Decoding Ultra-Processed Foods: How They Impact Your Health and Wellness

I just realized that my patients and friends may not know what I mean by processed food. I thought I was being clever when I explained it this way: eat food that came directly from the ground or survive by eating something that grew from the ground. I am up against a robust industry whose primary objective is to increase profits by using food science to manipulate our taste preferences and cravings, using news, media, and tainted research to confuse us.

Fortunately, I am not easily discouraged.

So, what is Processed Food?

Processed food is any food that has been altered from its original form. This change could be as simple as cutting, cooking, or freezing the food. However, the processed foods I am referring to have been altered from their natural state by adding preservatives, flavors, nutrients, salt, sugar, fats, or other chemicals.

But, did you know that the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ranks processed foods from “minimally processed” to “highly processed”? 

1. Minimally Processed 

1. Examples are bagged spinach or pre-cut fruits.

2. Process: These foods are cleaned, cut, or packaged for convenience but retain most of their natural form and nutritional value

2. Moderately Processed: 

1. Examples are foods that have been canned, frozen, or dried, such as canned beans or frozen vegetables. 

2. Process: some ingredients may be added but are generally close to their original state.

3. Heavily Processed (AKA Ultra-processed Foods - UPF)

1. Examples

• Drinks: Soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, and some alcoholic drinks 

• Snacks: Chips, cookies, crackers, and candy 

• Breakfast: Sweetened breakfast cereals and bars 

• Desserts: Ice cream, cakes, and cookies 

• Meat: Processed meats like lunch meats, hotdogs, bacon, sausage, and jerky 

• Bread: Packaged bread, hamburgers, and hot dog buns 

• Pasta: Premade pastas ready for the microwave 

• Other: Pastries, instant soups, and pre-prepared pizzas

2. Process: These foods usually have added sugars, salts, fats (in the form of seed oils), and artificial ingredients. They may also undergo multiple processes (extrusion, molding, milling, etc.), contain many added ingredients, and are highly manipulated.   

Ultra-processed foods should be avoided at all costs. Seed oils (Canola oil, Corn oil, Cottonseed oil, Grapeseed oil, Safflower oil, Soybean oil, Sunflower oil, Rice bran oil, Peanut oil, and Linseed oil) should be avoided at all costs. Anything with added sugar and salt should be avoided.  Unfortunately, more foods fall into this category than most people realize (additional examples of ultra-processed foods include biscuits, carbonated drinks, fruit-flavored yogurts, instant soups, and some alcoholic drinks, including whisky, gin, and rum).

Why does this matter?

The more ultra-processed foods we eat, the poorer the overall nutritional quality of our diet. A large study conducted over 19 years showed a 31% higher mortality rate for the highest versus lowest consumers of ultra-processed food from conditions including, but not limited to, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dementia. Recent data also shows that 57% of caloric intake in adults comes from ultra-processed foods, and it's even higher for our children, with 67% of their daily calories coming from ultra-processed foods.

Ultra-processed foods are engineered to promote overconsumption, inevitably leading to weight gain. To add insult to injury, they also often contain harmful ingredients that accumulate over time and take a significant toll on our mental and physical health. Ultra-processed foods are linked to increased rates of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, dementia, colon cancer (and some others), premature death, and shortened health span. 

How to Make Better Choices

If your food has a label, read it! Food manufacturers are counting on consumers not to turn over packages and look at the nutrition labels. Jump straight down to the ingredient list. If the list is long, then it is ultra-processed. It is ultra-processed if it contains ingredients you do not recognize, cannot pronounce, or would not find in a home-cooked kitchen.  

Cutting out all processed foods may not be feasible for most people reading this. So, instead of totally eliminating these foods, consider balancing your diet. Make sure there are minimally processed foods in there, too—eat fruit and vegetables with your meals and drink water instead of sugary drinks—and try to fit in time over the week for home cooking.

Cutting down on processed foods will make room for whole foods like fruit and vegetables, fish, unsaturated oils, nuts, and seeds. Here are some swaps to get you started: 

• Instead of flavored yogurts with added sugar or sweeteners, choose plain yogurt and add your chopped fresh, frozen, or dried fruit for sweetness.

• Instead of buying sauces or ready meals, cook your favorites in larger amounts at home and freeze the extra portions for another day.

• In the morning, have home-cooked oatmeal, overnight oats, or chia seed pudding with fruit and nuts instead of sugary, low-fiber breakfast cereals or oatmeal packets.

Be wary of deceptive food marketing and advertising. Ultra-processed foods are often marketed as “healthy,” “natural,” and “organic.” While these words may describe the original ingredients, they don’t refer to the process of how the food was made. So it’s buyer beware. Remember, an organic, natural cookie is still an ultra-processed cookie!

In summary, not all processed food is terrible, but choosing wisely for a healthier lifestyle is essential. If you are struggling with diabetes, PCOS, weight loss, anxiety, depression, inability to focus, body aches, inflamed joints, “IBS,” or fatigue (to name a “few” that can be attributed all or in part to diet), consider looking at your food choices before reaching for a new supplement or taking a new prescription medication.

The Erosion of Primary Care

In the intricate web of healthcare, primary care stands as the cornerstone, the initial point of contact, and the nurturing hub for individuals seeking medical guidance. Yet, despite its pivotal role, primary care is experiencing a gradual but profound decline, eroding the very essence of what it means to care for patients.

At the heart of this decline lies the devaluation of relationships. In the rush to optimize efficiency and maximize profits, the once sacred bond between patient and primary care provider has been diminished to mere transactions. Patients are reduced to data points, and their ailments are reduced to checkboxes on a form. The pressure to see more patients in less time has overshadowed the art of listening, empathizing, and truly understanding the patient's needs.

Compounding this issue is the commoditization of medical care. Once revered for its holistic approach to health, primary care has been reduced to a conveyor belt of prescriptions and referrals. The focus has shifted from treating the whole person to targeting isolated symptoms. In this system, preventive care takes a back seat to reactionary medicine, with little room for addressing the root causes of illness.

Moreover, primary care has become a gateway to services with higher reimbursement rates. Instead of being a hub for comprehensive care, primary care providers are incentivized to churn out referrals to specialists who command higher fees. This not only fragments the continuity of care but also perpetuates a system where profit drives patient management decisions.

Inadequate time to focus on prevention further exacerbates the problem. Primary care providers are stretched thin, juggling administrative tasks, insurance paperwork, and a never-ending stream of patients. This leaves little room for proactive measures such as lifestyle counseling, health education, and early intervention — all of which are essential for preventing chronic diseases and improving overall well-being.

The current framework incentivizes pill-pushing and metric-driven medicine, where success is measured by meeting quotas rather than fostering meaningful patient outcomes. The true essence of caring for people — listening to their concerns, addressing their needs, and guiding them on their health journey — is lost in this sea of bureaucracy and profit-driven healthcare.

To reclaim the soul of primary care, we must shift our focus back to what truly matters: the patient-provider relationship. We must prioritize time for meaningful interactions, listen, focus on prevention, take the time to coach patients through lifestyle modification and resist the temptation to prioritize profit over people. Only then can we restore primary care to its rightful place as the cornerstone of a compassionate and effective healthcare system.  This is why Direct Primary Care exists! We strive to be the answer to a broken system.