Ultra-processed foods can be found in some unexpected places. But they're not always bad news
by DR EMMA BECKET Dr Emma Beckett is a food and nutrition scientist and registered nutritionist at FOODiQ Global, and adjunct senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales.
REVIEW
Some pre-packaged foods, such as pasta and rice, are staples that many of us eat as part of a balanced diet. Others, such as crisps and sugary snacks, are clearly not health foods. But for some packaged and processed foods, the claims on the label can make it hard to decide what’s healthy and what isn’t.
With a recent study showing diets high in ultra-processed foods increase the risk of more than 30 health outcomes (including cardiovascular disease and mental ill-health), the level of processing and its effect on our bodies is now under greater scrutiny.
But exactly what constitutes an ultra-processed food isn’t always clear, certainly not from the labels on such foods. There are some that obviously fall into that category, but there are others that you might not expect, for instance…
PREMIUM READY MEALS
Ready meals labelled with phrases like ‘finest’ and ‘best’ are marketed as premium shortcuts to a balanced meal. At first glance, the ingredients may look pretty good. But cooking equivalent dishes from scratch is still a better option, nutritionally, than going for the pre-packaged version. Ready meals often contain added preservatives, stabilisers and salt to increase their shelf life and improve their flavour. Mass-producing ready-made dishes is easier and cheaper for manufacturers if they use fewer ingredients. This leads to ‘meals’ often being imbalanced and low in vegetables. You could try adding vegetables to a ready meal to help balance nutrition with convenience.
PLANT MILKS
Plant milks are marketed as ‘alternatives’ to dairy – we use them in the same way as cow’s milk and having ‘plant’ in the name makes them sound like a healthier option. But they aren’t nutritional equivalents. Dairy is minimally processed, whereas plant milks are ultra-processed. The plants are heated, juiced, powdered or extracted, and reconstituted in water at levels as low as two per cent. Key nutrients like calcium are added later, but sink to the bottom – if the carton isn’t shaken well and often, they won’t make it out. P
