Is there room on the plate for processed foods?
The debate over processed and ultra-processed foods is more nuanced than you might think.
Conventional wisdom says that in order to eat healthy, we should all avoid eating processed and ultra-processed foods in favor of whole foods. But what does that mean, really? Which foods count as processed or ultra-processed, and what makes those foods less healthy than whole foods?
Vanessa da Silva, extension specialist and the director of the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension’s Diabetes Prevention Program, and Jamie Lee Elliott, an associate professor of practice in the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness, take us on a deep dive into the topic of processed foods and their effects on health.
What does “processed food” mean?
Dietitians and nutrition researchers typically use the Nova food classification system to categorize foods and drinks based on their level of processing. Developed in 2010 by Brazilian nutrition and public health researchers, the Nova system defines four different levels of food processing, ranging from unprocessed / minimally processed through ultra-processed.
| Groups | Examples |
|---|---|
| Group 1 Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Foods: Naturally occurring foods with no added salt, sugar, oils or fats. | Milk, meat, eggs, fish, poultry; plain unsweetened yogurt; beans; fresh, frozen or dried fruits and vegetables; oats, grits, pasta, rice |
| Group 2 Processed Culinary Ingredients: Food products from Group 1 that have been processed by pressing, refining, grinding and/or milling. They're used in home and restaurant kitchens to prepare, season and cook Group 1 foods. | Vegetable oils, butter, vinegar; salt; sugar and molasses from cane or beet; honey extracted from combs; syrup from maple trees |
| Group 3 Processed Foods: Food products made by adding sugar, oil and/or salt to create simple products from Group 1 foods with increased shelf life or enhanced taste. | Canned vegetables, fruits and beans; some salted or sugared nuts and seeds; salted, cured or smoked meats; canned fish; fruits in syrup; cheese; freshly made bread |
| Group 4 Ultra Processed Foods: Industrially created food products created with the addition of multiple ingredients that may include some Group 2 ingredients as well as additives to enhance the taste and/or convenience of the product, such as hydrolyzed proteins, soy protein isolate, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, stabilizers, flavor enhancers, non-sugar sweeteners, and processing aids such as stabilizers and bulking and anti-bulking agents. | Commercially produced breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, donuts; breakfast cereals; soy burgers; flavored yogurts; ready-to-heat meals, such as frozen pizzas; soft drinks; candy |
The more processed a food is, the likelier it is that sugars, sodium, fat and other additives have been added along the way to help with palatability and shelf stability, da Silva said. Depending on the processing, there’s also potential for the food to lose some of its nutritive value.
But da Silva noted that while Nova classifications can be a valuable tool to analyze overall eating patterns, the discussion around processed foods has a lot of room for nuance. “It’s not as black-and-white as it might seem,” she said. “There are a lot of ways to eat a healthy diet, even if you’re eating processed and ultra-processed foods.”
Why do we process foods?
“The simple answer is that we process foods because there’s a need for it,” Elliott said.
Those needs include ensuring food safety, reducing cost, extending shelf life, increasing convenience and enhancing palatability, to name a few.
“Milk is a good example of a food we process for safety,” Elliott said. “Milk is a known vector for different types of foodborne illness, so we pasteurize it to make it safe, and to make it last longer before it goes bad.”
She pointed out that some foods are ultra-processed to make them safe for people with food intolerances, allergies or other dietary restrictions, as in the case of lactose-free dairy or plant-based milk alternatives.
Elliott observed that processed foods also tend to cost less than their fresh counterparts.
“Calorie for calorie, processed foods are less expensive,” she said. “On average, fresh foods cost three times more per calorie than processed or ultra-processed foods. That adds up, especially for folks at the lower end of the income spectrum.”
According to da Silva, processed foods can reduce food waste by extending shelf life and making portioning easier.
“It can be difficult to use up fresh food before it goes bad,” she said. “When you have something like canned vegetables or dry pasta, you can store them in your pantry and just pull out what you need when you need it.”
She added that convenience is one of the major drivers behind the popularity of processed foods.
“A lot goes into making something from scratch. You have to have the ability to buy and store fresh ingredients, you have to have space and equipment to prepare the foods, you have to have the skills and the time to cook it,” she explained. “Sometimes it makes more sense to grab a pack of pre-washed and cut carrot sticks for your kid’s lunchbox or microwave some instant oatmeal because it saves time.”
And, of course, companies process foods to enhance palatability, because if a food tastes good, it’s more likely to sell.
“We have to acknowledge that these are businesses,” da Silva said. “They want to make a profit. So yes, they make products that are appealing in terms of flavor, texture, color, because that gets them more customers.”
Are processed foods Inherently unhealthy?
Not necessarily.
“Anything you find on a grocery store shelf is going to meet a baseline of food safety in terms of its ingredients,” Elliott said. “In the U.S., food additives have to meet Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) standards set by the FDA. Our list may differ from those in other parts of the world, but if it’s on the GRAS list, it’s generally recognized as safe to eat, no matter how processed it is.”
Researchers have identified associations between diets high in processed and ultra-processed foods and a range of health issues, including cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, some cancers, and even anxiety and depression. But Elliott emphasized that correlation does not mean causation.
“It’s much harder to tease out exactly what is causing higher rates of health problems in populations with that eating pattern,” she said. “There are a lot of potential contributing factors beyond diet alone.”
da Silva observed that the terms “processed” and “ultra-processed” are often used as a kind of shorthand to refer to foods that are high in added sugar, sodium and fat and are low in nutrient density.
“We know that a dietary pattern that is high in added sugar, high in saturated fat, high in sodium and low in fiber is not what we should be eating,” she said. “But not all kinds of processing have that effect. So it isn’t as simple as just avoiding all processed foods – it might actually be more useful to think about the nutrients in a food instead of how processed it is.”
What should we look for at the grocery store?
Elliott and da Silva agreed that there’s room for processed foods on our plates and in our pantries. Exactly how that plays out for individuals depends on budget, dietary needs, lifestyle, culture and personal preference.
“When I’m thinking about whether a processed or ultra-processed food is good to include in the diet, I think about nutrient density,” Elliott said. “Is it a good source of vitamins and minerals? Is it high in fiber or protein?”
Both dietitians advised taking a good look at the label when you’re making decisions about what to buy.
“The nice thing about packaged foods is that they come with nutrition labels, which can tell you a lot,” da Silva said. “Look at the fiber content, look at the added sugar content, look at sodium, look at the fat. And look at what comes first in the list of ingredients.”
The bottom line, she said, is that we don’t need to be afraid of processed foods on principle.
“There’s a lot of great, healthy food in those inner grocery store aisles – that’s where you find the dried or canned beans, the canned fruits and veggies, the quick-cooking grains and pastas,” said da Silva. “So the classic advice of only shopping the grocery store perimeter isn’t necessarily true.”