Are Ultra-Processed Foods Killing You?

by Dr. Randall Hansen

Yes; that’s the short answer.

Yes, with the high levels of average consumption, these foods will shorten your life – as well as fill it with chronic conditions that will hinder the quality of your life.

Ultra-processed foods cover the gamut of products found in the supermarket and fall under all umbrellas, including foods labeled “healthy,” “natural,” “organic,” “keto,” and “plant-based.”

Adults in the U.S. consume more than half (57-60 percent) of daily calories from ultra-processed foods. Sadly, children consume more than two-thirds (67 percent) of daily calories from ultra-processed foods.

The Standard American Diet consists of 60-90 percent ultra-processed foods (and snacks). Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet has been introduced worldwide by the major food manufacturers, slowly destroying the health of people in all parts of the world.

This article will explain it all – and include links to additional articles and research at the end – so that readers will understand ultra-processed foods and their dangers.

Ready to learn everything you need to know about ultra-processed foods?

Ultra-Processed Foods Defined

Ultra-processed foods include prepared, packaged, frozen, and fast foods. The vast majority of the food products (some say as high as 75 percent) in the typical supermarket are now ultra-processed.

The key to unlocking whether a product you’re considering buying (or already buying) is simply to take a deep dive into the ingredients list. For more assistance here, please see my article, Keys to Truly Understanding Food Labels.

These products look like real food – food we know – but have many ingredients that would make them impossible for us to make at home, including hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, and soy lectin. (For example, home-cooked French fries have three ingredients – potatoes, oil, salt, but a fast food version may have up to 19 ingredients – mostly chemical enhancers.)

Characteristics of Ultra-Processed Foods:

• Requires minimal preparation (beyond reheating);

• Categorized as convenience, prepared, or fast food;

• Designed to imitate real foods, but significantly altered from its original state;

• Includes chemical additives not found in nature that imitate the flavor, color, or texture of natural foods;

• Has more than five ingredients;

• High in calories, sugars, simple carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats;

• Ingredients are typically sourced from the cheapest suppliers;

• Most ingredients are not real foods, but manufactured, chemical substitutes;

• Ingredients include added refined sugars;

• Ingredients include seed oils (mainly vegetable, soy, canola, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower);

• Ingredients include multiple industrial/chemical inputs (for flavor, texture, color, and preserving);

• Ingredients sourced from the cheapest, industrial sources (including conventionally-raised foods);

• Stripped or bleached of the natural fiber and nutrients (sometimes with chemical nutrients added to “fortify” the food);

• Laboratory-tested to maximize appeal and flavor (the “Bliss Factor”) to make the foods “irresistible” and “can’t eat just one” often leading to overconsumption/overeating.

Examples of Ultra-Processed Foods:

• Frozen pizza

• Chicken nuggets

• Hot dogs and processed meats (bacon, sausages, salami, cold cuts, etc.)

• Fish sticks

• Energy and sports drinks, sodas, fruit juices

• Pringles and other processed snacks

• Breakfast cereals

• Prepared and instant soups, stews

• Baking mixes

• Commercial breads

• Plant-based meats, cheeses, milks

• Margarine and all seed oils

• Ensure/Boost drinks

• Baby formula

• Cookies, cakes, and pastries

• Crackers, pretzels

• Nonfat products

• Ready-to-eat products

• Condiments (including ketchup, relish, barbecue sauce, salad dressings, and salsa)

These ultra-processed foods, over the past 30+ years, have been altered to make them hyperpalatable – irresistible. They have been produced in such a way as to hijack the brain into overriding our natural sense of fullness or satiety.

Ingredients Typically Found in Ultra-Processed Foods

A basic rule of thumb when shopping is to avoid products with more than five ingredients – as well as products with ingredients you can’t pronounce and are unknown to you.

Here are some ingredients typically found in ultra-processed foods:

• High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup solids, glucose sugar, maltodextrin, cane sugar, sucrose

• Syrups (carob, corn, golden, malt, maple, rice, sorghum)

• Fruit juice concentrate

• Soy protein isolate

• Xanthan gum

• Soy lecithin

• Carrageenan

• Potassium bromate, potassium sorbate

• Propylparaben

• Natural or artificial colors (often listed as dyes, including Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3)

• Artificial sweeteners (sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, sugar alcohols)

Health Dangers of Ultra-Processed Foods

An unhealthy diet filled with ultra-processed foods – including processed meats, fast foods, refined grains, and sugary beverages – has been linked to numerous health conditions… and early (premature) death.

Health Conditions Linked to Ultra-Processed Foods:

• Multiple cancers (especially presenting at much earlier ages);

• Cardiovascular/Heart disease (including heart attacks);

• Strokes;

• High blood pressure (known as hypertension; the silent killer);

• Depression and anxiety, emotional instability;

• Type 2 Diabetes

• Type 3 Diabetes (Alzheimer’s Disease);

• Autoimmune diseases;

• Infertility;

• Gut dysbiosis and gut microbiome damage;

• Obesity;

• Premature death (acceleration of biological aging).

Some Context: How Foods Are Categorized

Food scientists have developed a classification of foods based on processing criteria called NOVA, originally developed by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo.

• Unprocessed or minimally processed foods. Many call these real foods – and include the raw materials for meals, obtained directly from plants or animals. They include natural meats, seafood, poultry, dairy, vegetables, fruits, eggs, mushrooms, raw nuts, spices.

• Processed culinary ingredients. These are used to enhance unprocessed or minimally processed foods. They include salt, sugar, oil, vinegar, and honey.

• Processed foods. Many foods are produced with some minimal changes or altering to make them more convenient to consumers. They include frozen, canned, and dried vegetables and fruits, sliced cheese, and canned tuna. It also includes foods made from home scratch-cooking and baking.

• Ultra-Processed Foods. I refer to these as Imposter Foods because they are “enhanced” and manipulated through multiple processes (extrusion, molding, milling, bleaching, etc.) and contain many added chemical ingredients. They are so over-processed that vegetables, grains, and other natural foods are either barely present or absent. Includes the vast majority of all foods located in the interior of grocery stores and most fast foods.

Final Thoughts of Ultra-Processed Foods

The first and most important decision to make is to reduce your consumption of ultra-processed foods. While reducing consumption of the worst offenders (such as sugary beverages) to zero is ideal, perhaps start with cutting your consumption in half.

The second decision is to focus on scratch cooking and baking, making more meals at home from real ingredients. Meal planning and prepping are essential tools to accomplish this task. Also remember that you don’t need to waste time making fancy, five-course meals on work days; focus on simple meals that require short prep and short cooking times.

Finally, let’s not forget the dangers associated just with the packaging of many ultra-processed foods. Many are packaged in plastic that are hazardous, but even more dangerous when foods are reheated in their plastic packaging. Other dangerous packaging materials include bisphenols, microplastics, mineral oils, and phthalates.

Remember, ultra-processed foods are typically cheap, convenient, irresistible, and with a long shelf-life. They contain excess sweeteners and sugars, seed oils, and unnatural chemical additives.

Additional Resources About Ultra-Processed Foods

• Ultraprocessed Foods Account for More than Half of Calories Consumed at Home

• Alarming Rise in Cancers of The Gut Linked With These Deadly Diets

• Key Ingredients to Avoid in Ultra Processed Foods

• Nearly 60% Of Calories, 90% Of Added Sugars In U.S. Diet Are From 'Ultra-Processed' Foods

• A List of Ultraprocessed Foods Most Harmful to Your Health, According to Recent Research

• 17 Processed Foods to Avoid

• Ultra-Processed Foods: How Bad Are They for Your Health?

• What’s the Difference Between Processed and Ultra-Processed Food?

• Ultra-Processed Foods Are Making Us Old Beyond Our Years

• Ultra-Processed Food for Infants and Toddlers; Dynamics of Supply and Demand

• Ultra-Processed Foods Are Sabotaging Your Diet. Here's How To Cut Them Out

• Ultra-Processed Foods: A Culprit in the Global Mental Health Crisis?

• Ultraprocessed Foods: Are They Bad for You?

• High Ultra-Processed Food Consumption is Associated with Elevated Psychological Distress as an Indicator of Depression in Adults

• Ultra-Processed Food Exposure and Adverse Health Outcomes: Umbrella Review of Epidemiological Meta-Analyses

• Ultra-Processed Foods: An “Everything” Resource Guide

• More Evidence That Ultra-Processed Foods Harm Health

• Ultraprocessed Foods High in Seed Oils Could Be Fueling Colon Cancer Risk