It’s first important to note that there is a place for processed foods in any diet, even if you’re working to lose weight. While these ingredients are generally less nutritious than their whole food counterparts they can bring joy and excitement to eating that should not be overlooked. That being said, 80% of your diet should be based around eating whole foods, and when you lean on processed ingredients to fill you up you run the risk of overeating and failing to keep your body full with the vitamins and minerals it needs to thrive.
“Ultra-processed foods typically contain refined sugars and oils and they tend to be high in sodium,” warns LaVardera. “They don’t typically offer beneficial nutrients like fiber, vitamins or minerals, and when they do, these nutrients are often from synthetic or ultra-processed sources, not whole foods.”
As processed foods are generally lacking in nutrients that can help to fill you up and keep you satisfied in between meals such as fiber, you may find that eating these meals can lead to an inconsistency in energy levels and even an increase in appetite. “Eating ultra-processed foods can lead to blood sugar spikes and dips and they might leave you feeling less energized. They also aren’t satiating, meaning you could find yourself feeling hungry shortly after you eat,” explains LaVardera. “Overall, these are not the foods you want to be fueling your body.”
Outside the day to day effects of eating a mainly processed diet, this eating plan can also bring along some fairly significant long term effects as well. “Eating ultra-processed foods is linked with increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes,” says LaVardera. “The research on the effects of ultra-processed foods on human health is fairly new, so it’s likely we’ll link these foods to even more negative health outcomes as the research evolves.”
Once again, consuming these foods in moderation will not ruin your body or put you at risk over time, but when processed foods make up most of your meals it begins to pose a threat to your health down the road.
Understanding what constitutes processed food is also vital for knowing what should be avoided or kept to a minimum in your diet, and LaVardera stipulates that it’s the ultra-processed items that you should be wary of. “Ultra-processed foods are essentially industrial formulations. The ingredients lists will read more like a chemical formula than a recipe, and you won’t be able to recognize any whole foods in the final product,” she says. “Examples include packaged snack cakes and processed meat like chicken nuggets.”
Thankfully, making the switch to eating largely unprocessed foods can remedy much of the damage that a poor diet can cause on the body, and focusing on including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein sources within your eating habits can make all the difference in reversing the impact of a processed diet. “Many conditions like hypertension, pre-diabetes and even type 2 diabetes can be reversed with dietary switches,” notes LaVardera.
She suggests trying to fill your plate primarily with fruits and vegetables before moving on to the rest of your meal, so you’re making sure to give your body the nutrients it needs to feel great. Keeping your fridge and cabinets stocked with healthy items can make eating well that much easier, and as you cut down on ultra-processed items you should begin to notice more energy and a healthier body in no time.