What does it mean when a food is processed? The debate around processed food, especially ultra processed food, is heating up. Get the scoop on what you need to know about the safey, quality, and nutrition of processed foods.
What do breakfast cereals, frozen peas, shredded cheese, infant formula, and tofu have in common?
Any guesses?
They’re all…dun, dun, dun… processed foods! Some, like cereal, infant formula, and certain types of tofu technically fall into the category of ultra processed foods, or UPFs.
In today’s health-conscious world, processed foods have become a hot topic of debate. But what does it really mean when a food is processed? Are all processed foods unhealthy, or is there more to it than meets the eye?
As a dietitian, I keep thinking that I’ve heard it all with the myths and food fear-mongering. But a prevalent misconception is that all processed foods should be off-limits. So, let’s talk about it.
In this blog post, we will explore the different types of processed foods, debunk some common myths, and provide a balanced view of their impact on health. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clearer understanding of processed foods and the answer to whether it is OK to eat processed foods
Spoiler: It is 100% OK to eat processed foods, and I have the recipes to prove it!
What’s Included In This Post
What is Processed Food?
Talking about all processed foods is daunting because it’s such a big category. “Processed foods” can include any method of changing the food from its original form or “natural state” to make it more palatable, extend the shelf life, or make it safer to consume.
As you stroll down the grocery store aisle or browse options in your favorite grocery store app, there’s an overwhelming amount of choices…including lots of foods that come in cans, glass, or plastic packaging. These plentiful choices come with a mixed bag of benefits and concerns, which we’ll explore.
Processed foods include:
- turning milk into cheese or yogurt
- canning tomatoes or buying a jar of pasta sauce
- freezing peas or any other types of vegetable or fresh fruit
- grilling a steak
- shredding a carrot
- turning potatoes into crispy potato chips
- adding nutrients to food through enrichment or fortification
- bubbly soda sweetened with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial sweeteners (including energy drinks and trendy soft drinks with prebiotic fiber added)
- protein powders or greens powders
These are some examples of taking whole foods and processing them into something different.
Despite thinking about processing as a modern-day phenomenon, we have been processing foods since the times of hunters and gatherers. Our early ancestors were drying legumes, salting meat and fish, and pounding grains. These early processed foods helped humanity survive and develop trades beyond sustenance; if your whole day isn’t devoted to getting enough to eat, there is more time to develop other skills, hobbies, and professions.
These days, there is a lot of pushback about foods being “too” processed. Let’s discuss.
What is a Highly-Processed Food?
Highly processed foods, AKA ultra-processed foods or UPFs, go through multiple steps with added ingredients. Some of these might seem unfamiliar if you don’t work in the world of food science or nutrition. I recently attended a summit about transparency in the food system and a consumer panel shared their common definition of food processing was foods with ingredients they couldn’t pronounce.
Processed foods may be lower in essential nutrients compared to their less-processed counterparts or unprocessed foods. For example, whole-wheat flour is refined into white flour, which is lower in fiber and B vitamins.
However, we also fortify foods to help combat these nutrient losses. That’s why many grain products are fortified with B vitamins (1). Adding the synthetic form of folate (folic acid) helped reduce the number of babies born with serious birth defects like spina bifida or other neural tube defects.
Another concern some people have about processed foods is that they may include food additives like artificial colors or flavors, non-nutritive sweeteners, and stabilizers to enhance taste, texture, and appearance (2).
Ultra-processed foods are designed to be convenient and hyper-palatable. They typically contain ingredients you may or may not use in home cooking, such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and artificial sweeteners. This might make them less expensive in some cases, or last longer on the shelf without spoiling.
There are pros and cons to processed foods (which we’ll get into below). Many people, including myself and other dietitians, rely on them for convenience and affordability. The key is to understand the balance and make informed choices.
The NOVA Classification System
With so many examples of ultra-processed foods to consider, we needed a scale or measurement to quantify how processed a food is. The best-known scale is called the NOVA classification system (3).
What is it?
The NOVA system is a widely-recognized tool used to categorize foods based on their level of processing (4). The system includes four categories:
- Unprocessed or minimally processed foods (e.g., fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk)
- Processed culinary ingredients (e.g., oils, butter, sugar, and salt)
- Processed foods (e.g., canned vegetables, cheese, and freshly-made bread)
- Ultra-processed foods (e.g., fast food, sugary drinks, and packaged snacks)
It can get confusing in a hurry. For example, take canned fish, like what’s pictured above. Both are processed. But the pouch of salmon is considered “less processed” according to the NOVA scale than the canned tuna, which has added ingredients like kimchi and flavoring.
A Brief History
The NOVA classification was developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. NOVA, which is based on a Portuguese phrase that means “new classification,” aims to help consumers identify the degree of processing in their foods and make healthier choices (5). The system is now used by various health organizations and researchers worldwide.
Strengths of NOVA
- Clear Categorization: This helps consumers like you to easily understand the level of processing.
- Health Guidance: Provides a framework for conducting research and establishing dietary guidelines as well as public health policies.
Downsides of NOVA
- Oversimplification: Not all ultra-processed foods are unhealthy. Would you consider infant formula to be “junk food”? No? Me neither. And yet, NOVA groups it in Category 4 with other ultra-processed foods.
- Cultural Bias: The system may not account for traditional foods in different cultures.
And, despite the clearly defined criteria, there’s sometimes disagreement (even among food experts!) about which category certain foods belong in. For example, chicken nuggets, deli meat, and hot dogs are easily classified in Category 4. But certain types of peanut butter or yogurt might land in different categories depending on the brand, flavor, or added ingredients.
The Bottom Line: The NOVA system isn’t going anywhere, and neither are UPFs. But this system can only tell you how processed a food is, not whether it’s nourishing or “healthy” for you.
Pros and Cons of Processed Foods
First of all, no one is suggesting that you should only eat ultra-processed foods. However, it’s also pretty difficult to avoid them entirely, nor is that realistic to have as a goal for most of us.
Dietitians often face criticism for normalizing the consumption of processed foods, but the truth is that moderation is key. This is the internet, so folks love to take words out of context. The important thing to remember is that nutrition is highly personal, and there are many reasons we choose to eat a specific food or not.
Plus, there are some benefits of food processing that we shouldn’t ignore, starting with safety.
Pro: Food Safety
Some processing methods can make foods safer to eat.
For example, cooking chicken and pasteurizing milk reduces the risk of foodborne illnesses. According to the CDC, pasteurization effectively kills harmful bacteria in milk, making it safer for consumption. Raw milk might be less processed, but it’s certainly not safe to drink! Processing (in this case, pasteurization) significantly lowers the risk of foodborne illness (6).
Pro and Con: Nutrient Retention and Loss
Processing can affect nutrient levels in foods – but not always in the way that you’d expect.
Most folks assume that all processing methods are detrimental to nutrients in the foods. And sometimes that is the case. For example, cooking tomatoes reduces their vitamin C content. Canned tomatoes have less vitamin C than fresh tomatoes.
However, some processing methods actually increase the nutrient availability in foods. Remember those cooked tomatoes? They may have less vitamin C, but the cooking process increases the bioavailability of lycopene, the antioxidant that makes tomatoes red, and can lower your risk of chronic disease (7, 8).
Having said that, it is also important not to lose sight of the big picture. The vast majority of adults in America are missing the mark with fruits and veggies. Why do we want to vilify anyone eating “processed” produce such as bagged salad with a bottled salad dressing, canned peaches, or frozen stir fry mix (9)? Just because a food may have lower levels of some nutrients does not mean that it’s a black hole of doom.
Please consider this your permission slip to eat and enjoy any fruit and veggie – processed or fresh form – prepared however you like. All forms count towards your total daily servings.
Pro: Accessibility
Since the time of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, processing foods helps to preserve them for later. The clock is quickly ticking on a pint of fresh blueberries or raspberries, but a jar of raspberry jam or a bag of frozen blueberries are both on standby, without risk of foodborne illness, for a long time.
And for everyone who is living in an area without access to fresh food – such as food swamps or neighborhoods impacted by food apartheid – processed foods are their only option. It is wildly problematic to blame someone for making the best choices that they can from the limited options that they have.
Accessibility also applies to people who might otherwise have a hard time feeding themselves or getting enough to eat. Processed foods can help people with chronic illness, disability, or other challenges take care of themselves more easily or live independently.
A can of soup, a slice of toast, and a cup of apple sauce combine quickly for a nourishing and quick lunch without sapping a lot of energy. There should be zero judgment around that, full stop.
Pro and Con: Cost
Because processed foods are less likely to spoil, they’re easier to transport and can sit on a grocery shelf for a while. This lowers the cost for consumers, and that is a great thing. With grocery prices through the roof, having more accessible, affordable foods helps all of us.
But other times, processed foods might be more expensive than fresh foods cooked from scratch. This might be the case in the summertime when fresh produce is everywhere you look. Another example is processed foods with a “health halo”. These are your protein shakes, green smoothies, and other packaged foods that are just as processed as other items but appear to be more “healthy” based on marketing or label claims. Often, there’s a savvy influencer or celebrity endorsement to help with marketing. Don’t be fooled — you’ll just be paying more for a different type of processed food!
Pro and Con: Processed foods taste great
Ultra-processed foods tend to have more added sugar, salt, and other additives. This means that they taste great. With that in mind, we are more likely to overindulge in highly processed foods. This is not said to shame anyone who enjoys a bag of chips (I’m raising my hand here, too).
However, it is worth noting that when folks have more processed foods in their daily routine, they also may eat more calories than they need (10). Because highly processed foods tend to be lower in fiber and protein – two nutrients that satisfy – people tend to eat more of them.
Side note: If you’re watching the amount of salt in your diet, check out my tips on how to make a low sodium diet taste better!
Pro: Save time and energy
I know I’m not alone as I feel time-crunched for meal prep. And I’m only preparing food for two of us – not kiddos! I appreciate having processed foods to save my time and energy so we can have a tasty meal and still have time and energy for other important things in life.
Con: Ultra-processed foods increase disease risk
Eating a lot of ultra-processed foods does come with risk; the more these foods are present in your daily routine, the greater your risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and more (11).
This isn’t linked to any single food product. At this point it’s a correlation or assiciation, not a definitive cause-and-effect situation. And it is possible to eat a nutritionally adequate, healthy, high-quality diet from mostly processed foods…here’s a really interesting study for more on that.
But, that doesn’t reflect how most of us plan our meals out here in the real world. If you have health risks or a family history of chronic disease, you should talk to your healthcare team (including a registered dietitian!) for personalized advice. And for the most part, try to stick to foods or food products that work for your lifestyle, budget, and taste preferences without focusing only on how processed they are or aren’t.
My Favorite Recipes Using Processed Foods
Processed foods can be part of a healthy diet when chosen wisely. Cutting them out entirely doesn’t mean you’ll have a healthier diet, just like relying on only ultra processed foods isn’t the best advice either.
Here are some of my favorite recipes that incorporate processed ingredients:
- Kielbasa Sheet Pan Dinner with Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes: This easy sheet pan recipe features smoky kielbasa sausage with cheesy potatoes and sauerkraut. It’s a perfect example of how processed foods can be used in a nutritious, delicious meal. And it’s one of my most popular recipes on Pinterest with rave reviews!
- Vegetarian Stir-Fry with Crispy Orange Tofu: Tofu is a processed food that is high in protein and versatile in cooking. This stir-fry recipe is both flavorful and nutritious.
- Easy Halloumi Salad: Halloumi cheese is another processed food that can add a delightful texture and flavor to salads.
- One-Pot Creamy Spinach Rice: This recipe uses Boursin cheese, a processed soft cheese that adds creaminess and flavor to the dish.
- Creamy Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches: thanks to flaky croissants, rotisserie chicken, and curry paste from a jar, this is one of my favorite flavorful sandwiches!
As a registered dietitian, I feel like a superhero if I can educate and empower you so that you can make the best choices for yourself based on your unique priorities. I don’t want you to fall victim to fear-mongering or false information.
Processed foods have come a long way from the preservation processes used in the past. As our processing techniques evolve, so too do the potential risks and benefits. But extra ingredients don’t automatically mean a food is less healthy, and the good news is that processed foods can serve a valuable purpose in certain situations.
Ready to take control of your food choices and eat fearlessly? Join my mailing list to stay informed, dodge fake news, and embrace a balanced diet free from fear-mongering. Let’s navigate the world of nutrition together with confidence!
