What Are Ultra-Processed Foods, and Should I Avoid Them?

Walk through almost any grocery store and you will encounter foods at very different levels of processing.

Fresh vegetables may be washed and packaged. Beans may be canned. Milk may be pasteurized. Bread may contain several ingredients. At the other end of the spectrum are soft drinks, packaged desserts, candy, chips, processed meats, and ready-to-eat foods made from combinations of refined ingredients, flavorings, colors, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and other additives.

The term ultra-processed food has increasingly been used to describe many foods in this latter category.

But that raises an important question:

Do you actually need to avoid ultra-processed foods?

For most people, the answer is not necessarily every one of them.

A more practical approach is to make whole and minimally processed, nutrient-dense foods the foundation of your diet while limiting ultra-processed foods that contribute large amounts of added sugar, sodium, refined carbohydrates, saturated fat, or calories without providing much nutritional value.

Importantly, not every packaged food is unhealthy, and not every food classified as ultra-processed has the same nutritional effects. The American Heart Association has specifically emphasized this distinction, noting that some foods classified as ultra-processed can still fit within an overall healthy eating pattern.

For a broader introduction to nutrition, start with Nutrition: What Every Adult Should Know About Healthy Eating.

What Does “Ultra-Processed” Actually Mean?

There is no single universally accepted definition of ultra-processed food.

Most research uses a system called the NOVA food classification, which groups foods according to the nature and degree of processing they have undergone. The NOVA framework was developed by nutrition researchers and has subsequently been used in a large amount of nutrition research worldwide.

It broadly separates foods into four groups:

1. Unprocessed or minimally processed foods

Examples include:

• Vegetables

• Fruit

• Eggs

• Fresh meat

• Fish

• Milk

• Plain grains

• Beans and lentils

• Nuts and seeds

• Frozen vegetables without added sauces

These foods may have been washed, frozen, dried, pasteurized, ground, or otherwise prepared without substantially changing their basic nutritional structure.

2. Processed culinary ingredients

These are ingredients generally used when preparing food, such as:

• Olive oil

• Butter

• Sugar

• Salt

3. Processed foods

These are generally recognizable foods made by combining whole foods with ingredients such as salt, sugar, or oil.

Examples can include:

• Canned vegetables

• Canned fish

• Cheese

• Some breads

• Salted nuts

4. Ultra-processed foods

These are typically industrial formulations made from multiple ingredients and often contain refined food components, flavorings, colors, emulsifiers, sweeteners, preservatives, or other substances not commonly used in home cooking.

This last category is what researchers usually mean when discussing ultra-processed foods.

What Are Examples of Ultra-Processed Foods?

Depending on the ingredients and classification method used, examples can include:

• Soft drinks

• Energy drinks

• Candy

• Packaged cookies

• Cakes and pastries

• Potato chips and similar snack foods

• Sweetened breakfast cereals

• Certain granola and snack bars

• Instant noodles

• Processed meats

• Chicken nuggets

• Many frozen prepared meals

• Some frozen pizzas

• Sweetened dairy desserts

• Some flavored yogurts

• Packaged desserts

• Ready-to-eat meals

• Some mass-produced breads

However, this is where the topic becomes more complicated.

A food being classified as ultra-processed does not automatically mean it is nutritionally equivalent to soda, candy, or processed meat.

Some whole-grain breads, lower-sugar yogurts, nut spreads, fortified foods, and other relatively nutritious products may also fall into an ultra-processed category depending on their formulation. The American Heart Association therefore recommends considering both processing and the nutritional quality of the food rather than treating every ultra-processed product identically.

Is All Processed Food Bad for You?

No.

This is one of the most important distinctions to understand.

Food processing itself is not inherently unhealthy.

Processing can make food safer, more convenient, more affordable, and easier to store.

Consider:

• Frozen vegetables

• Canned beans

• Canned tomatoes

• Plain yogurt

• Nut butter

• Canned tuna or salmon

• Pasteurized milk

• Whole-grain bread

All of these foods have undergone processing.

Freezing can preserve food. Pasteurization improves food safety. Canning allows foods to remain available for extended periods. Fortification can add important nutrients.

The relevant question is therefore not simply:

“Has this food been processed?”

A better question is:

“What does this food contribute to my overall diet?”

Our Grocery Shopping for Better Health guide explains how to evaluate packaged foods based on their actual nutritional characteristics rather than simply assuming everything in a package is unhealthy.

Why Are Ultra-Processed Foods a Health Concern?

There are several reasons researchers are interested in ultra-processed foods.

Many commonly consumed ultra-processed foods tend to contain:

• Large amounts of added sugar

• Refined carbohydrates

• High levels of sodium

• Higher amounts of saturated fat

• Relatively little fiber

• High calorie density

• Ingredients designed to increase palatability

• Combinations that make foods easy to eat quickly

At the same time, these products may replace vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, fish, and other nutrient-dense foods within someone's diet.

Observational research has associated higher ultra-processed food consumption with outcomes including obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and higher mortality. However, observational studies cannot establish that food processing alone caused these outcomes, and nutritional quality differs considerably among foods classified as ultra-processed.

That distinction is important.

Can Ultra-Processed Foods Actually Cause People to Eat More?

One particularly interesting study came from researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

Twenty adults stayed at the NIH Clinical Center and consumed both an ultra-processed diet and an unprocessed diet for two weeks each.

The diets were designed to provide similar amounts of presented calories, protein, carbohydrate, fat, sugar, sodium, and fiber.

Participants were allowed to eat as much or as little as they wanted.

When eating the ultra-processed diet, participants consumed approximately 500 additional calories per day and gained about 0.9 kilograms, or roughly two pounds, during the two-week period. During the unprocessed-food phase, participants lost approximately the same amount of weight.

This was an important finding because it came from a controlled feeding study rather than simply observing what people chose to eat in everyday life.

However, the study was also small and short.

It demonstrated that under those experimental conditions, the ultra-processed diet promoted greater food intake and short-term weight gain. It does not mean that every food categorized as ultra-processed independently causes obesity or chronic disease.

Researchers are still investigating exactly why ultra-processed diets may encourage greater calorie consumption.

Possible factors include food texture, eating speed, energy density, palatability, food structure, nutrient composition, and other characteristics of the foods themselves.

Does the Ingredient List Tell You Whether a Food Is Ultra-Processed?

Sometimes—but it is not a perfect test.

Ultra-processed foods often have ingredient lists containing substances you would not typically use when cooking at home.

Examples may include:

• Flavor enhancers

• Artificial or natural flavors

• Certain emulsifiers

• Stabilizers

• Modified starches

• Colors

• Non-nutritive sweeteners

• Protein isolates

• Various preservatives

A long ingredient list can therefore be a clue that a food has undergone considerable processing.

But ingredient count alone does not determine whether a food is healthy.

A nutritionally useful fortified whole-grain product may contain many ingredients, while a food consisting of only a few ingredients could still contain large amounts of sugar, sodium, or saturated fat.

Instead of judging food based solely on whether you recognize every ingredient, consider the complete nutritional picture.

A Better Way to Evaluate Packaged Foods

When comparing packaged foods, consider several questions.

What is the food primarily made from?

Look for foods built around recognizable nutritious ingredients such as:

• Whole grains

• Beans

• Lentils

• Nuts

• Seeds

• Vegetables

• Fruit

• Dairy

• Fish

• Other appropriate protein sources

How much added sugar does it contain?

Foods and beverages with large amounts of added sugar can contribute considerable calories without providing the nutritional value found in whole foods.

How much fiber does it provide?

Fiber-rich foods generally contribute more to satiety, digestive health, and overall nutritional quality.

How much sodium does it contain?

Sodium can accumulate quickly when multiple packaged and restaurant foods appear throughout the day.

Does it provide meaningful protein or other nutrients?

Some packaged foods can be convenient sources of protein, vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients.

What is the portion size?

Even nutritious foods can contribute substantial calories when portions become very large.

What is this food replacing?

This may be the most important question.

A packaged whole-grain bread replacing refined white bread is a very different dietary tradeoff from a packaged pastry replacing oatmeal and fruit.

Nutrition is about context.

For more guidance on evaluating an entire dietary pattern, read What Is the Best Diet for Long-Term Health?.

Should You Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods Completely?

For most people, I would not recommend approaching nutrition with the goal of achieving zero ultra-processed foods.

That can become unnecessarily restrictive and may make healthy eating harder to maintain.

Instead, consider the proportion of your diet they occupy.

There is a considerable difference between occasionally eating:

• A packaged snack

• A frozen dinner

• A restaurant meal

• Ice cream

• A protein bar

• A slice of packaged bread

and building most of your daily diet around:

• Soda

• Candy

• Chips

• Packaged desserts

• Fast food

• Processed meats

• Sweetened breakfast foods

• Ready-to-eat packaged meals

The first pattern can easily coexist with a nutritious diet.

The second may regularly displace foods that provide more protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial nutrients.

Current dietary guidance continues to emphasize a foundation of whole, healthy, nutrient-dense foods rather than requiring perfect avoidance of every processed product.

Try Adding Better Foods Before Focusing Only on Removing Foods

Nutrition advice frequently begins with restriction.

Don't eat this.

Avoid that.

Eliminate something else.

Sometimes reducing certain foods is appropriate, but an equally important question is:

What are you eating instead?

A practical goal might be to increase:

• Vegetables

• Fruit

• Beans and lentils

• Whole grains

• Nuts

• Seeds

• Fish

• Eggs

• Appropriate dairy foods

• Lean protein sources

• Minimally processed foods

As these foods become a larger part of your routine, less nutritious ultra-processed foods may naturally occupy a smaller percentage of your diet.

This approach can be easier to maintain than trying to create a long list of forbidden foods.

If consistency is the difficult part, see How Can I Build Healthier Eating Habits?.

Convenience Still Matters

There is another reason I would be cautious about telling everyone to eliminate processed foods:

People have real lives.

Many patients are balancing work, children, commuting, caregiving, exercise, medical appointments, and countless other responsibilities.

Cooking every meal from individual whole-food ingredients may not be realistic.

Healthy convenience foods can be extremely useful.

Examples might include:

• Frozen vegetables

• Prewashed salad greens

• Canned beans

• Canned fish

• Rotisserie chicken

• Plain or lower-sugar yogurt

• Frozen fruit

• Whole-grain bread

• Nut butter

• Pre-cooked whole grains

• Minimally sweetened protein foods

• Simple frozen meals with reasonable nutrition profiles

The goal is not to make eating healthy unnecessarily difficult.

The goal is to build an eating environment in which the convenient choice is frequently also a reasonably nutritious choice.

Don't Let the Term “Ultra-Processed” Replace Basic Nutrition

One potential problem with focusing too heavily on food-processing categories is that people can lose sight of basic nutritional principles.

For example, imagine two packaged foods.

One contains:

• Whole grains

• Several grams of fiber

• Moderate sodium

• Little added sugar

• Useful amounts of protein and micronutrients

Another contains:

• Refined flour

• Large amounts of added sugar

• Very little fiber

• High calorie density

• Minimal nutritional value

Both might technically be classified as ultra-processed.

They should not necessarily be treated as nutritionally identical.

The American Heart Association's 2025 scientific advisory specifically highlighted this issue, noting that ultra-processing and nutritional quality overlap but are not exactly the same thing. Researchers also continue to debate how ultra-processed foods should be consistently defined.

That is why nutritional quality and overall dietary pattern remain important.

Your Overall Diet Matters More Than an Occasional Food

An occasional cookie does not make an otherwise nutritious diet unhealthy.

Likewise, eating one salad does not make an otherwise poor diet healthy.

Health is influenced much more by what you repeatedly eat over months and years.

A dietary pattern centered around vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, appropriate protein sources, nuts, seeds, and other nutrient-dense foods can still include foods chosen simply because they are enjoyable or convenient.

The goal is not nutritional perfection.

The goal is to create a pattern in which nutritious foods consistently make up much of what you eat.

Our article How Food Choices Affect Long-Term Health explains why long-term dietary patterns usually matter more than individual foods.

A Practical Goal for Reducing Ultra-Processed Foods

If you currently eat many ultra-processed foods, you do not need to overhaul your entire diet tomorrow.

Start with the foods you consume most frequently.

For example:

Instead of eliminating every processed food, you might:

• Replace soda with water or another unsweetened beverage more often.

• Replace some packaged snacks with fruit, nuts, yogurt, or another nutrient-dense option.

• Add vegetables to convenient prepared meals.

• Choose whole-grain bread rather than highly refined alternatives.

• Compare cereals for fiber and added sugar.

• Keep frozen vegetables available for quick meals.

• Use canned beans or fish when cooking from scratch is inconvenient.

• Reduce processed meats when they are a frequent part of your diet.

• Choose packaged foods that provide meaningful protein or fiber.

• Cook an extra portion at dinner so you have a convenient lunch the following day.

Small substitutions repeated frequently can create meaningful differences in the overall quality of your diet.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ultra-Processed Foods

Are all packaged foods ultra-processed?

No. Packaging tells you how a food is sold, not necessarily how extensively it has been processed. Frozen vegetables, canned beans, nuts, plain yogurt, canned fish, and many other nutritious foods may come in packages.

Are frozen foods ultra-processed?

Not necessarily. Plain frozen vegetables and fruit are generally minimally processed. A frozen meal containing numerous refined ingredients, sauces, additives, or other industrial formulations may qualify as ultra-processed.

Is bread considered ultra-processed?

It depends on the ingredients and the classification system being used. Some mass-produced breads qualify as ultra-processed, while simpler breads may not. More importantly, whole-grain content, fiber, sodium, added sugar, and overall nutritional quality should also be considered.

Do I need to eliminate ultra-processed foods to lose weight?

No. Weight management depends on many factors, including overall calorie intake, food quality, protein and fiber intake, physical activity, sleep, medications, health conditions, and individual physiology. Reducing calorie-dense ultra-processed foods can be helpful for some people, but complete elimination is not required.

What should I eat instead of ultra-processed foods?

Whenever practical, emphasize vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, seeds, fish, eggs, appropriate dairy foods, lean protein sources, and minimally processed foods.

The Bottom Line

Ultra-processed foods are generally industrially formulated products that undergo substantial processing and frequently contain refined ingredients, additives, flavorings, or other components not commonly used in home cooking.

Research has associated diets high in many ultra-processed foods with poorer health outcomes, and controlled research suggests that certain ultra-processed dietary patterns can make it easier to consume excess calories.

However, “ultra-processed” and “unhealthy” are not perfect synonyms.

Not every processed food needs to be avoided, and some foods categorized as ultra-processed can still provide meaningful nutritional value.

For most people, a more useful goal is to:

Build most of your diet around nutrient-dense whole and minimally processed foods, reduce the ultra-processed foods that provide relatively little nutritional value, and leave enough flexibility that your eating pattern can actually be maintained.

If you would like physician guidance in creating a nutrition and lifestyle plan based on your health history, laboratory results, goals, and daily routine, learn more about Preventive Care & Health Optimization at Ask Dr. Hu.

Evidence and Medical Review

This article is based on current nutrition research and recommendations from established medical and public-health sources.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide federal recommendations emphasizing nutritious foods and healthy dietary patterns. The current edition is the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The American Heart Association scientific advisory on ultra-processed foods reviews current evidence regarding ultra-processed foods, cardiovascular and metabolic health, limitations of existing classification systems, and areas where additional research is needed.

A controlled National Institutes of Health study published in Cell Metabolism found higher calorie intake and short-term weight gain when participants consumed an ultra-processed diet compared with an unprocessed diet under controlled conditions.

The Food and Agriculture Organization's discussion of the NOVA food classification system provides additional background on how ultra-processed foods are defined and studied.

Nutrition research continues to evolve, and food-processing classifications have important limitations. Individual dietary recommendations should take into account medical history, nutritional needs, medications, health goals, food accessibility, and other personal factors.

About the Author

YiQiu Hu, NMD is an Arizona-licensed naturopathic physician who provides personalized and concierge medical care through Ask Dr. Hu. His clinical approach emphasizes preventive healthcare, nutrition, lifestyle medicine, appropriate laboratory evaluation, and individualized treatment planning.

Learn more about Dr. YiQiu Hu and the physicians at Ask Dr. Hu.

Published: August 2026
Medically reviewed: August 2026

This article is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.