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When Healthy-Looking Foods Are More Ultra-Processed Than You Think 

Some foods that look healthy can still be ultra-processed. Labels such as “organic,” “plant-based” or “gluten-free” can make a food seem healthier, but they don't tell the whole story about how it's made or what it provides nutritionally. A granola bar made with whole grains. An organic fruit snack. A plant-based burger. A bottle of juice with pictures of fresh oranges on the label. They can all look like good choices when someone is standing in a Sacramento grocery aisle trying to eat a little healthier.But healthy-looking packaging doesn't always tell the whole story. Some foods that seem healthy are also ultra-processed, and researchers are studying how that processing may affect what we eat and our health. For shoppers, the challenge is understanding what ultra-processed really means without assuming every packaged food is unhealthy.Processing Isn't the Problem People Often Think It IsAlmost everything people eat has been processed in some way. Vegetables are frozen, beans are canned, milk is pasteurized and grains are ground into flour. Even cooking dinner at home changes food from its original state.That's why researchers make a distinction between processed and ultra-processed foods.One of the most widely used systems is NOVA, created by nutrition researcher Carlos Augusto Monteiro, M.D., Ph.D. Monteiro is professor emeritus at the University of São Paulo School of Public Health and has spent decades studying how food processing affects diet and health. NOVA groups foods by how much they're processed and why. Ultra-processed foods are usually made through several industrial steps and may contain ingredients or additives rarely used in a home kitchen. They're often made for convenience, a longer shelf life and easy preparation. Monteiro's work separates everyday food processing from the more extensive processing used to make many packaged foods. In the NOVA system, how and why a food is processed matters more than the simple fact that it has been changed.That's important because processing can be useful. Freezing helps preserve vegetables. Canning makes beans inexpensive and convenient. Pasteurization makes foods such as milk safer.So simply asking, “Is this processed?” doesn't tell a shopper enough. A better question is how the food was processed and what the finished product provides nutritionally.Thinking about food this way can help shoppers avoid treating everything in a package as unhealthy. How Health Halos Change What We See on the PackageThe front of a food package can shape a decision before someone even looks at the Nutrition Facts label.Words such as “organic,” “natural,” “plant-based” and “gluten-free” all tell shoppers something about a product. The problem comes when one positive claim makes the whole food seem healthier.Researchers call this the “health halo” effect. Studies have found, for example, that people may see a food as healthier or lower in calories when it has an organic label, even when the foods being compared are otherwise the same.That doesn't mean the organic label has no value. USDA organic certification has clear rules for how foods are grown and produced. But an organic product isn't automatically low in added sugar, sodium or saturated fat.Other health-focused terms need the same kind of attention. Gluten-free foods are essential for people with celiac disease, but removing gluten doesn't automatically make a product more nutritious. Plant-based foods can help people eat fewer animal products, but the label alone doesn't tell you how much sodium, fiber or added sugar the food contains.Even the word “healthy” needs some explanation. The FDA has rules that foods must meet to use “healthy” as an official nutrition claim. That's different from pictures, phrases and package designs that simply make a product look healthy.A useful habit is to ask what a claim actually tells you and what it doesn't. Why Scientists Are Looking Beyond Sugar, Fat and CaloriesFor years, nutrition advice often focused on individual numbers such as calories, fat, carbohydrates, sugar and sodium. Those numbers still matter, but research on ultra-processed foods has raised another question: Could the way a food is made also affect how much people eat?A major 2019 study led by Kevin Hall, Ph.D., offered an important clue. Hall was then a senior investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, where his research included metabolism, body weight and what affects how much people eat. In the controlled NIH study, 20 adults ate an ultra-processed diet and an unprocessed diet for two weeks each, in random order.Researchers made the two diets similar in calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, sugar, sodium and fiber when the food was offered. Participants could then eat as much or as little as they wanted.The results stood out. During the ultra-processed phase, participants ate about 500 more calories per day and gained weight. During the unprocessed phase, they lost weight.The study was small and lasted only a few weeks, so it can't answer every question about ultra-processed foods. But because researchers controlled the food participants were offered, the study provided strong evidence that people ate more on the ultra-processed diet under those conditions.Scientists are still trying to understand why. They're studying factors such as how quickly people eat, the texture of the food, how many calories are packed into it and how the food is put together. There isn't one proven explanation that applies to every ultra-processed food.The study also doesn't point to one additive or ingredient as the reason participants ate more. Instead, researchers are looking at how several features of ultra-processed foods may work together to affect eating. Not Every Ultra-Processed Food Belongs in the Same BoxThe Hall study raises concerns about ultra-processed foods, but it doesn't mean every food in this category is nutritionally the same. That's one reason simple advice like “avoid ultra-processed foods” can be difficult to apply.Maya Vadiveloo, Ph.D., R.D., is a registered dietitian, nutrition researcher and associate professor at the University of Rhode Island. Her work looks at how food choices and diet affect heart health. In a Diabetes Care commentary written with Stanford nutrition researcher Christopher Gardner, she argued that the level of processing should be considered along with a food's nutritional value and how it fits into someone's overall diet. In other words, two ultra-processed foods can be very different nutritionally.A sugary soft drink and some packaged whole-grain breads, for example, can both fall into the ultra-processed category. That doesn't mean they offer the same nutrition.Still, the larger health concerns shouldn't be ignored. A 2024 review published in The BMJ (British Medical Journal) looked at research involving millions of people. It found links between eating more ultra-processed foods and poorer health, including some of the strongest links with heart and metabolic health, common mental health conditions and risk of death.But those findings don't prove that ultra-processed foods caused those health problems. The studies were observational, meaning researchers looked for patterns rather than controlling what people ate. They can show important links, but the strength of the evidence varied depending on the health condition.For everyday eating, that leaves room for a more balanced view. How much a food is processed is worth considering, but it shouldn't be the only thing used to judge it. The Trade-Offs Hiding in “Better-for-You” FoodsWhen a familiar food is changed to make a different version, other parts of the food can change too.A plant-based burger, for example, may help someone eat less meat. But creating the taste, texture and convenience people expect can require a different mix of ingredients and, in some products, a lot of sodium. The result may be different from the original food in more ways than someone expects.Gluten-free products offer another example. For someone with celiac disease, avoiding gluten is medically necessary. But packaged breads, crackers and snacks may use different starches and other ingredients to replace what gluten normally does. Those changes can affect the food's nutrition as well as its taste and texture.Juice offers an even simpler example. Turning an orange into juice keeps nutrients such as vitamin C but removes much of the fiber and structure found in the whole fruit. That means drinking orange juice isn't nutritionally the same as eating an orange.Looking at foods this way raises another useful question: What changed when the original food became this version?That question can make the trade-offs easier to see. Shoppers can look at what was added, removed or changed and consider how that affects what the finished food provides.Turn the Package Around Before You DecideShoppers don't need to memorize hundreds of ingredients to make sense of a food package. It helps to look at two things: how the food was made and what it provides nutritionally.The ingredient list can offer clues about how much a food has been changed from a simpler version. The Nutrition Facts label can then show what the food actually provides.The FDA offers a simple way to read the percent Daily Value on the label. As a general guide, 5% Daily Value or less is considered low, while 20% or more is considered high. This can make it easier to compare foods for fiber and for things people may want to limit, such as sodium, saturated fat and added sugars. What to CheckWhat It Can Tell YouIngredient listGives clues about how the food was made and what's in itFiberHelps show how much fiber the food providesAdded sugarsShows sugar added during processing or preparationSodiumHelps compare how much sodium similar foods containSaturated fatHelps compare foods when saturated fat is a concern% Daily Value5% or less is low; 20% or more is highWhat matters most can depend on the food. Protein may be useful when comparing filling snacks, while fiber can help when comparing cereals or breads.Picture someone choosing between two granola bars before heading out for an afternoon on the American River Parkway. Both packages may show oats, nuts and fruit. Turning them over might reveal that one has more fiber and protein with less added sugar. Another option could be a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit.That doesn't mean the granola bar automatically loses. The comparison simply gives the shopper more information to decide which option better fits what they're looking for.No single number tells the whole story. Looking at the ingredients, Nutrition Facts and type of food together gives a clearer picture of what someone is actually choosing. Convenience Doesn't Have to Be the EnemyUltra-processed foods didn't become a major part of the American diet by accident. They fit easily into busy lives.Federal data from 2021 through 2023 show that ultra-processed foods made up roughly 53% of the calories eaten by U.S. adults. These foods can be inexpensive, portable, easy to store and quick to prepare. That can be helpful for someone rushing to work or a parent trying to get dinner on the table.Research has found that people who cook dinner at home more often tend to eat less ultra-processed food. But that doesn't mean everyone needs to make every meal from scratch. Time, work schedules, income, transportation and family responsibilities all affect the way people eat.For Sacramento residents, everyday eating might include fresh seasonal produce one day, frozen vegetables another, canned beans in a quick dinner and a packaged snack kept at work for a busy afternoon. Convenience can still be part of a healthy diet.The balance can change, though, when ready-to-eat foods regularly take the place of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other less-processed foods. Before long, convenience may shape more of someone's diet than they realize.Looking at a full week can give a clearer picture than judging one meal or snack. A rushed lunch or packaged afternoon snack matters less when simpler foods are still part of the regular routine. The goal isn't perfection. It's making sure convenience doesn't quietly become the default. A Better Question Than “Is This Processed?”Knowing how much a food is processed can be useful, but it doesn't tell the whole story. What the food provides and how often someone eats it matter too.One packaged food chosen for convenience doesn't define a diet any more than one salad makes a diet healthy. The bigger picture comes from what becomes routine: the foods that regularly fill the grocery cart, show up at meals and become the easiest ones to reach for.Seen this way, calling a food ultra-processed is more useful as a clue than as a warning that the food should always be avoided.Healthy-looking packaging may still catch the eye, but shoppers can look beyond it. When they understand what a food provides, how it's made and how it fits into the way they normally eat, they're in a better position to decide what works for them.Editorial TransparencyThis Sacramento Living Well Nutrition Guide feature helps readers understand the concerns around ultra-processed foods without treating all packaged foods as unhealthy. It looks at the difference between how a food is marketed, how much it's processed and what it actually provides nutritionally. The article focuses on practical food choices that can work over time rather than strict rules or avoiding certain foods altogether. How This Article Was ResearchedThis article was based on peer-reviewed nutrition research, federal health and food-labeling guidance, and work from researchers who study ultra-processed foods and eating habits. Key sources included Kevin Hall and colleagues' controlled NIH study, research on the NOVA food-classification system, a 2024 BMJ review, federal dietary data, and FDA and USDA guidance on food labels and claims. The research also included different views on whether all ultra-processed foods should be treated the same, including areas where the science is still developing.  Ready to explore smarter food decisions and practical nutrition habits? Visit Nutrition Guide, then dive deeper into wellness and lifestyle stories on Sacramento Living Well.Published by the Sacramento Living Well Editorial Team — a DSA Digital Media publication celebrating mindful eating and community well-being.