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Ultra-processed foods are associated with various health issues, both physical and mental. Despite being commonly found in grocery stores, many meals, snacks, drinks, and desserts fall under this category. Some items labeled as healthy are actually not. According to Neha Sachdev, MD, MS, foods that are ultra-processed undergo changes from their natural state, often for appearance or preservation reasons. For instance, comparing fresh eggs to frozen egg patties reveals how different their processing journeys are.
Consuming processed foods regularly can negatively impact overall well-being by affecting sleep, among other factors, as explained by registered dietitian Vanessa Rissetto. Rissetto advises opting for whole foods over convenience foods, planning meals in advance to avoid quick unhealthy choices, and paying attention to ingredient lists on labels. While occasional consumption of ultra-processed foods is acceptable, it is essential to be conscious of what you eat for better health outcomes. Here is a list of 11 ultra-processed foods that could have more detrimental effects on health than people realize.
Supermarket Bread
Even seemingly healthy commercially-produced bread, including organic, whole-grain options, may contain harmful additives. Dietitian Lindsey Wohlford highlights that if bread or other products contain preservatives to prolong shelf life, they are likely categorized as ultra-processed.
Plant-Based Meat
Fake “plant-based” meat is sold as a healthier alternative to real meat, but “Vegan meat may seem like a healthy and convenient alternative. However, its ultra-processed ingredients, GMOs, and gut-busting additives make it anything but a healthy choice,” says Amy Myers, MD. “If you want to optimize your health, whole, nutrient-dense foods will always be a better option than lab-made vegan meat.”
Plant-Based Milk
Plant-based milks are not the healthy option many people assume they are. Many shelf-stable alternative milks are packed full of additives and preservatives. “Ingredients will differ, and most of these are unlikely to make or break a plant milk’s nutrition profile,” registered dietitian Kimberly Spatola told Novant Health. “But there are two ingredients I would avoid — carrageenan and added sugars. If you drink a glass of cow’s milk, you’ll notice it is inherently sweet. So, many of these products try to mimic that by adding sugar. Instead, I always recommend unsweetened, unflavored plant milks.”
Breakfast Cereals
Most grocery store breakfast cereals, even the “healthy” ones, are packed full of dyes, sugar, and additives. “Many cereals and breakfast drinks marketed as healthy are ultra-processed. They can contain maltodextrins, processed proteins and fibers, and colors. Oats, on the other hand, contain just one ingredient: oats!” experts tell The Conversation.
American Cheese
Technically, American cheese isn’t even a cheese, it’s a highly-processed cheese product. “Processed cheeses like American cheese are loaded with sodium and saturated fats, both of which can raise blood pressure levels and increase risk of stroke or heart attack,” Lori Walker told She Finds, adding that high cholesterol levels “can also be a result of consuming too much processed cheese as they contain large amounts of cholesterol-raising saturated fats.”
Canned Soups
Many canned soups are full of unhealthy ingredients, including high levels of sodium. “People love soup, but it has a day-plus of sodium in one cup,” Amit Shah, MD, assistant professor of internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, tells AARP. “And sodium is a really important thing to pay attention to if you have congestive heart failure, prior heart attacks or have stiffening of the heart.”
Veggie Chips
Veggie chips are often touted as a healthy alternative to potato chips, but unfortunately they also count as a UPF. “You can gain a small amount of nutritional benefit from some of those foods, but they are still snack foods,” Julia Zumpano, registered dietitian with Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition, tells TODAY. “You’re going to be better off eating real kale or black beans versus the chip version of them.”
Frozen French Fries
Frozen french fries should just be potatoes, oil, and salt, right? Sadly, most supermarket frozen French fries contain a laundry list of unhealthy additives. “Frozen fries are still fried!” Dana Angelo White, M.S., R.D., A.T.C., tells Food Network. “Even worse, many brands use trans fats and palm oil which aren’t ideal for heart health. While fries do need a sprinkle of salt, many bagged brands have at least 15% of the daily recommendation of sodium per serving.”
Flavored Yogurts
When was the last time you looked at the ingredients on your favorite flavored yogurt? “Flavored yogurts are also ultra-processed,” says registered dietitian Julie B. Kramer via The Well by Northwell. “Not surprisingly, roughly 60% of calories in the typical American diet come from ultra-processed foods, and the foods in this category that are eaten in the highest amounts are beverages and other sugary products.”
Diet Soft Drinks
Experts warn about the impact diet soft drinks have on health. “Some [ultra-processed foods] I would never consume, such as soda,” ​​registered dietitian Jinan Banna, professor of nutrition at the University of Hawaii, told CNBC Make It. “Soda doesn’t have any nutritional value other than just calories in the form of sugar. So they’re empty calories, which don’t give us any of the nutrients that we need.”
Margarine
Margarine is not the healthy alternative to butter it was originally marketed as. “Sure, butter is creamy and spreadable, but it provides a significant source of saturated fat which in excess can lead to elevated blood cholesterol,” Zumpano says. “Margarine, made from plant-based fats and oils, is supposedly heart-healthier. However, not all margarine is created equal. Most margarines contain unhealthy plant oils in order to keep them solid.”
