31/10/2025
Health | Wellness | Nutrition | Healthy Eating | Clean Eating |
Ultra-processed foods are foods that have been altered to include fats, starches, sugars, salts and hydrogenated oils extracted from other foods.
All of these additions add taste and flavor, which makes you want to keep coming back for more. They also make ultra-processed foods shelf-stable, which means they last longer in your pantry before expiring. And importantly, they also have negative health implications. Those extra, modified ingredients can lead to a variety of health conditions. 🍬🍭🧂🍟🌭🍿🍡🍩🧁
The added sugar, fat and salt in these foods means they have more calories than whole and minimally processed foods. These added ingredients also cause inflammation inside the body, which is directly correlated with developing a variety of diseases.
Ultra-processed foods raise your risk of:
-Heart disease.
-Obesity.
-Type 2 diabetes.
When grocery shopping, always check nutrition and ingredient labels. Try to avoid common food additives and preservatives like:
-High-fructose corn syrup.
-Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT).
-Carrageenan.
-Food dyes.
-Hydrogenated oils.
-Monosodium glutamate (MSG).
-Potassium bromate.
-Sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite.
-Sulfites.
All of these ingredients indicate that something has been added to the ingredients to add both stability and sweetness. Unless you’re extremely regimented and have mastered the art of meal prep, it can be difficult to cut out ultra-processed foods. But a little goes a long way, and starting small can ultimately lead to big changes for your health.
