Ultraprocessed foods and your health

Friday, February 28, 2025

[3 MIN READ]

By the time most food reaches your kitchen, it's been processed in some way, whether through preparation, canning, packaging, cooking or pasteurization.
Ultraprocessed foods may be convenient and more accessible than many whole foods, but they may contain unhealthy additives that may lead to overeating and increase the risk of serious health conditions such as cancer, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
An obesity and internal medicine specialist at Swedish shares simple, practical strategies to help you reduce the amount of ultraprocessed food you consume regularly without spending your entire life in the kitchen.

Anyone who recently broke their annual resolution to “eat better” knows how difficult it is to reach and maintain that goal. Home-cooked meals made from fresh, whole foods take time and money—and both are in short supply in many homes. When fresh food or time is in short supply many of us turn to ultraprocessed foods, which tend to be more convenient and less expensive. They also tend to be high in calories, salt, fat and a long list of ingredients that aren’t really food.

So what’s the solution?

“It’s all about balance,” says Michelle Rappaport, M.D., an obesity and internal medicine specialist at Swedish Weight Loss Services – First Hill. “In an ideal world, we’d all eat unprocessed foods that never touched plastic. But that’s not realistic.”

Understanding the (ultra)process

By the time you get ready to dish it up for dinner, most of the food you eat has been processed in some way, through its preparation, cooking, freezing, canning, packaging or pasteurization. Some forms of processing, such as cooking meat, are good for your health. But if your daily diet relies heavily on ultraprocessed foods, it could be harmful to your overall wellbeing.

“Processing is anything done to food beyond its natural state, beyond how it comes from the ground or the animal,” says Dr. Rappaport. “For example, making a smoothie at home with spinach, fruit and ice uses minimal processing. Ultraprocessed foods go much further. They’re made with ingredients you wouldn’t use at home that require an industrial process. They often contain additives and food-like substances that don’t exist in the typical home kitchen.”

According to the American Medical Association, ultraprocessed foods are designed to have long shelf lives and low costs. They are often tasty, convenient and ready to eat.

Examples of ultraprocessed foods include:

Soda, cola and other carbonated drinks
Sweet, savory or salty packaged snacks
Ice creams and other frozen desserts
Sports and energy drinks.
Packaged fish and meat
Breakfast cereals and bars
Sweetened juices
Margarines and spreads
Meal replacement shakes

“These foods often contain additives that trigger pleasure without providing satiety, leading people to eat more. It’s easy to unknowingly eat more calories when consuming ultraprocessed foods because you don’t feel as full. Highly palatable ingredients, such as fats, salts and sugars, triggers reward centers in the brain, making these foods more addictive,” says Dr. Rappaport.

The problem isn’t just the extra calories. Studies show that consuming ultraprocessed foods can increase your risk of developing several serious health conditions, including cancer, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression.

“If you somehow overate broccoli, the health effects would be vastly different from overeating something like [a sugary breakfast cereal], says Dr. Rappaport. “A thousand calories of sugary cereal puts more metabolic stress on your liver and pancreas than a thousand calories of broccoli, even if that broccoli is cooked with oil. One is food, the other is engineered.”

Progress, not perfection

Although entirely avoiding ultraprocessed foods may not be realistic, making small, consistent improvements to your diet can have a big payoff. Here are some simple strategies to help you succeed.

Read the label

Look for nutrient-rich products with minimal ingredients. Avoid any foods or beverages containing large amounts of salt or sugar.

“Choose crackers, yogurt or other packaged foods with fewer additives and no added sugar. Choosing the simpler option can make a difference and once you know which brands to buy, it becomes second nature,” says Dr. Rappaport.

Shop wisely

“A good rule of thumb is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store. That’s where the fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy are located. And they’re usually minimally processed,” says Dr. Rappaport. “Focus on whole foods with no labels or packaged ingredients with few ingredients, such as canned beans, canned fish, frozen vegetables and fruit.”

Not all processed foods are evil and convenience doesn’t have to be a dirty word if you choose wisely, according to Dr. Rappaport.

“Convenience foods aren’t necessarily ultraprocessed. A pre-packaged salad is still a better choice than a heavily processed alternative. It’s not about cutting out all processed foods. It’s about making healthier choices,” she says.

Limit liquid sugar

Food isn’t the only bad guy when it comes to ultraprocessing. Beverages such as soda, fruit juice or energy drinks are among the top offenders.

“Soda and juice are big culprits for causing fatty liver disease because of their high amount of sugar. I encourage my patients to cut them out entirely. Juice has all the sugar of fruit without the fiber that gives health benefits. A person is much better off eating a piece of fruit,” says Dr. Rappaport.

Learn more and find a physician or advanced practice clinician (APC)

Whether you require an in-person visit or want to consult a doctor virtually, you have options. Contact Swedish Primary Care to schedule an appointment with a primary care provider. You can also connect virtually with your provider to review your symptoms, provide instruction and follow up as needed. And with Swedish ExpressCare Virtual, you can receive treatment in minutes for common conditions such as colds, flu, urinary tract infections and more. You can use our provider directory to find a specialist or primary care physician near you.

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