Unprocessed Foods vs. Ultra-Processed Foods: An Overview of Their Differences and Harmful Health Effects

In today's fast-paced world, maintaining a balanced diet can be a challenge. However, understanding the role of ultra-processed foods in our diets and learning to make healthier choices can help us steer towards a healthier lifestyle.

Ultra-processed foods, such as chicken nuggets, frozen meals, hot dogs, packaged soups, potato chips, soft drinks, and sweetened breakfast cereals, are convenient options that have found their way into many kitchens. These foods, produced by major manufacturers like Kraft, Mondelez, Coca-Cola, and Kraft Heinz, are often packed with artificial or extracted ingredients, making them shelf-stable and flavourful.

However, the extra, modified ingredients in ultra-processed foods can lead to various health conditions. The added sugar, fat, and salt in these foods cause inflammation inside the body, which is directly correlated with developing various diseases, including heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

The good news is that by cooking at home, learning cooking techniques, and modifying recipes, one can learn to achieve a more balanced diet. Learning to make your own versions of ultra-processed favourites, like sweet potato chips, nutty banana muffins, and oats and honey bread, can help maintain a healthier diet.

Making small swaps, like adding more whole or minimally processed foods to your diet, can also help balance out the ultra-processed foods. Minimally processed foods, such as frozen or canned fruits/vegetables, dried and canned beans and lentils, whole grains, canned tuna, and roasted nuts, can be part of a healthy diet, especially for those on a tight budget.

Being realistic about what's doable is important. Completely cutting out ultra-processed foods may not be achievable for everyone, but making small changes can lead to significant health benefits. Eating more plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, and whole foods overall increases the chances of a healthy life.

It's not necessary to completely eliminate ultra-processed foods from the diet, but learning to make healthier versions of them can help maintain a balanced diet. Reading nutrition and ingredient labels can help avoid common food additives and preservatives in ultra-processed foods, such as high-fructose corn syrup, BHA and BHT, carrageenan, food dyes, hydrogenated oils, MSG, potassium bromate, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, and sulfites.

Ultra-processed foods are a patchwork of ingredients, additives, and preservatives, making them more addictive due to the added ingredients like salt, sugar, fats, and others for flavor enhancement and shelf stability.

In conclusion, while ultra-processed foods offer convenience, they come with health risks. By understanding what we eat and making conscious choices, we can work towards a more balanced diet and a healthier lifestyle.