What is the difference between ultra processed foods, processed foods, & minimally processed foods?

Plus, a list of over 100 foods & beverages and their classification.

I’ve had processed foods on my mind this week. It started with a genuine question from an almost five year old. We have a snack area in my pantry that is within Ozzie’s reach, and the other night he was getting out a Chomps stick right before dinner and I told him that he’s had enough “food from a package” today. He replied with “but everything comes in a package.” For a second, I struggled to respond to this, and then I said “it’s okay to eat some things from a package, but we want most of our food to come directly from a plant or an animal.” He seemed to accept this (shockingly), but it got me thinking about which packaged foods are okay and which aren’t.

I get as much food as possible directly from the source — I still rely on some packaged products, but do not buy ultra processed foods.

Also this week: There was an article in Time Magazine claiming that ultra processed foods are “not that bad.” It’s honestly ridiculous. I have a lot of thoughts on this article that is clogging my Instagram feed, but let me keep my grievances brief:

1. After uproar from the nutrition community, they changed a click-baity headline from “What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?” to “Why One Dietician is Speaking up for Ultra-Processed Foods.” Both of these headlines are misleading, confusing, and frankly sloppy given the content of the article and the vast amount of research on the dangers of processed foods.

2. The dietician in the piece swaps her “whole foods diet” for an “ultra-processed foods diet” and says she feels better. The problem is that her original diet seemed to be lacking (with admittedly less calories from “haphazard combinations of whole-food ingredients” throughout the day including “beans with avocado and hot sauce” for lunch) and her “ultra-processed foods” diet didn’t really have ultra processed foods. “For dinner she’d have one of her beloved Costco pupusas, or maybe chicken sausage with veggies and Tater-Tots. She wasn’t subsisting on Fritos, but these were also decidedly not whole foods.” Fritos are ultra-processed, chicken sausages are generally not, although I guess they could be depending on the ingredients.

I can see how someone reading this piece might be really confused about what processed foods are and unsure about the best way to feed themselves and their families. The dietician in this piece isn’t helping anyone with her experiment, only sowing doubt in people who are finally waking up to the dangers of ultra-processed foods (which have consistently been linked to a laundry list of chronic diseases like obesity, cancer, heart disease, a decline in mental health, and more).

Although the science is clear, there is way too much confusion in the nutrition space. And confusion can lead to inaction, so let’s clarify this: What’s the difference between ultra-processed foods and minimally-processed foods? Here are some clear definitions (from NOVA and EWG), plus a list of over 100 foods and their classifications.

But before we get into the list: It’s my mission to get you all eating more home-cooked meals. The more natural and minimally-processed foods you eat, the less exposed you will be to harmful chemicals, additives, excessive sugars, microplastics, and other dangerous ingredients in ultra-processed foods. Meal prep with us, if you want more easy, healthy, and delicious meal ideas.

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UNPROCESSED OR NATURAL FOODS
Ideal but not realistic unless you live on a farm.

Definition: comes directly from a plant or animal and do not undergo any alteration following their removal from nature.

Examples:

• Raw fruit and vegetables directly from the farm

• Fresh eggs

MINIMALLY-PROCESSED FOODS 
Should be the majority of your diet.

Definition: Natural foods that have been submitted to cleaning, removal of inedible or unwanted parts, fractioning, grinding, drying, fermentation, pasteurization, cooling (refrigeration), freezing, or other processes that may subtract part of the food, but which do not add oils, fats, sugar, salt or other substances to the original food. Also included cooking ingredients that have been extracted from their natural form (processed culinary oils).

Examples: 

• Packaged, cut, frozen, or dried fruits and vegetables

• Whole grains, including rice, corn, oats, etc.

• Fruit and vegetable juices with no added ingredients

• Nuts and seeds without salt, oil, or sugar

• Pasta

• Eggs from the grocery store (or just not straight from the chicken coop)

• Legumes, like lentils, chickpeas, and beans

• Fresh and dried herbs

• Pasteurized milk and yogurt without added sugar

• Coffee and tea

• Fresh, chilled, or frozen meat, seafood, poultry that has been cut and packaged

• Oils from nuts, seeds, and fruits, like olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, etc.

• Sugar, honey, maple syrup

• Salt

• Butter

PROCESSED FOODS 
Some of these are okay daily in conjunction with a whole foods diet, other processed foods have less than ideal, but still recognizable ingredients (i.e. seed oils) so they aren’t classified as “ultra processed”.

Definition: Have added ingredients to make it taste better or last longer. You should be able to recognize all of the ingredients on the package and buy them individually at the grocery store.

*Note: There is some overlap between processed and ultra-processed foods. Ice cream, for example, can be processed (made with simple, whole, recognizable ingredients) or ultra processed (with added stabilizers, flavorings, etc.). It will depend on the brand you buy, so it’s important to read labels. Same goes with non-dairy milks, yogurts, packaged snacks, protein powders, protein bars, and more!

Examples:

• Yogurt with added sugars

• Cheese

• Beef jerky, bacon, and other salted, cured, or smoked meat and seafood products

• Canned fish

• Nuts and seeds with salt, sugar, or oil.

• Fresh made (unpackaged) breads

• Fermented alcoholic beverages

• Canned or bottled legumes or vegetables, including pickles

• Protein powder: Truvani, Needed Collagen, Vital Proteins, Be Well By Kelly, etc.

• Non-dairy milks without additives: Eden Foods soy milk, Three Trees, Malk, Canned coconut milk, etc.

• Protein Bars: Sakara, Aloha, Papa Steve’s, etc.

• Cereal: Lovebird, Thrive coconut cereal, Brown rice crisps, etc.

• Jam: Chia smash

• Packaged snacks: Lesser Evil popcorn, Ella’s Flats, Brad’s Raw Chips, Siete, etc.

  • Note: Many snacks with canola oil might still have simple recognizable ingredients but I would try to minimize (i.e. most plain tortilla and potato chips)

• Chocolate: Hu Kitchen, Alter Eco, etc.

ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS
Avoid as much as possible.

Definitions: Made with ingredients you wouldn’t normally find at the grocery store, and contain a lot of sugar, oils, and starches. Many of these foods have harmful ingredients including food dyes, chemical preservatives like BHT, high fructose corn syrup, msg, and more.

Examples:

• Flavored chips and crackers: Dorritos, Cheeze-it’s, BBQ chips, Honey Mustard Pretzels, Triscuits, Ritz Crackers

• Cereal: Frosted Flakes, Lucky Charms, Honey-nut Cheerios, Fruit Loops, etc.

• Candy: Anything flavored with a long ingredient list, Starburst, Red Vines, M&Ms, Reese’s, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Candy Corn, Hershey’s etc.

• Ice cream: Think the colored ice cream pops from the ice cream truck, or flavors with artificial colors

• Sodas and sports drinks: Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sprite, Gatorade, energy drinks like Red Bull, Hawaiian Punch, etc.

• Condiments, sauces, and dressings: Heinz ketchup, Hidden Valley Ranch, A1 Steak Sauce, etc.

• Fake meat: Impossible and Beyond

• Packaged baked goods

• Meal replacement shakes

• Most store bought cookies with hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, and food dyes

• Prepared and packaged meat products (some, not all)

• Canned and powdered ‘instant’ soups, noodles, sauces, desserts, drink, mixes and seasonings

• Frozen, ready-to-eat meals

• Fast food: Taco Bell, McDonalds, Burger King, etc.

• Refined oils that have undergone chemical processing.