room to indulge occasionally.
Practical tips and tricks to help you eat more whole foods:
Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. The foods here (like fruits and vegetables) are generally the freshest and are kept near the perimeter to make it more efficient to stock from loading docks.
Choose whole grains and whole-grain products like brown rice, whole wheat bread, steel-cut oats, or whole wheat pasta instead of refined grains.
Avoid buying convenient “snack foods” like crackers, chips, or trail mix which tends to be full of candy or sugar-sweetened dried fruit. Instead, opt for dry roasted nuts, seeds, whole fruit, or air-popped popcorn. Or hold off on snacking until you can have a more balanced, whole food meal.
Try making your own overnight oats or oatmeal, sweetened with fresh fruit instead of relying on sugar-filled breakfast cereals.
If you regularly rely on freezer or microwave meals, try making recipes in bulk and freezing your own portions of healthy meals in freezer-safe bags. This works great with soups, stews, precooked portions of meat, burritos, even homemade pizza, and is a great way to limit additives that are found in store-bought convenience foods.
Buy unsalted versions of canned beans and tomatoes, make sure the label states the can is “BPA-free.”
If eating foods or beverages from a plastic container and there is no obvious BPA-free label, you can look at the recycling triangle on the bottom of the product. If the number in the triangle is a 3 or a 7, BPA may be contained in that plastic, which can slowly leach into your food.
In salads, swap croutons or chip strips on your salad for sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
Make your own condiments, sauces, and salad dressings using whole food ingredients like olive oil, vinegar, spices, herbs, dijon mustard, nut butter, tahini, lemon juice, or chili peppers. If purchasing condiments, always check labels to avoid processed oils, sugar, and additives.
80/20 Mindset
Healthy eating, and health in general, is never “all or nothing.” Even accomplishing something 80% of the time will get you most of the benefits! If you aim for at least 80-90% of your diet to be whole foods, you’re doing great!
You can allow the other 10-20% to be from more processed foods to help you save time and find a sustainable, healthy eating pattern you can stick with. It’s unrealistic to expect to cut processed foods out of your diet completely — they are literally everywhere — but balancing your diet so that it’s mostly whole foods will help negate many of the negative effects of food processing.
Final Insights
Ultra-processed foods can affect your health in a myriad of ways... Increasing weight gain and bodyfat, decreasing longevity, and ultimately the progression of diseases. If you’re worried about any of these, reducing the amount of processed food in your diet can be an easy but powerful first step.
How can you tell if a food is too processed? Some whole foods won’t even have a nutrition label or barcode to scan, like a fresh fruit or vegetable. Other packaged or boxed goods are likely to be processed, but you can tell if it is minimally processed or extremely processed by reading the nutrition label and ingredients list. The more highly processed foods are typically high in sugar and low in protein, and have a long list of other ingredients.
Making small swaps for foods that are less processed can be a great place to start improving your diet and quality of life.