Frozen meals<\/a>, soft drinks, hot dogs, processed meats, packaged cookies, cakes, fast food, and salty snacks are ultra-processed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Spectrum Of Processed Foods<\/h2>\n\n\n\n A bag of mixed frozen fruit that you add to a smoothie is not the same thing as eating Doritos. While both of those foods undergo processing, they are not the same thing. You can check out the following spectrum to gauge which foods to avoid and which ones to limit: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods<\/h3>\n\n\n\n As mentioned earlier, frozen foods, soft drinks, store bought cakes and cookies, cake mixes, and more contain added fats, starches, sugars, hydrogenated oils, and artificial ingredients. These are foods to avoid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Limit Processed Foods<\/h3>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s best to limit or rarely eat processed foods. These foods include store bought salad dressings, sausages, jarred pasta sauce, and whole-grain bread. Moderation is key with these foods, but you can also make your own versions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minimally Processed Foods Are Better<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Nut butters, plain yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed\/free-range meats, and frozen vegetables and fruits fall into this category. You should still watch out for the ingredients on these foods, but they are better than the previous two categories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unprocessed Foods Are Best<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Fresh fruit, vegetables, and wild-caught fish belong to this category. They are full of nutrients and don\u2019t go through processing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to avoid ultra-processed foods, there are dietary changes you have to make. Ultra-processed foods cannot be the primary source of your calories. One study monitored 20 healthy overweight adults at a medical facility. Each participant consumed an ultra-processed diet for two weeks, and then followed that with an unprocessed diet for two weeks. For both diets, subjects consumed three meals per day, eating as much or as little as they wanted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the ultra-processed diet period, roughly 83.5% of calories came from ultra-processed foods. During the unprocessed diet period, about 83.3% of calories came from unprocessed foods. The subjects consumed an average of 500 additional calories per day while following the ultra-processed diet. Finally, the ultra-processed diet increased the intake of carbohydrates and fat, and the participants lost an average of two pounds during the unprocessed phase. The conclusion of the study was that limiting ultra-processed foods could help decrease the risk or even prevent obesity.<\/p>\n
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