10/02/2023
A landmark study by Hall et al. (2019) matched dietary patterns in relation to Ultra-Processed Vs. Minimally Processed foods. What we eat has a big impact on our health, and ultra-processed foods like candy, soft drinks, pizza and chips do not contain enough of the beneficial nutrients that the body requires.
It might sound like we should go back to eating only foods that are minimally processed, but with restricted time and budget, this isn’t an option for every individual. The goal here is to eat well in most cases by balancing and including both within the time and confines of our current dietary pattern.
Unprocessed or minimally processed foods: Fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat, and grains.
Processed foods: Freshly made, unpackaged bread, tinned fruits and vegetables, salted nuts, ham, bacon, tinned fish and cheese.
Ultra-Processed: Ice cream, ham, sausages, crisps, mass-produced bread, breakfast cereals, biscuits, carbonated drinks, fruit-flavored yogurts, instant soups, and some alcoholic drinks including whisky, gin, and rum.
Start by reading labels, learning how to develop your cooking skills so you can dine more often at home, and challenge yourself to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables for most meals.
