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Cracking the UPF Code: Unveiling Foods to Avoid for Better Health

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By now, many of us know that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are ”bad.” But some of us, like me initially, may not know how to identify them or why they are “bad.”

UPFs have humble beginnings.

Food processing technology was meant to help prevent various foodborne infections. It also helped store food for longer to meet the demands of a growing population throughout the world.

However, this came at a cost.

UPFs have more salt and/or sugar than one typically eats in a single meal. They are loaded with artificial food colorings to make them look good, as well as artificial sweeteners to enhance the taste of an otherwise unpleasant mix of food parts. Emulsifiers are also added to “glue” a mix of foods that would have otherwise not blend together. Not only that, preservatives other than salt are also used to extend the shelf life of the UPFs.

The degree at which processed foods include these additives differs. The Nova classification describes the spectrum of processing involves in each foods. UPFs fall into the fourth category of this classification. Common UPFs include pastries, cookies, chicken nuggets, cereals, powdered drinks, frozen dinners, and many more .

Consuming UPFs are associated with a higher risk of diabetes, heart attack, high blood pressure, obesity and death. The higher salt and/or sugar content contributes to this association. Additives also decrease the healthier micronutrients available in non- or minimally-processed foods. They have also been shown to alter our guts’ microbiome and increase inflammation overall. Ingredients used in making the UPFs are generally of lower quality i.e generally unwanted animal parts or cheap butter and flour. In addition, artificial sweeteners and flavoring may actually increase cravings for more of the same food, thus increasing the change of over-eating.

Even with these negative health consequences, UPFs are not going anywhere.

We have to learn to be better stewards of our own health and choose wisely.

You should suspect that the food is ultra-processed if it is:

  • In a powdered or bar form
  • Packaged in a can
  • Placed in a hot dog or sausage casing
  • Shaped as cute animals or cartoon characters
  • Meant to be a replacement for a food type i.e. meat replacement
  • Meant to be ready-to-eat meals

Beyond these signs, I recommend looking for the following under the nutrition facts of the foods we get:

  • Serving size: Are we talking about a tablespoon, a cup, a dozen pieces, or the entire unit of food we purchased?
  • Fat content: In general, we want less saturated and mono-saturated fats, with more poly-unsaturated fats. I would recommend to be wary of foods that have more than 25% fat per daily value, especially when we know we will eat more than one serving per sitting.
  • Carbohydrate content: While total carbohydrates are important, added sugars are key to understanding how much extra sugars are added. The higher this number, the more likely we should avoid this food
  • Ingredients: While it would be nice to know what all the ingredients, I generally find that the longer the list, the more artificial ingredients the food has.

Many know that eating better is an important way to improve our health. I recommend the following:

  • Buying foods that retain the original shape of the product
  • Adding seasoning on our own
  • Buying fresh foods at local supermarket
  • Eating less UPFs throughout the week
  • Cooking our own food

Conclusion:

UPFs are all around us. We cannot avoid them entirely, but we can find ways to reduce our consumption of UPFs for our health.

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References:

Albuquerque TG, Bragotto APA, Costa HS. Processed Food: Nutrition, Safety, and Public Health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 7;19(24):16410. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416410. PMID: 36554295; PMCID: PMC9778909.

Elizabeth L, Machado P, Zinöcker M, Baker P, Lawrence M. Ultra-Processed Foods and Health Outcomes: A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2020 Jun 30;12(7):1955. doi: 10.3390/nu12071955. PMID: 32630022; PMCID: PMC7399967.

Lane MM, Gamage E, Du S, Ashtree DN, McGuinness AJ, Gauci S, Baker P, Lawrence M, Rebholz CM, Srour B, Touvier M, Jacka FN, O’Neil A, Segasby T, Marx W. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024 Feb 28;384:e077310. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-077310. PMID: 38418082; PMCID: PMC10899807.

Monteiro CA. Nutrition and health. The issue is not food, nor nutrients, so much as processing. Public Health Nutr 2009;12:729-31. 10.1017/S1368980009005291.

Touvier M, da Costa Louzada ML, Mozaffarian D, Baker P, Juul F, Srour B. Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic health: public health policies to reduce consumption cannot wait. BMJ. 2023 Oct 9;383:e075294. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-075294. PMID: 37813465; PMCID: PMC10561017.

Vitale M, Costabile G, Testa R, D’Abbronzo G, Nettore IC, Macchia PE, Giacco R. Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. Adv Nutr. 2024 Jan;15(1):100121. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.09.009. Epub 2023 Dec 18. PMID: 38245358; PMCID: PMC10831891.

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