Are all ultra processed foods really bad?

Ultra processed foods: a term that we time and again encounter in articles and diet talks, conversation, and debates. Science has put these foods in the bad category. But this is a black and white picture. And this is not always so. There are gray areas too and colors too. Are all of these foods bad? What about the unprocessed versions of same foods?

Ill-designed studies

Science has equated ultra processed foods as bad. They advise people to avoid them completely. They claim that these foods have low nutritional value and can also harm the body. An article in The Conversation quoted two studies to prove their point. In one study, 20000 Italian recruits were questioned about their eating. The researchers found that eating these foods was associated with an increased all-cause premature deaths.

In another study, 50000 male health professionals in the USA were queried about their consumption of ultra processed foods and health. The authors found a high incidence of colon cancer in those who consumed them.

We all know that self-reported studies are of poor design since people do not provide accurate data in it. And specific questions were not asked in these studies about food processing, cooking methods, ingredients, brands etc. All these variables were not controlled before reaching the conclusion that ultra processed foods were bad.

Processed vs unprocessed foods

Diet author Dr. Chuck Dinerstein talks about excessive eating, weight gain and inflammation. This is true. But all this can happen even if one eats unprocessed sugars or sugary foods. All types of caloric dense foods (whether processed or not processed) can make you fat and lead to chronic inflammation and consequently the various diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, heart disease and cancer.

This means that it is the foods and not the processing that is the culprit. Dr. Chuck concludes:

“There is not a direct linear relationship between processing and food’s nutritional value,”

Thus food snobbers attribute the rise in chronic diseases to processing when in fact it is due to the food ingredient in it and not the processing that caused the problem.

The food additives and preservatives in these processed foods can harm but not all have it.

You can make healthy decisions

Adults are responsible and rational and can make their own decisions about healthy eating. You are not a victim as projected by these food snobbers. It is not that all processed foods are bad. Actually, the point is that eating certain foods whether processed or not is bad. These include all high calories foods. Therefore, one can have processed foods but in moderation. Even the unprocessed version of these foods should be had in moderation. Also, milk is highly processed.

But it has a lot of advantages especially in kids and women. It is full of calcium, vitamins and other nutrients. Therefore, even if processed, one cannot stop giving it to kids or consuming it for bone health.

Read also, Stomach aches: which foods can notoriously cause them?

Therefore the sentence “ultra processed foods are bad” should be stopped. One can have these foods but in moderation only.