More than half of Americans' calorie intake is from ultra-processed foods, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Not surprising. Want an example of an ultra-processed food?
Bread. Pasta.
Not just Wonderbread or whatever crap from the American grocery store…but any kind of bread, tortilla, etc.
Bread, lots of kinds of meats that aren’t just a piece of meat (sausages and ground meats are processed. Not sure about “ultra” processed). All kinds of “basic” stuff.
It does depend on the definition (some sources bring things like bread down into the minimally-processed or some middle category), but if you want unprocessed foods, you’re looking at raw fruits and veggies. Cooking counts as processing by some definitions.
If you allow cooking, you can add whole meats, natural herbs and spices, eggs, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, fish, milk, honey…but no frying them, and nothing canned or frozen. And no, you can’t turn the milk into cheese.
If you can eat a diet without any processed foods, or even primarily unprocessed foods, that’s great! It sounds difficult (and expensive) though, at least if you’re eating meat.
There’s a distinction between processed and ultra processed. Normal bread made from flour, water, yeast and salt is processed, not ultra processed. If its got emulsifiers, preservatives, and sugar added then its UPF.
Olives, cheese, traditionally made sausages are processed. That slab of competely uniform reconstituted meat is UPF. The cheese from a can is UPF.
Processed foods are broadly fine. We’ve been eating them since the dawn of civilisation.
In that case, I can see why it’s hard for North Americans to even just stick to regular processed foods.
A load of Wonderbread is $0.99. A loaf of bread at a bakery is maybe $2.99 and half the size. And Wonderbread is available at every store, even some gas stations. Not everyone has a local bakery within the distance of a short drive, let alone a walk.
I know I’m veering off into a different issue, but still.
It’s not necessarily because Americans choose to eat crap all the time. It’s just that the only realistic choice for a lot of people is ultra-processed, and it can take work to find even just regular “moderately processed” foods, let alone unprocessed foods.
Not to mention this says 55% of their calories. If you eat salad for lunch four days a week, and the fifth day you eat a hot dog, you just got 55%+ of your calories from ultra processed foods.
And that’s salad without dressing. So not even realistic.
I’m sure it’s worth it to try to do better, but honestly 55% doesn’t sound that bad to me.
Yes, that’s what I meant. They’d most likely be getting much higher than 55% of their calories from ultra processed foods.
A better example might have just been to say that a simple garden salad with a light Italian dressing is 60% “ultra processed” if you go by the calories.
Not surprising. Want an example of an ultra-processed food?
Bread. Pasta.
Not just Wonderbread or whatever crap from the American grocery store…but any kind of bread, tortilla, etc.
Bread, lots of kinds of meats that aren’t just a piece of meat (sausages and ground meats are processed. Not sure about “ultra” processed). All kinds of “basic” stuff.
It does depend on the definition (some sources bring things like bread down into the minimally-processed or some middle category), but if you want unprocessed foods, you’re looking at raw fruits and veggies. Cooking counts as processing by some definitions.
If you allow cooking, you can add whole meats, natural herbs and spices, eggs, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, fish, milk, honey…but no frying them, and nothing canned or frozen. And no, you can’t turn the milk into cheese.
If you can eat a diet without any processed foods, or even primarily unprocessed foods, that’s great! It sounds difficult (and expensive) though, at least if you’re eating meat.
There’s a distinction between processed and ultra processed. Normal bread made from flour, water, yeast and salt is processed, not ultra processed. If its got emulsifiers, preservatives, and sugar added then its UPF.
Olives, cheese, traditionally made sausages are processed. That slab of competely uniform reconstituted meat is UPF. The cheese from a can is UPF.
Processed foods are broadly fine. We’ve been eating them since the dawn of civilisation.
In that case, I can see why it’s hard for North Americans to even just stick to regular processed foods.
A load of Wonderbread is $0.99. A loaf of bread at a bakery is maybe $2.99 and half the size. And Wonderbread is available at every store, even some gas stations. Not everyone has a local bakery within the distance of a short drive, let alone a walk.
I know I’m veering off into a different issue, but still.
It’s not necessarily because Americans choose to eat crap all the time. It’s just that the only realistic choice for a lot of people is ultra-processed, and it can take work to find even just regular “moderately processed” foods, let alone unprocessed foods.
Not to mention this says 55% of their calories. If you eat salad for lunch four days a week, and the fifth day you eat a hot dog, you just got 55%+ of your calories from ultra processed foods.
And that’s salad without dressing. So not even realistic.
I’m sure it’s worth it to try to do better, but honestly 55% doesn’t sound that bad to me.
Most dressings are ultra-processed foods as well.
Yes, that’s what I meant. They’d most likely be getting much higher than 55% of their calories from ultra processed foods.
A better example might have just been to say that a simple garden salad with a light Italian dressing is 60% “ultra processed” if you go by the calories.
Yeah, whole food diet sounds great, until someone actually tries to do it - then they see how pervasive industrial food is.
Don’t get me wrong - its a great health idea to do a whole food diet, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.