GREEN EATING
delicious food that cares for you and the planet
ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS
I don't pretend to be a food technologist, so I'll keep my commentary on the processed food debate light. If this is a new topic to you, there is a lively debate occurring about processed foods and the impact they have on our bodies. In the UK, over 50% of our diet is made up of ultra-processed foods, the highest figure in Europe. In France for example. it's just 14%.
What is an ultra-processed food (UPF)?
There isn't a clear cut definition of what a UPF is. Of course the term suggests a definition based on the level of processing, but it's commonly defined as foods that have ingredients which you wouldn't recognise in a kitchen cupboard, like emulsifiers and artificial flavourings. UPFs include obvious foods like crisps, biscuits, chocolate and fizzy drinks, but also seemingly healthy foods like mass produced brown bread, cereal bars, low-fat yoghurt and meat alternatives.
Some UPFs will be high in salt, fat and sugar, and some won't. Which is why it is difficult to understand the health impacts of this broad group of products.
The NOVA classification of food
This classification system is commonly used, although it's not perfect. Healthy and unhealthy products can be found in each of the 4 categories, although perhaps not in equal measure.
Group 1: Unprocessed / minimally processed
This includes produce such as fruit, vegetables, milk, fish, pulses, eggs, nuts and seeds that have no added ingredients and are pretty much in their natural state. It includes things like fruit and veg that has been frozen, dried, or juiced, pasteurised milk and flours.
Group 2: Processed ingredients
This includes culinary ingredients that wouldn't be eaten on their own. They derive from group 1, through simple processing techniques. Examples include salt, sugar, vegetable oils and butter.
Group 3: Processed foods
This includes foods made from a few ingredients from groups 1 and 2. For example, cheese, salted nuts, canned vegetables, bread made from just flour, salt, yeast and water.
Group 4: Ultra-processed foods
Ultra-processed foods are made through industrial processes, with ingredients that you wouldn't find in a kitchen, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colours and flavours. Aside from the more obvious unhealthy foods, UPFs also include many breads, breakfast cereals, energy bars, health drinks, yoghurts, fortified foods, condiments, dressings, ready meals, meat alternatives and dairy alternatives.
IS PROCESSING BAD?
Processing can have many benefits. It can kill harmful bacteria (pasteurisation), improve the bioavailability of nutrients (cooking) and increase longevity of food (fermentation and preserving), The health of a product is arguably not about the level of processing, but more about the additives and the make up of the final product.
However, there is increasing evidence that the rise of processed foods over the last 50 years has a strong correlation to the decline in dietary health of the population. It may well be that these foods are having adverse impacts on our bodies, in ways we do not yet understand. Certainly some of the additives now found in many common UPFs, were never designed to be food in the first place. These additives may be messing with our hunger hormones, our gut micro-biome and our fat and blood sugar regulation system.
Should we cut down on UPFs?
There is no unanimous answer here. I expect over the next decade we'll discover a lot more about UPFs and their impact on health. I personally wouldn't be surprised if it's not cheery. But it's not easy to avoid these foods, especially if you are cash and time poor. If you're keen to look after your health, it might not be a bad idea to stick to as much fresh produce as possible.