Question: “Buyer beware” on ultra-processed food risks left me anxious to avoid them. But that’s difficult if “83% of foods” in supermarkets are ultra-processed. The worst examples are relatively easy to spot. But other foods may fit somewhere in between, such as bread, “gourmet” soups or a family pie. How do I avoid the main problems of ultra-processing?
Answer: Like many things in life, food processing is not black and white, processed or unprocessed. Foods range from those that have zero or minimal processing to the ultra-processed with associated health risks. Between the extremes is a plethora of foods that are processed to varying degrees.
Many processed foods make our lives more convenient without compromising our health.
Indeed, imagine a world where pasta had to be made from scratch with flour, eggs and olive oil on the day it was eaten. The trusty weeknight staple of spaghetti bolognese would probably be dethroned, given that many of us do not have the time, energy or inclination to make pasta on demand.
Fortunately, dried pasta is readily available and can be stored for extended periods. Check its ingredients list and you will find only one easily recognisable ingredient: wheat.
Thus, dried pasta falls into group 1 of the Nova classification system developed by researchers for categorising processed foods.
The Nova system’s four groups are based on the degree of processing. Group 1 includes unprocessed and minimally processed foods that, along with foods in groups 2 and 3, are fine for a balanced, healthy diet.
Group 4, however, contains the ultra-processed foods we should limit or avoid because of their health risks. As noted in my earlier column, a new study shows eating more ultra-processed foods is linked to a greater risk of getting certain cancers, along with such other health issues as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and more.
Group 1 foods are unaltered or altered by removing inedible parts, drying, grinding, cooking, pasteurising, freezing or non-alcoholic fermentation.
In addition to dried pasta, this category includes fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, pulses, packaged grains, flours, nuts, pasteurised milk and chilled or frozen meat.
Group 2 includes processed culinary ingredients; that is, ingredients obtained from group 1 that are processed in some way to prepare them for use. Examples include butter, vegetable oils, honey, salt and spreads such as peanut butter. All of these items are made from clearly recognisable food ingredients.
Likewise, group 3 foods are processed by combining products from group 1 and group 2, using various preservation methods such as fermentation, canning or bottling. Examples include canned vegetables in brine, freshly made bread or cheeses and cured meats. If your store-bought gourmet soup contains group 1 and 2 ingredients, it probably falls into this category.
However, if it is an instant soup made from little or no whole foods, it would fall into group 4′s ultra-processed category.
Ultra-processed foods differ from the other three Nova groups in that they contain little or no whole food (or real food) ingredients. What’s more, they typically have five or more ingredients and always include substances extracted or derived from foods (that is, ingredients not found in a home kitchen), such as protein isolates, additives, colours, flavours and emulsifiers.
Examples include instant soups, noodles, biscuits, packaged snacks, lollies, soft drinks, and many ready-to-eat/heat meals.
Many store-bought pies would fall into group 4. However, some gourmet fresh pies could fall into group 3.
The key to identifying group 4′s ultra-processed foods is to check the ingredients list on the package.
If it has more than five ingredients and most of those are not whole foods found in a home kitchen but rather, industrially derived food substances and additives created in a factory, then it is probably an ultra-processed food product.
These foods should be either avoided or limited.
