Can You Avoid Ultra-Processed Food?
A Stanford Medicine research dietitian spells out what ultra-processed means, why such foods are unhealthy and how to eat a healthy diet in a world filled with them. Most nutrition scientists agree that occasionally eating ultra-processed food, also called highly processed food, is no big deal. But, statistics show, that occasional part is no easy trick.
Such food now accounts for nearly 60% of U.S. adults’ calorie consumption. Among American children, that portion is close to 70%. In other words, ultra-processed food is starting to overwhelm the American diet.
The trend is alarming because these types of food — things like packaged snacks, sodas, frozen pizzas, sweetened cereals and instant soups — are often crammed with saturated fat, salt and sugar. They’ve been linked to a variety of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Excerpted from Stanford Medicine
