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.
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.
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.