What Happens When You Cut Back on Ultra-Processed Foods?
Drastically cutting back on ultra-processed foods could lead to significant health improvements, including having more energy and losing weight.
Ultra-processed foods—sweet and savory snacks, processed meats, packaged frozen entrées—account for 60% of the average American’s diet, but contain little to no nutritional value, and are packed with artificial flavors, preservatives, added sugars, and sodium.
“Highly processed foods are often calorie-dense, higher in refined grains, sugar, saturated fat, and salt, and lower in fiber and other important nutrients,” Sapana Shah, MD, MPH, clinical associate professor of medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and internist at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, told Health.
Excerpted from Health
