What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?
We eat a lot of over-processed foods, which tend to be too sweet and not very healthy for us. But the problem is not necessarily that they are over-processed. This is a weird and arguably unfair way of categorizing products, so let’s take a look at what “ultra-processed” really means.
This terminology comes from a classification scheme called NOVA, which divides products into four groups:
- Unprocessed or “minimally processed” foods (group 1) include fruits, vegetables and meats. Perhaps you pulled carrots out of the ground and washed them, or you killed a cow and cut off a steak. Products in this category can be processed without adding additional ingredients. They can be cooked, ground, dried, or frozen.
- Processed culinary ingredients (group 2) include sugar, salt, and oils. If you combine ingredients from this group, for example to make salted butter, they will remain in this group.
- Processed foods (group 3) are what you get when you combine groups 1 and 2. Includes bread, wine, and canned vegetables. Additives are permitted as long as they “retain the original properties [of the product],” such as ascorbic acid added to canned fruits to prevent browning.
- Ultra-processed foods (group 4) don’t have a strict definition, but NOVA hints at some properties. They are “usually” made up of five or more ingredients. They can be aggressively sold and very profitable. A food item automatically falls into Group 4 if it includes “substances not normally used in cooking and additives that are intended to mimic the sensory qualities of Group 1 foods or the cooking of those foods, or to hide unwanted sensory qualities in the final product. … “
The latter group feels a little disingenuous. I’ve definitely seen things in my kitchen that are supposedly only used to make “ultra-processed” foods: food colors, aromatic extracts, artificial sweeteners, anti-caking agents (cornstarch, anyone?) And extrusion and molding tools. to name a few.
How Bad Are Ultra-Processed Foods?
So the packaged snacks look like they’ve been ultra-processed, just like a 20-ingredient factory baked loaf of bread. Orange juice with a modified flavor will also count . Coca-Cola and Diet Coke are firmly in this category. It seems logical that we should eat less of these things.
But the real problem with these foods is that they are often sweet and high in calories, and many of the less healthy ones in this category are what are found in vending machines and convenience stores that beckon us when we’re hungry and bored. ‘ ‘. I put together lunch. The problem with these foods is that their diet is imbalanced due to what they contain or not. Processing itself is not a problem.
Therefore, when we talk about UV processed foods, we must remember that this is a vague category that only broadly communicates the nutritional value of its products. In the same way that BMI brings muscular athletes and obese people together because it makes math comfortable, NOVA categories bring things together with vastly different nutritional qualities.
There are also some major differences between things that don’t really differ in nutritional value. Wine is in group 3 next to cheese and fresh bread, and cocktails are in group 4 with twinkies. You see, spirits were distilled , so they were ultra-processed .
Canned vegetables are in Group 3 (processed), and their fresh counterparts are in Group 1. But canned vegetables are just as nutritious . Meanwhile, dried fruits are group 1 (so healthy!), Although they can be sweeter than cakes or cookies.
So this is not so much in line with nutritional analysis as it is with the “I know when I see” classification. Sounds like dried fruit should be healthier, right? But this scheme ends up placing the cheapest and most widely available food in the most shameful category. Is this fair or does it just feel better for you when you eat fresh green beans and bully people who buy canned food?
The NOVA scale is not entirely useless; this likely helps researchers keep track of how much food is sourced from major producers. But that’s not the best way to judge what’s in our grocery bags or plates.