By Dr Attia Anwar
Processing food means changing it in some way so it is ready to eat. Most food we eat is processed in some way, like milk is pasteurized to get rid of germs. Processing is done to preserve food for longer periods, like freezing and canning.
We can process food at home, like adding spices to make pickles, drying vegetables, or making jams from fruit. These processes are not generally harmful to food. The term ultra-processed food is used to refer to ingredients that are used to processed. Those ingredients, we do not normally use at home. They usually have more than one ingredient that you do not find in your kitchen. They have gone through significant industrial processing. They have preservatives, sweeteners, fats, dyes, and emulsifiers. Examples of these foods are sweetened drinks, crisp, packaged meat, pastries, and ready meals. Ultra-processed foods are high in calories, sugar, saturated fats, and salt. So they are not good for health, especially if eaten in large amounts. If we are eating these foods and not enough whole foods, fresh fruits, and vegetables. It is not good for health. They are linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Eating processed food is also linked to cancer. It is not known whether it is the processing of food or high calories, sugar, and salt content that is related to health problems. Everyone will benefit from eating less processed food. Healthy eating includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and high-fiber starch, with a small amount of fresh or frozen healthy animal proteins.
On average, people take half of their calories from ultra-processed food in urban settings. It is not surprising because they are convenient, cheap, and appealing. Ultra-processed food affects our health negatively in two ways. First, they give you high calories; second, they do not leave room for nutritious foods that are good in micro and macronutrients.
“Doctors always recommend a Mediterranean-style diet, which has plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and a minimum amount of processed ingredients”
Moreover, additives in these foods are bad for health and are linked with many diseases, including cancer. The actual processing of food can alter the way our body responds to it. For example, if we eat whole nuts, our body absorbs less fat as compared to when they are ground down. We need more research to find out what is in ultra-processed food that is causing harm to the body. It can be one element or a combination of all these. However, considering the high salt, sugar, and saturated fat content, cutting them down is a sensible option.
“Eating foods that are fresh or minimally processed, like pickles, is very good for our long-term health”
Everyday items like breakfast cereal and bread are also considered ultra-processed food. Less nutritious ultra-processed foods are prepared meals, sausages, nuggets, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and pre-prepared chips. Although there is a problem in lumping together different types of food under the umbrella term ultra-processed food. However, it has helped to establish a link between high intake of these foods and worse health outcomes. There is a shred of growing evidence that these foods are bad for the heart and circulation, but we are not yet sure that we should eliminate these foods from our diet. Eating foods that are fresh or minimally processed, like pickles, is very good for our long-term health. The question remains, with restricted time and budget, how to achieve this health benefit. So we can start by cutting out these foods and replacing them with healthy options like fresh fruits and vegetables. We should drink water instead of sugary drinks with meals. We should spend some time cooking at home. It is important to remember that not all ultra-processed foods are equally bad. We should educate ourselves by reading the food labels. We can use wholegrain bread, cereals, and baked beans instead of crisp and commercial pizzas. Reading food labels and what is meant by they is important. We should know how much salt and sugar we are consuming in these foods. Having some nuts instead of biscuits is another good idea. Instead of using pre-prepared sauce, we can make our favorite sauce from fresh ingredients and freeze it for later use.
The latest research has proven the link between these processed foods and high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and early death. So, cutting down these processed foods as much as you can is extremely important for better health and longevity. I always recommend a Mediterranean-style diet, which has plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and a minimum amount of processed ingredients. For busy people, this ultra-processed food may have become their go-to diet. They are sacrificing nutrition for convenience. These ultra-processed foods are linked to more than thirty bad health conditions, according to research. They are cleverly manipulated to be convenient and tasty. They appeal to common cravings. But many doctors say they have hardly any whole food ingredients in them. They have large amounts of sugar, salt, preservatives, and artificial flavors. They are better at preserving shelf life than human life. They are perfect storms to promote overconsumption, weight gain, and metabolic abnormalities. The constraint of limited access to food due to the issue of affordability leads to high consumption of these unhealthy foods. Calories that we get from different foods may be the same in number, but they are different in effect. For example, calories from apples and apple bars may be the same in number, but are different in nutrition. Eating processed food regularly will lead to the accumulation of harmful substances in our bodies. It is difficult for the body to get rid of large amounts of toxic substances. So it is important to re-evaluate what you think is healthy. Cooking your meal at home with whole food ingredients is the healthiest choice. It may be difficult for everyone to practically eliminate all the ultra-processed food. But thinking about change and gradually replacing unhealthy ingredients with healthy ingredients is important. Everyone should think about what works for them. You can take the expert advice of a doctor or nutritionist on what would be most beneficial for you. Start with a small change and develop specific, actionable, healthy goals.
The author, Dr. Attia Anwar, is a consultant family physician with a postgraduate degree from the Royal College of GPs UK. She is a strong advocate of health and well-being and wants patient participation in decision-making regarding health.
