Ultra Processed Foods – Understand what they are to improve your long term health
Have you ever heard of the term Ultra Processed Foods? Often, when we talk about packaged foods, the generic term “processed foods” is used, however, almost all foods are processed to some extent, so it is unhelpful to call these foods “processed”. There are important differences between levels of processing of foods, in fact, there are four classifications. Following, there will be a breakdown of the classification of processed foods, and how to identify ultra processed foods in the supermarket so that you are making an informed choice on what goes into your shopping trolley.
The NOVA Classification System and Ultra Processed Foods
The NOVA classification system was developed to group foods according to the extent of processing they have undergone. Processed foods can be difficult to avoid, but by understanding the NOVA system and what ultra processed foods are, it will be easier to identify them in the supermarket.
NOVA Group 1: Unprocessed or minimally processed foods
This group includes whole, natural foods such as the edible parts of plants including vegetables, fruits, leaves, seeds, stems, roots, of animals, meat, eggs and milk, fungi, algae and water.
Minimally processed foods are those that have undergone a process to either preserve them, or make them safe for storage or more edible and can include processes such as drying, roasting, grinding, filtering, pasteurisation, refrigeration and freezing, as examples.
Group 1 foods include fruits, vegetables, grains, all types of legumes, mushrooms, red meat, poultry, seafood, fish, eggs, milk, fruit and vegetable juices (without added sugar, sweeteners or flavours), pasta, oats, wheat, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, tea, coffee and water.
Group 1 foods do not contain additives and resemble the whole food or the properties of the whole food.
NOVA Group 2: Processed Culinary Ingredients
Group 2 foods are derived directly from group 1 foods or from nature used to prepare, season and cook group 1 foods and make them varied and enjoyable homemade dishes. These include soups, broths, breads, preserves, salads, drinks and desserts. The processes include pressing, refining, grinding, milling and drying.
Group 2 foods may contain additives such as antioxidants and preservatives to preserve the food’s original properties. These foods are nearly always eaten with group 1 foods. Examples of group 2 foods include, rock salt mined or sea salt from seawater, syrup from maple trees, honey from honeycomb, sugar from sugar cane, vegetable oils from olives or seeds and butter from milk.
NOVA Group 3: Processed Foods
Foods are classified as processed foods when their products include the addition of salt, vinegar, sugar, oil and other group 2 foods to group 1 foods. Most processed foods contain 2-3 ingredients and the processes include various preservation and cooking methods, non-alcoholic fermentation in making breads and cheeses and alcoholic fermentation to make wines and beers.
Processed foods may contain additives such as antioxidants and preservatives, and include foods such as canned or bottled vegetables, fruits and legumes, salted or sugared nuts and seeds, salted, cured or smoked meats, canned fish, cheese and unpackaged breads.
Foods in groups 1, 2 and 3 in the NOVA system are nutritious foods that can be identified or resemble whole food and are foods that you would normally find in a home kitchen. This is not the case for group 4, ultra processed foods.
NOVA Group 4: Ultra Processed Foods
Ultra processed foods (UPF) contain very little, if at all, any group 1, 2 or 3 type foods. They are essentially made up of formulations of many ingredients, none of which you would find in a home kitchen. They are high in sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and kilojoules (energy) and low in dietary fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals. UPF are made to entice us to buy and consume by their desirable packaging, and aggressive marketing. They are cheap to buy (cheaper than the other NOVA groups) and are attractive to our senses – taste, smell, and what they look like.
In Australia, UPF makes up 42% of our diets and this number is increasing rapidly. UPF are not real foods, high intake has a higher risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol (bad), heart disease, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cancer, depression and gut disorders. Their tastiness leads to mindless eating and overeating as they negatively affect our satiety cues so that we don’t know when we have had enough and they impact our gut microbiota due to low quality ingredients and low nutritional value.
The food substances you may see on the packaging of UPF include:
- Sugars – fructose, high fructose corn syrup (not in Australia), fruit juice concentrate, invert sugar, maltodextrin, dextrose, lactose
- Modified oils – hydrogenated oils, interesterified oils
- Protein sources – hydrolysed protein, soya protein isolate, gluten, casein, whey protein, mechanically separated meat
- Cosmetic additives – flavours, flavour enhancers, colours, emulsifiers, emulsifying salts, sweeteners, thickeners, anti-foaming, bulking, carbonating, foaming, gelling and glazing agents.
Ultra Processed foods include:
- Soft drinks
- Confectionary
- Sweet or savoury packaged snacks
- Mass-produced breads and buns
- Margarines and other spreads
- Biscuits, pastries, cakes
- Breakfast cereals
- Pies, pizzas, chicken and fish nuggets, sausages, burgers, hotdogs
- Powdered and packaged instant soups
- Desserts
- And many more
How to Identify UPF in the supermarket
The first thing to highlight here is that not all packaged foods are ultra processed foods. The easiest way to identify if a food is ultra processed is to check its ingredients list, if it has at least one food substance that is found in a UPF (as above) such as sugars, modified oils, protein sources or cosmetic additives it is a UPF. UPF are foods that contain ingredients that you would not find in your standard kitchen. Keep this in mind when shopping, but don’t become too analytical about it, just notice which foods are ultra processed.
To say that we should not eat UPF at all is unrealistic as our dietary patterns are made up of many different types of foods. Creating awareness of what ultra processed foods are and the impact of overconsumption on our health is the key, so that you can make informed choices at the supermarket and for your health. There is room for all types of foods and variety in our diets, but it is best to eat more of groups 1, 2 and 3 of the NOVA foods and less of group 4 overall. If we are eating too much UPF on a daily basis we are becoming disconnected from the actual foods we are eating. In fact, we are losing our cooking skills as a population as homemade meals become less and less in favour of the convenience of UPF.
References:
1 Harvard Health Publishing, What are ultra-processed foods and are they bad for our health?
2 Machado PP et al, Ultra processed foods and recommended intake levels of nutrients linked to non-communicable diseases in Australia: evidence from a nationally representative cross sectional study, BMJ Open, 2019;9(8): e31462476
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6720475/
3 Monteiro CA et al, NOVA. The star shines bright, [Food classification, Public health], World Nutrition, Jan – Mar 2016, 7, 1-3, p28-38
https://worldnutritionjournal.org/index.php/wn/article/view/5/4
4 Monteiro CA et al, Ultra processed foods: what are they and how to identify them, Pub Health Nutr, 2019 Apr 22(5):936-941
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10260459/
