A few weeks ago, I recorded a video on Instagram discussing ultra-processed foods. Here’s the story of how that came about. Afterwards, many of you sent me messages about your concern and sense of betrayal you felt around ultra-processed foods and the intense marketing that often surrounds the launch of new products.
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"It's modern-day comfort when you want to nourish yourself and the planet." – Julie Van Rosendaal, The Globe and Mail
The evidence is clear – most ultra-processed foods are designed and prepared to encourage us to buy/ eat more (of them). The heavy processing that each preparation undergoes causes a high level of carbon emissions, supports planetary harm in different ways, and, as we are finding out now, the research that was the impetus for my recent video, UPFs are absolutely terrible for our personal health.
What’s in this article
- Avoiding Ultra-processed Foods
- What can we do about them
- Closing a chapter and starting a new one
Avoiding Ultra-processed foods
Recently, there was a report in The Guardian about UPFs and how awful they are for our personal health. I am dropping all the links below, but here’s what you need to know:
What are UPF’s? Packaged, processed foods are considered ultra-processed when they have certain ingredients added to boost flavour and texture, and to extend their shelf life. This includes chemical-based preservatives, emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, along with artificial colours and flavours. There’s more information in The Guardian article, linked below. How to spot UPFs: Because these are products containing food ingredients that have been processed in multiple ways, and because other ingredients have been added to make them delicious, colourful and attractive, they are actually not that hard to spot. The use of the word “products” is intentional here because with all the added texture, colour and flavour ‘improvers,’ the final product tastes and looks nothing like the original food.
How are UPFs harmful? Frankly, scientists have been talking about how harmful UPFs are for the environment for years. I came across a lot of really solid research when I was researching Good Food, Healthy Planet. UPFs cause far too many emissions vs whole/ processed foods and also encourage monoculture in farming – a practice that we now know is causing terrible long-term harm to natural biodiversity around the world, and negatively impacting our collective ability to be climate-resilient. In addition to harm to the environment, as it turns out, as shown in The Guardian report, eating UPFs regularly causes us a lot of harm too.
UPFs: what they are and how to spot them
I looked at a lot of examples of foods in researching this article. I mention the brand of sour cream I buy in this video. Here are two others that have come up in conversations with some of you. Note: It has taken me 2 months being down this UPF rabbit hole to have some understanding of what goes into designing, creating ultra-processed foods, and the marketing hype that surrounds them. Understanding our food should not be this complicated, but here we are navigating this space while trying to simultaneously make choices that are good for us and sustainable, too.
Nut butter
Nut butter that is made only from crushed nuts is considered minimally processed – not a problem. Once salt or sugar is added, it becomes a processed food, and it lasts longer, too. Still not a problem – mostly! Add in emulsifiers to help the butter come together or flavour enhancers to disguise the natural aroma or flavour, and the nut butter is ultra-processed.
Most packaged sliced bread
The loaves you see in most supermarkets contain emulsifiers, a variety of modified starches, chemical-based preservatives, and more. This processing and extra ingredients make most grocery-store bread ultra-processed. Often, small bakery breads are not ultra-processed.
What can we do?
First, read labels and avoid UPFs when possible. They are convenient, though, and we are already juggling way too many responsibilities, so avoiding them can be hard. Second, compel organizations and governments to be transparent. Foods that are harmful to our personal health and that cause far greater emissions should be marked accordingly. We shouldn’t need to sift through layers of misinformation and marketing to decode what’s good for us and doesn’t actively harm the environment.
Finally, along with the changes you’ve probably seen on my new website, puneeta.ca, I am also working to make my writing and content more accessible. There’s a new section on my website called “Articles.” It will house this newsletter, Grounded, along with other new writing. There are a few articles up there already. So grab a cuppa, and let’s catch up. I would love to hear from you.