{"id":11324,"date":"2024-02-22T07:52:14","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T07:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/?p=11324"},"modified":"2024-02-22T07:52:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T07:52:14","slug":"ultra-processed-food-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/ultra-processed-food-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Ultra-processed food: A practical guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not easy to navigate the supermarket aisles around all the ultra-processed food now available. Dr Linia Patel has this guide for you.<\/h2>\n

It could be the long-life oat milk in your morning latte or the diet drink you have with your lunch. Your snack-time flavoured yogurt or your post-workout protein bar. It could be savoury snacks or sweet baked cookies. It could also be the mass-produced wraps you use to make your lunch. Or the veggie sausages you use for your dinner. Ultra-processed foods (UPF) have, of late, been a hot topic of debate which unfortunately has led to mixed messages in the media, making it hard to know which foods to buy. Here is your guide.<\/p>\n

What is a UPF?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Cooking, freezing, drying, fermenting \u2026 all are forms of food processing that have been used for centuries. The classification of UPF is relatively new. The most widely used system was introduced by a Brazilian professor in 2009. The Nova system group, which is the most commonly used classification system, groups foods into one of four categories: unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods and ultra-processed foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Group<\/strong><\/td>\nContext<\/strong><\/td>\nExample food <\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/strong><\/td>\nUnprocessed or minimally processed<\/strong><\/p>\n

Foods in their natural state or that have been minimally processed. They may have been pressed, dried, frozen, pasteurised or fermented.<\/p>\n

 <\/td>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fruit and vegetables<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pulses<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rice<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Oats<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shelled nuts<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fresh milk<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Natural yogurts<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fresh or frozen fish or meat<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

2<\/strong><\/td>\nProcessed culinary ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n

These foods have been through simple processing. However, they have been used in day-to-day cooking.<\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/td>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Butter<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Vinegars<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Salt<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sugar<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cold-pressed vegetable oils<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

3<\/strong><\/td>\nProcessed foods<\/strong><\/p>\n

These foods have been through processing techniques such as canning or bottling as a way to preserve them or add flavour.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tinned fruit and vegetables<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cheeses<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Smoked fish or meats<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Artisan-made bread<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Beer<\/p>\n

 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

4<\/strong><\/td>\nUltra-processed foods<\/strong><\/p>\n

These foods have gone through several industrial procedures and contain ingredients you wouldn\u2019t normally find in your kitchen like preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners and artificial colours. Within this there is a very large and diverse group.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, in the UK up to 60% of our calories come from this group.<\/td>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sliced bread<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Breakfast cereals<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ready meals<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mass-produced sausages and foods like chicken nuggets<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ready-made pasta and curry sauces<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Junk food like crisp and chocolates<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Protein bars and powders<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Flavoured yogurts<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Chocolates<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sugary drinks<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Distilled alcohol<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

What the science says<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The research on ultra-processed foods is growing and evolving. In the past, studies have grouped all UPFs together, which meant it was hard to compare the effects of wholegrain breakfast cereals with mass-produced biscuits, for example.<\/p>\n

Observational studies (research that suggests a link but can\u2019t prove causation) that have looked at large groups of people have shown that those who eat more UPFs have higher rates of obesity and chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and even some types of cancer like colon cancer. While there is a link between UPF intake and poorer health, we still do not know exactly why. There are a number of different theories that have been proposed, which include:<\/p>\n