If you’ve followed health news articles for a bit, you know that “processed foods” is a bit of a recent buzzword that has been popping up lately. The media likes to set its focus on one thing after another to demonize, and this seems to be the recent flavor. So, let’s take a closer look at processed foods, what they actually are, and how detrimental they truly are to your diet.

A Dive Into Ultra-Processed Foods

What are Ultra-Processed Foods?

This is actually a more complex question than one might think. I think most of us have some general ideas on what constitutes “processed.” However, this sort of thing falls on a spectrum. You can consider both cheese and a fast food hamburger as processed foods. Most folks, though, will agree that the latter is more processed than the former. So where do we draw the lines?

There is no clear consensus on what constitutes “ultra-processed foods,” as there have been several systems proposed for classifying foods as such. The term itself, though, comes from a 2010 paper that intended to create and establish the criteria for different levels of processed foods, known as the NOVA classification system. In this initial system, foods are divided into three different categories based on levels of processing. This has since been revised into four different levels (Table 1).

GROUP NUMBER	DEFINITION	EXAMPLES
Group 1: Unprocessed and minimally processed foods	Single basic foods, unprocessed or minimally processed, e.g. cleaning, freezing, pasteurization, fermentation.	Fresh meat and milk, grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, bottled spring water, coffee
Group 2: Processed culinary or food industry ingredients	Substances extracted and purified from group 1 foods to produce culinary and/or food industry ingredients.	Salt, sugar, molasses, honey, vegetable oils, butter, lard, starches
Group 3: Processed Foods	Relatively simple products made by adding sugar, oil, salt, or other group 2 substances to group 1 foods.	Canned fruits/vegetables, salted/sugared nuts, cured/smoked meats, canned fish, cheeses, freshly made breads
Group 4: Ultra-processed foods	Multiple-ingredient foods, high in Group 2 foods. Contain little of group 1 foods. Contain extra additives, enhancers, preservatives, and processing aids	Carbonated sodas, cookies, ice cream, frozen dinners/pizzas, hamburgers, hot dogs, instant noodles/soups

Why Are They Considered “Bad”?

I think it’s pretty well established that processed foods are seen negatively. But what is it about them that warrants that image? There are plenty of arguments to be made here, so I’ll distill them down a bit. These are what I consider three of the biggest practical shortcomings to ultra-processed foods:

Nutrition

As stated by NOVA, unprocessed foods are usually comprised of or formed from derivatives of group 2 foods, with small amounts of group 1. During the refinement process, it’s not uncommon to lose amounts of micronutrients, i.e. vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber. When compared to the group 1 members, like raw fruits and vegetables, ultra-processed foods typically contain much lower levels of these micronutrients. 

Additives

Most ultra processed foods have extra additives in them to keep them edible longer. This allows for easier mass distribution and longer shelf life in stores. They also have compounds such as dyes and bulking agents to enhance the appearance and shape of the food. For the most part, these additives are relatively benign, but some have been found to be detrimental to one’s health. Two well-known examples are trans fats and erythrosine, i.e. Red No. 3.  

Palatability

Ultra-processed foods usually have a host of different ingredients and additives specifically designed to make them more appealing to one’s taste buds. Examples of these include refined sugars like high fructose corn syrup or added fats like hydrogenated oils. The resulting palatability lends itself to overconsumption. More on this below. 

Do They Cause Fat Gain?

Well, yes and no.

In the strict sense, ultra-processed foods don’t cause excessive fat gain. There’s no magical ingredient or refining method in these foods that sets off some unique fat-gaining mechanism in the body. One can argue that the additives in the foods may be detrimental to overall health, but that’s a different argument than them uniquely creating body fat somehow. Science still hasn’t managed to get around “calories in = calories out.”

Now, where ultra-processed foods do make things rough is their palatability. They tend to be a combination of really tasty, energy-dense, and poorly satiating. This combination means they’re easy to overeat, full of calories for their size, and don’t fill you up well. This opens the potential to overconsume hundreds, if not thousands, of extra calories a day. That’s definitely capable of packing on the pounds.

Conclusion

While processed foods are certainly less than ideal for a diet, it’s likely not harmful to include them in moderation. The focus of your intake is still best suited by minimally processed, whole foods. They should always be the backbone of any dietary approach. Just don’t get too freaked out by the occasional slice of pizza here and there.