Are Ultra Processed Foods Killing Us?
So you have probably all read the recent hype about ‘ultra-processed’ foods leading to cancer and are probably panicking about the last meal you ate and how soon before you drop dead!! But how true is all this media sensationalisation and what does it actually mean for you? ‘ Ultra-processed’ de-mystified Well let’s start by unpicking the truly terrifying term ‘ultra-processed’. It c omes from the NOVA classification which is a system used in Scientific research that ranks foods into 4 categories: 1) minimally or unprocessed, 2) processed ingredients, 3) processed foods 4) ultra-processed foods. Whilst this is useful for researchers, it can be very confusing and misleading for public health advice. Not only because the categories themselves are very vague but because foods with hugely varying nutrition profiles are lumped together – particularly in the 4 th category. For example, shop bought hummus, oat...