Seemingly the antithesis to natural foods, processed foods make up a sweeping category of grocery-store finds that you’ve probably heard to limit in your diet, or to at least eat in moderation. Technically, though, “processed” just refers to “any change in the food from its original state,” Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, MS, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells SELF. “This means apples, picked at the farm, washed, bagged and placed in the supermarket produce aisle are considered processed.” And yet, these fruits are clearly distinct from a super-industrialized item like, say, chicken nuggets or potato chips. Hence the creation of a more specific term to refer to products like the latter: ultraprocessed foods (UPFs).
This subset of processed foods has become a real nemesis in the nutrition world thanks to a surge of research linking UPFs with a host of bad health outcomes. Adding to their villain status, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (President Trump’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services) has called these items “poisoned food” and suggested they’re playing a role in our “chronic disease epidemic.” Below, experts break down what qualifies as an ultraprocessed food (spoiler alert, it’s not always synonymous with unhealthy), as well as how these items may impact you—and to what extent you should try to nix them from your diet.
What defines an ultraprocessed food?There’s no one definition that experts agree is perfect for distinguishing the foods in this most processed camp. But in recent years, researchers have coalesced around a food classification system called Nova, created by a team of experts led by epidemiologist Carlos Monteiro, MD, PhD, at the University of São Paulo. It sorts foods into four categories:
Unprocessed or minimally processed foods, which include items eaten how you’d find them in nature (like fresh vegetables and fruits, meat, poultry, and fish), as well as ones that have been altered slightly just to make preparing them easier or increase their durability (like frozen or dried fruits and vegetables with no added sugar, legumes, milk, plain yogurt, flour, pasta, couscous, coffee, and tea).Processed culinary ingredients, which are made via pressing, extracting, or otherwise simply processing group 1 foods, and include vegetable oils, butter, lard, sugar, honey, corn starch, vinegar, and salt.Processed foods, which are made by combining items from groups 1 and 2, and using a method to either preserve them (think: canned or bottled vegetables, canned beans or fish, or fruits in syrup) or modify them slightly (as in, breads and many cheeses). Unlike the above two groups, items in this category may include chemical additives so long as their only function is to extend the food’s shelf life or keep pathogens from growing in it—and not to cosmetically enhance it in any way (for example, antioxidants like citric or ascorbic acid or antimicrobials like acetic or benzoic acid).Ultraprocessed foods, which are industrial formulations of substances that are extracted or refined from whole foods, like oils, hydrogenated oils, fats, flours, starches, variants of sugar, and cheap parts or remnants of animal foods, Ruth Kava, PhD, RD, senior nutrition fellow at the American Council on Science and Health, tells SELF. Another distinguisher is their inclusion of cosmetic additives. These are things like flavorings, colorings, non-nutritive sweeteners, and emulsifiers that are used solely to increase the food’s “palatability and sensory characteristics” without providing any nutritional value, Maya Vadiveloo, PhD, RD, a registered dietitian and nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Rhode Island, tells SELF. You’ll find a long list of mass-produced packaged items in this category, like sweet and savory snacks, flavored yogurt, instant noodles, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, lunch meats, plant-based meat substitutes, frozen meals, and sodas and energy drinks.What’s important to note is that this food grouping system doesn’t account for nutritional value, Dr. Vadiveloo says. So it’s not technically a spectrum from healthy (group 1) to unhealthy (group 4); it just scales the degree of processing or how distinct an item is from something you’d find in nature—with things that are basically unrecognizable from a natural source falling in the UPF category. That’s why she says people shouldn’t be wary of processing on the whole. “If I use oil to cook beans, I’ve made a group 3 food,” she says. “Processing is just cooking—it’s combining different raw ingredients to make a meal.”
That said, many of the processes used to create a UPF also tend to result in a final product that is indeed…unhealthy. “It’s difficult to ignore the fact that so many of the foods that we would call ultraprocessed under the Nova definition have nutrient public health concerns,” Dr. Vadiveloo says. Indeed, research suggests as many as 84% of ultraprocessed items on the market are also high in saturated fat, salt, and sugar—which would make them not-so-healthy just based on standard dietary guidance, she says.
Are all ultraprocessed foods bad for you?A whole bunch of studies have found a link between eating a diet rich in UPFs, as reported by participants, and experiencing various negative health outcomes. In 2024, a team of researchers analyzed several recent studies on the topic and identified a whopping 32 negative health-related measures associated directly with UPF consumption, with the strongest link for cardiometabolic outcomes (like heart disease and type 2 diabetes), mental disorders like depression and anxiety, and mortality from any cause. Other recent studies suggest UPFs are connected to elevated risk of dementia, cognitive decline, and having multiple chronic conditions (specifically cancer and a cardiometabolic condition).
But all of these associations are evidence of just that: a correlation, not a cause-and-effect relationship, Anderson-Haynes emphasizes. To prove the latter, you’d need a trial wherein people are instructed to eat a specific diet of UPFs—and change nothing else about their lifestyle—while being monitored for health issues (not just observational proof that these two things often co-occur). Anderson-Haynes notes that there’s only been one such trial, conducted on 20 people in 2019. It found that when those folks ate mostly ultraprocessed foods for two weeks, they took in about 500 more calories daily compared to when they ate mainly unprocessed foods for the same length of time. Because they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted at each meal while on either diet, the difference in energy intake suggests that a UPF-heavy diet can directly trigger overconsumption, which experts have theorized for years. And over time, taking in extra calories without much, if any, added nutritional value could up your risk for obesity and the chronic diseases associated with it. (Though it’s worth noting, the science linking weight and health is complex and, in some ways, flawed.)
There’s also evidence to suggest that all UPFs are not created equal—and that isolating the effects of certain ultraprocessed foods could paint a more nuanced picture. For instance, a recent study analyzing UPF intake and heart disease risk in nearly 300,000 people found that those who reported eating the most UPFs (via food questionnaires over several years) had a 23% greater risk of developing coronary heart disease than those who ate the least. But when the researchers ran their analysis on specific UPF food groups, only certain ones showed the same association—namely, processed meats and sugary or artificially sweetened drinks. When they teased out other UPFs like breads, cereals, yogurts, and savory snacks, they found the opposite link: a lesser likelihood of heart disease.
And that’s not the first study to find that some of these foods might not be so bad for you or could even be net-positive. Other research suggests certain UPF mainstays like storebought whole-grain breads, sweet and savory snacks, cereals, yogurt, and even dairy-based desserts may be linked with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. And even the study above that found eating more UPFs overall could make you more likely to develop multiple conditions noted that animal-based products and sugary or sweetened drinks were the clearest offenders, while UPF categories like breads, cereals, and plant-based meat alternatives “were not associated with risk.”
So, clearly, the degree to which a food is processed isn’t the only factor determining how healthy (or unhealthy) it is. After all, the inoffensive UPFs above are still nutrient-dense, containing essential vitamins and minerals—even if they come with a side of flavor-enhancing additives. And in the case of an item like whole-grain bread, for instance, which general nutrition guidance would suggest is beneficial, “we don’t have food-by-food comparison to show that there’s something health-harming about an ultraprocessed version as opposed to a simple processed or homemade one,” Dr. Vadiveloo says.
Why is there a link between ultraprocessed foods and poor health?As mentioned, there’s substantial overlap between ultraprocessed foods and not-so-healthy ones: Most UPFs happen to also pack a lot of sugar, salt, and saturated fat—which decades of research tells us can be a detrimental combo, particularly for your heart. There’s also some evidence to suggest that certain food additives, artificial colors, and emulsifiers used commonly in UPFs could mess with the balance of our gut microbiome (a.k.a. the colony of microbes living there) or otherwise contribute to the above health consequences, Dr. Vadiveloo says. (See: the recent ban on the food dye Red No. 3.)
But what really concerns experts about UPFs is less about the health risks of any one ingredient and more about the web of forces causing us to eat a ton of them. For starters, there’s the fact that the additives used in them are specifically designed to enhance their flavor, smell, and overall palatability—think of the tauntingly transparent Lay’s slogan: “Betcha can’t eat just one.” Beyond being tasty, they’re also generally low in filling nutrients like fiber and protein, which makes it even easier to consume them at high volumes.
And that’s not even taking into account the ubiquity of their presence: More than 73% of the US food supply is ultraprocessed. “Most [of these items] are made, advertised, and sold by large or transnational corporations and are very durable, palatable, and ready to consume,” Dr. Kava says, “which is an enormous commercial advantage over fresh and perishable whole or minimally processed foods.” Hence why you see them everywhere—not just in grocery stores, but also on end-caps in department stores and checkout sections at pharmacies and so many other unsuspecting locales, Dr. Vadiveloo points out. It’s nearly impossible to avoid them, much less the aggressive marketing about them.
No wonder ultraprocessed foods make up nearly 60% of the average American diet. The problem with that is, you’re taking in lots of calories in exchange for limited nutritional value and satiety. You’re also not leaving much wiggle room to get in the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, Dr. Vadiveloo says. In fact, research suggests that eating more UPFs overall coincides with a decrease in levels of key vitamins and minerals. In other words? What you’re not consuming when you go hard on the UPFs could have as big of a detrimental impact on your health as what you are.
The bottom line: Ultraprocessed foods ideally shouldn’t make up the bulk of your diet—but it’s not realistic (or necessary) to avoid them entirely.Yes, there’s ample evidence to suggest your health will benefit if you make unprocessed (or minimally processed) foods the majority of your diet. But buying up a bunch of fresh ingredients and just cooking every meal yourself is a lot to ask of basically anyone, especially folks who have full-time jobs, families to feed, or few resources to spend on food.
So it’s helpful to remember, first, that foods exist on a spectrum when it comes to how processed they are—and processing itself is not the enemy. Plenty of processed foods (that wouldn’t get the “ultra” designation) like soft cheeses, canned vegetables, and canned fish are actually full of nutrients and way more convenient than their fresh, whole alternatives. And second, even ultraprocessed foods can be a totally fine part of your diet if you eat them in moderation. Given that research hasn’t fully elucidated why these foods are linked with poor health and not all items in this category always show this association, just focus on limiting UPFs that lack nutritional value, if you can, Dr. Vadiveloo suggests—meaning, the foods that general dietary guidelines would advise against anyway, like sugary drinks and processed meats.
Also, know that having the occasional soda or piece of bacon still isn’t super problematic. In fact, allowing yourself these treats may make it easier for you to choose more nutritious options at other times. Not to mention, the entire idea of sorting foods into “good” and “bad” categories may be triggering for those with a history of disordered eating. So, as much as possible, keep your expectations reasonable and your food choices balanced—whatever that means for you.
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Source : Self.com