Are Ultra-Processed Foods Real Food?

What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?

This blog post helps explain what ultra-processed foods are and how to spot them when you’re shopping or eating at home.

Ultra-processed foods are foods that are made mostly in factories, not kitchens. They are created using many steps, machines, and chemicals. These foods are often designed to last a long time, taste very strong, and be easy to eat right away.

Scientists use something called the NOVA system to group foods based on how much they are processed.

The Four NOVA Food Groups

Group 1: Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Foods: These are foods that are close to how they come from nature, like:

• Fruits and vegetables

• Beans and grains

• Milk, eggs, meat, and fish

They may be washed, cut, frozen, cooked, or dried, but nothing extra is added like sugar, oil, or salt.

Group 2: Cooking Ingredients: These are things we use to cook food, such as:

• Oil

• Butter

• Sugar

• Salt

They usually come from natural foods and are used in small amounts to make meals.

Group 3: Processed Foods: These are foods made by adding sugar, salt, or oil to real foods, like:

• Bread made with flour, water, salt, and yeast

• Cheese

• Canned vegetables

These foods are still pretty close to real food.

Group 4: Ultra-Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods are very different.

They are made by:

• Breaking foods into pieces (like sugar, oils, or protein powders)

• Changing those pieces with chemicals

• Putting them back together with lots of additives

They often contain ingredients you would never use at home, like:

• High-fructose corn syrup

• Artificial flavors and colors

• Emulsifiers and thickeners

These ingredients are added to make food:

• Taste extra good

• Look bright and appealing

• Last a very long time

Examples of ultra-processed foods include:

• Soda

• Candy and chocolate bars

• Chips and packaged snacks

• Instant noodles and boxed meals

• Sugary cereals

• Hot dogs, nuggets, and fast-food burgers

  
  

Why Are Ultra-Processed Foods a Problem?

Studies show that ultra-processed foods are often:

• High in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats

• Low in fiber, vitamins, and minerals

Eating a lot of these foods can lead to:

• Weight gain

• Heart problems

• Diabetes

• Stomach and gut issues

They can also make you want to keep eating, even when you’re not hungry.

In some countries, more than half of the calories people eat come from ultra-processed foods.

How Can You Tell If a Food Is Ultra-Processed?

You don’t need to worry about whole foods like fruits, vegetables, or fresh meat — those are not ultra-processed.

For packaged foods, check the ingredient list.

A food is likely ultra-processed if:

• It has a very long ingredient list

• It includes ingredients you don’t recognize

• It lists things like “artificial flavors,” “colors,” “emulsifiers,” or “sweeteners”

If you see even one of these factory-only ingredients, the food is probably ultra-processed.

Understanding

Not all processing is bad. Cooking, freezing, and fermenting food can be helpful and healthy.

The problem is ultra-processed food, which is:

• Made mostly in factories

• Designed to be cheap, addictive, and heavily marketed

• Replacing real meals around the world

  
  

Ultra-processed foods are not real food in the same way fruits, vegetables, and home-cooked meals are.

Learning how to spot them helps make better choices for health.