“Most ultra-processed foods are not foods, they are industrially produced edible substances,” says Fernanda Rauber, a Brazilian scientist in public health and food epidemiology at the University of São Paulo.
Soft drinks, packaged snacks, sweets, chocolate, biscuits, cakes, pastries, sausages, burgers, pies, refrigerated pizza, chicken nuggets, protein bars, low-fat yoghurt, breakfast cereals, bread, muesli, chips, frozen meals and others processed foods contain artificial ingredients designed to make people crave and overeat them, without realizing that they are ultra-processed foods and can often seem like healthy foods to us.
But Nicole Avena, visiting professor of psychology at Princeton University, believes that “limiting these foods is more important than counting calories or controlling carbohydrates” and recommends freeing oneself from the grip of ultra-processed foods by discovering them by reading the purchase labels , “because knowing what you eat or feed your family is critical,” he told the Washington Post.
Ultra-processed foods ‘shorten life expectancy’
Ultra-processed foods have become the source of the majority of calories consumed by people, making up 57% of the diet in the UK, and 58% of calories consumed by Americans come from ultra-processed foods, despite scientists warning that they cause many diseases, which shortens the average lifespan, because they are mostly foods subjected to treatments that “can have effects on health”, according to the Washington Post.
Two recent large studies have shown that ultra-processed foods significantly increase the incidence of hypertension, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. A study published in 2021 linked consumption of ultra-processed foods to increased deaths from cardiovascular disease.
A study published in 2022 also indicated a relationship between ultra-processed foods and a higher incidence of dementia. According to the American magazine “Time”, studies have also revealed the link between a greater consumption of these foods and a series of health risks, such as the increase in obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Guide to warning signs about ultra-processed foods
The experts presented 9 signs that their knowledge will help consumers discover ultra-processed foods:
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1- The presence of more than 3 components
Steven DeVries, MD, assistant professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, recommends focusing on foods with as few ingredients as possible when purchasing.
According to Tim Spector, professor of epidemiology at King’s College London, foods such as canned fish, fruit, cheese and fresh bread usually contain only two or three ingredients for preserving or cooking, and these ingredients are the whole food plus salt, oil or sugar. In Britain, ultra-processed foods contain long lists of ingredients that seem complicated.
If you buy bread, for example, choose the kind that contains simple ingredients, such as flour, grains, and salt, and avoid those that contain sugar, vegetable oil, artificial sweeteners, multiple preservatives, emulsifiers, and shelf-life extenders, such as ascorbic . acid, calcium propionate and monoglycerides.
Ultra-processed foods typically contain long lists of ingredients that seem complicated (Shutterstock)
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2- Thickeners, stabilizers or emulsifiers
Ultra-processed foods often include colors to make them attractive, preservatives to extend shelf life, and thickeners, stabilizers, and emulsifiers, to improve texture or prevent ingredients from spoiling while they sit on store shelves for weeks or months.
If you want to find out about them, look for ingredients like soy lecithin, guar gum, xanthan gum, carrageenan, mono- and diglycerides, or carboxymethylcellulose.
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3- Added sweeteners
“Try to avoid foods that contain corn syrup, malt syrup, brown sugar, or molasses,” says Dr. DeVries, and add as much sugar or honey as you can.
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4- Sugars with other names
What appears on the label as sucrose, maltose, dextrose, fructose or glucose are all other misleading names for added sugars.
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5- Artificial or “fake” sugars.
Because artificial sweeteners and flavors are a hallmark of ultra-processed foods, they are added to “mask the unpleasant taste of preservatives and other added ingredients,” says Nicole Avena, author of No Sugar, look for aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, or stevia.
Artificial sweeteners and flavors are a feature of ultra-processed foods (Bixabe)
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6- Marketing statements
Ultra-processed foods such as breakfast cereals, flavored yogurts, protein bars and snacks often contain “nutrition claims” and are full of sweeteners and other additives.
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7- Low sugar promises
A label that indicates a product is low in refined or added sugars can be a “red flag,” because manufacturers often replace the added sugar in their products with artificial sweeteners.
Label claims may indicate that the product is low in refined or added sugars (Shutterstock)
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8- Quick and flavored dishes
says Dr. Defries: “If you want oatmeal, buy only oats. Don’t be attracted by fruit or other flavors.” Also, if you like fruit-flavored yogurt, buy plain yogurt and add your own fresh fruit.
Many fruit-flavored yogurts contain not only fruit, but also other additives such as cane sugar, corn starch, natural flavors and concentrated juices.
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9- The possibility of making the product in your kitchen
When you have doubts about a product, look at the ingredient label and ask yourself “can you make this at home”? Because ultra-processed foods are “often made with 10 or more ingredients, including preservatives, colors, artificial sweeteners, and other products you don’t understand and won’t find in your kitchen,” says Dr. Tim Spector.
Junk foods may contain brown sugar, corn starch, natural flavors, and concentrated juices (pixels).
An app to help detect ultra-processed foods
For those who don’t have the time or ability to scan all the supermarket labels, there’s a free app called Open Food Facts. Its database contains more than 3 million products and helps you search for products and scan codes to reveal superfoods. Under processing.
2024-01-16 12:44:33
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