Ultra-processed foods have been making a (bad) name for themselves in the news lately.
Nutritionist Claire Turnbull Photo: RNZ/Nick Monro
And rightly so. Often, ultra-processed foods (UPF)s, are lab-formulated food designed so that "once you pop you can't stop" (to quote the famous marketing tagline from the chips Pringles, which are solidly in the UPF category). Not only do we tend to overeat them, they are often void of many of the nutrients and minerals our bodies need.
"If you turn to the back of the packet and something has 50 ingredients in it, lots of names and things that you don't recognise, that is the first red flag," says Claire Turnbull, an Auckland-based nutritionist and author.
UPFs are sneaking their way into our daily foods courtesy of convenience and clever front-of-pack marketing. There isn't solid data on New Zealand's intake, but in similar industrialised nations like the US and UK, about 60 percent of the energy comes from UPFs, according to Consumer NZ.
While all our meals and snacks are under attack from UPFs, breakfast is a playground for pretend-healthy food that we often turn to daily out of routine and convenience.
Breakfast cereals can range from the sugary (top) to those that are whole foods (bottom). Photo: RNZ/Nick Monro
What are ultra-processed foods?
Food processing comes in a range that is called the NOVA Food Classification system.
Whole foods that are in their purest form - like an apple that you've just plucked from the tree to eat - are at one end of this spectrum.
Next come minimally processed foods, such as fermented food (like sauerkraut with no added sugar), or dried food (like coconut flakes with no preservatives) or frozen vegetables or flour (provided they have no weird ingredients).
Processed foods are things like bread, pasta or canned fruit in syrup that contains added salt, sugar, oil or any ingredients from the minimally processed category.
Ultra-processed foods have been manufactured so much that the end product hardly resembles a whole food. They contain a host of ingredients that are unlikely to be found in a normal home kitchen, often with names that have numbers in them or they sound more like cleaning chemicals than food (like an emulsifier).
How to spot them at the grocery store?
Besides a weird ingredient list on the back, watch out for clever marketing tactics like brightly coloured packaging, especially green or brown.
These colours can give products an aura of "wood and nature," said Turnbull.
Companies tend to use images of sports stars (Milo's cereal version does this) or the Olympic rings or vegetables to project health rather than words so they don't fall foul of false marketing claims.
"If there is some kind of chip, straw thing that was made from a vegetable, it's not [a vegetable]," said Turnbull. "Just eat the vegetable."
What do they do to our bodies?
A 2019 study found that participants on a diet high in UPFs ate an additional 500 calories a day, which led to weight gain of about 1kg over two weeks.
"You can be extremely overweight and very malnourished," said Turnbull.
Most of the concerns about UPFs revolve around overeating and their limited nutritional value. Another study about to begin in the US is aiming to further uncover why we can't help ourselves around UPFs. There is some evidence that higher intakes of UPFs can increase your risk in developing cancer, according to Consumer NZ.
How often can I eat them?
This is the point Turnbull wants to hammer home: you can eat UPFs on occasion and be absolutely fine.
"It is the context and frequency of those foods that really matters," she said.
For the majority of the week, Turnbull feeds her kids oats in the mornings. Her kids can pick processed cereals like a wheat biscuit once or twice a week.
How to get UPFs out of your daily breakfast?
From bottom to top: an ultra-processed cereal, a less processed wheat biscuit and a minimally processed bowl of oats that is sweetened with fruit. Photo: RNZ/Nick Monro
Cereals
Ultra processed cereal: Light, high sugar cereals like Nutri-Grain and the Milo breakfast cereal often rely on added vitamins and fibre to increase their nutritional value rather than relying on the whole food ingredient. As always, the ingredient list is long.
Processed cereal: Most brands of wheat biscuits are likely to have a shorter list of ingredients than sweet, brightly coloured cereals heavily marketed to children. They often contain much less sugar. Most muesli and granola products will also fit this category.
Minimally processed: Oats, with or without milk, and some added fruit is about as simple as its gets for a healthy and tasty breakfast.
From left to right: an ultra-processed fruit yogurt, a less processed fruit yogurt with added protein and a minimally processed greek yogurt that is naturally high in protein with fruit added. Photo: RNZ/Nick Monro
Yoghurt
Ultra-processed: These yoghurts often contain a host of additional ingredients like thickeners, preservatives, flavours, colourings, and artificial sweeteners. A watery texture is another telltale sign.
Processed: A yoghurt in this category might have some sugar, but lacks colourings, flavours and preservatives. The fruit might appear more real and the texture is less watery.
Minimally processed: Plain yoghurt, or plain Greek yoghurt, has two ingredients: milk and the cultures that make it a yoghurt. Add a measured amount of fruit and you've got a minimally processed, filling breakfast.
From left to right: an ulta-processed white bread, a middle of the road grain bread and the better option: a dense seed bread. Photo: RNZ/Nick Monro
Bread
Ultra-processed: White bread has a look and texture that has no resemblance to the grains from which it comes. It has a long shelf life due to preservatives.
Processed: A bread in this category will likely be light and fluffy with some added seeds. Preservatives and emulsifiers, which help combine ingredients, are often added.
Minimally processed: Bread is a processed food, but aim for products that are dense and not fluffy, where you can easily see the whole grains and seeds. There are no additional ingredients that you wouldn't have in your home kitchen.
From left to right: a high-sugar and tiny ultra-processed muesli bar, a less processed nut bar and the better option: a nut and dried fruit mix. Photo: RNZ/Nick Monro
Muesli bars
Ultra-processed: These muesli bars are likely covered in chocolate or yoghurt (which is more like chocolate with a yoghurt powder). There might be some grains but minimal nuts and seeds. Most muesli bars contain preservatives, colourings or flavourings and they are tiny, doing little to satisfy hunger.
Processed: A nut bar might still be coated in some type of shiny, sugar substance, but you should at least be able to see the whole grains and nuts.
Minimally processed: This is a mix of the whole nuts, seeds and dried fruit. It might seem more expensive but if you take into account the tiny size of the average muesli bar, scroggin will fill you up much better.