What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?
CAN ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS HURT YOUR HEALTH? Some studies indicate the answer is yes.
Today we look at a small study that compared the effects of an ultra-processed diet on calorie intake and weight gain. We’ll also examine the results of a more extensive retrospective study.
First, however, I want to define ultra-processed foods.
Ultra-processed food basics
If you follow me on Medium, you know that I often advise dodging ultra-processed foods as much as possible. But what do I mean by the term “ultra-processed?”
We begin with unprocessed (or minimally processed) foods. In the Harvard Health Blog, Katherine McManus, MS, RD, LDN, offers her take:
“Unprocessed or minimally processed foods are whole foods in which the vitamins and nutrients are still intact. The food is in its natural (or nearly natural) state. These foods may be minimally altered by removal of inedible parts, drying, crushing, roasting, boiling, freezing, or pasteurization, to make them suitable to store and safe to consume.”
