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[-] heyWhatsay@slrpnk.net 4 points 11 hours ago

Walk into a grocery store, 90% of it is ultra processed

[-] buttnugget@lemmy.world 9 points 20 hours ago

What does “ultra processed” mean? I can’t get the article to load.

[-] Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 15 hours ago

Part of the problem is simply defining ultra-processed foods.
The new CDC report used the most common definition based on the four-tier Nova system developed by Brazilian researchers that classifies foods according to the amount of processing they undergo. Such foods tend to be “hyperpalatable, energy-dense, low in dietary fiber and contain little or no whole foods, while having high amounts of salt, sweeteners and unhealthy fats,” the CDC report said

[-] buttnugget@lemmy.world 6 points 13 hours ago

I really appreciate that, thank you!

[-] markovs_gun@lemmy.world 6 points 23 hours ago

I would say this is almost certainly skewed by income, with the poorest Americans getting almost all of their calories from ultra processed foods, and the share decreasing with income. I would be curious to see that spread because one of the more fucked up things about this is that there are a lot of people who eat this stuff exclusively, and this number kind of hides that.

[-] 3abas@lemmy.world 5 points 12 hours ago

A tiny bag of chips is over $5 these days, and has less than 200 calories. Potatoes at fancy grocery stores are about $1/pound, and you can get them much cheaper if you go to "poor people" stores.

You can't get a double cheeseburger for $1 anymore.

It used to be true, they got people hooked on junk and fast food in the early 2000s, but those days are gone, people spend WAY TOO MUCH on junk food.

It's absolutely cheaper to buy fresh and eat healthy. It won't feel as good in your brain as good because it won't have all the addictive shit that makes junk food bad, but if you learn to cook it'll taste better.

Even lower income people have time to cook, but people would rather feed another addiction (spend hours on TV and TikTok, but one hour cooking is too much) and ordering delivery. Uber Eats sure doesn't profit off rich people only...

[-] trashboat@midwest.social 3 points 9 hours ago

people would rather feed another addiction (spend hours on TV and TikTok, but one hour cooking is too much)

I’d argue that people engage in these activities because people are tired from working too hard for too little for too long

[-] 3abas@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago

I have children and my wife and I are active present parents. we're not rich, we end my work day and begin my kids duty, when we put the kids to sleep we sometimes finish work that we couldn't because we spent time with the kids instead.

We cook their every meal, and we wake up early to pack them healthy snacks for school. And you know what we do to wind down? We watch some TV!

We also clean the house daily, clean laundry, shower the kids daily, and somehow I still have time to argue with people who can't find two hours a week to cook!

Cooking is not more exhausting than any other chore, and we've turned it into an enjoyable routine. You do what's important first, then you rest.

The vast majority of Americans you're referring to are not working construction 18 hours a day, they're working in an air conditioned building for 9 hours.

[-] MellowYellow13@lemmy.world 1 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

I mean maybe this used to be true, but it is most definitely not anymore, not even close. It is waaay cheaper to eat healthier.

[-] markovs_gun@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

It is, but that doesn't mean that poor people don't still eat more highly processed foods. Not smoking or using drugs is also way cheaper than doing those things, but both are more prevalent among poor people in the US.

[-] pixelkitty@lemmy.world 4 points 20 hours ago

Probably also skewed by the fact that ultra processed foods are by default more calorie dense, therefore most of a day's calories might come from that.

[-] burgerpocalyse@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago

the problems involve people not having money to buy more nutritious food, and grocery store chains not supplying certain markets (poor people). this could be helped by giving people more money or at least providing them with food regardless of cost, and also government-run grocery stores that operate regardless of profit margin. also, people like RFK Jr complain about processed food, while drinking fishtank cleaner, popping zyn pouches, and taking steroids, so i dont really care whether food is 'processed' that much.

[-] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 43 points 2 days ago

"Ultra-processed food" is a meaningless phrase. The definitions for it are so broad as to cover everything from kimchi to Snickers.

Define the ingredients that are bad ffs. Stop with this ridiculous bs.

[-] DesertDwellingWeirdo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I have issues with sensitivity to unhealthy foods and even some vegetables set me off. Beans, potatoes, rice, sweet peas, anything spicy like onions, garlic, ginger, or peppers. Honey as well, due to being made up mostly of simple carbohydrates. A box of granola bars would spoil my day, a few slices of pizza would kick up arrhythmia, and a shot of vodka would put me in the hospital.

If it's not a plain fruit, vegetable, nut, or meat like fish or chicken, it's probably bad to at least some degree.

[-] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

If it’s not a plain fruit, vegetable, nut, or meat like fish or chicken, it’s probably bad to at least some degree.

That sounds like stience to me.

[-] DesertDwellingWeirdo@lemmy.world 1 points 20 hours ago

Scientifically speaking, I am basically a walking index on junk food.

[-] xxce2AAb@feddit.dk 15 points 2 days ago

I agree with you in general and recognize the validity of your point, but in this particular case we all know they mean a combination of 'meat, brain and bone slurry', 'HFCS-infused everything' and 'chlorine bleached <8% protein wheat flour'.

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago

No, the study cited in the article doesn’t share your definition.

[-] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 day ago

we all know they mean

This is my point. No, "we" don't.

combination of ‘meat, brain and bone slurry’, ‘HFCS-infused everything’ and ‘chlorine bleached <8% protein wheat flour’.

Thanks for proving my point. You just described everything from toast to sausages and even laced in some unscientific thoughts on HFCS (hint: it's sugar, sugar is bad but HFCS is no worse than sugar).

"You know - stuff I hear on Tik Tok is bad for you" is not a scientific conclusion.

[-] teawrecks@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 day ago

It feels like your null hypothesis is to keep eating it, though. Your argument is, "you've indicated it's bad for me, but you aren't saying why, therefore I'm going to keep eating it."

But if you're interested in the scientific result here, your null hypothesis should be to stay away from it until you have enough data. Maybe you're not aware of the overwhelming amount of data that shows ultra processed foods are linked to all kinds of health disorders?

It's like someone in the 50s telling you that smoking is linked to cancer, and you're saying "yeah, but WHY? Until you tell me specifically what ingredient is harmful, there's no reason for me to stop smoking!"

[-] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago

Your argument is, “you’ve indicated it’s bad for me, but you aren’t saying why, therefore I’m going to keep eating it.”

That's not my argument at all.

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[-] teawrecks@sopuli.xyz 7 points 1 day ago

You're spreading misinformation/FUD. At a minimum, Ultra Processed Food means it contains ingredients that are added because they "have" to to get it to your mouth, not because anyone wants you to put those ingredients in your body.

I agree that UPF is not rigorously defined yet, but to claim it is "so broad as to cover everything from kimchi to Snickers" is absurd. If it's literally just kimchi, it's not processed. If it's kimchi that has a shelf-stable additive, and a dye to make it look pleasing, and chemicals to hide the taste of the machines that made it, then it's processed.

If your FUD stems from your own ignorance about the subject matter, that's a you problem, quit flaunting it around. If it stems from being a hired shill of General Mills, et al., then I hope you're getting paid well.

[-] haloduder@thelemmy.club 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

What would make the kimchi 'ultra processed'?

I agree with the original commenter that these terms are sensationalist bullshit perpetuated by scumbags who don't mind manipulating useful idiots.

Also, you don't know what FUD is.

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[-] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

I love kimchi, some of my best cubicle-clearing work starts with kimchi.

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[-] FenderStratocaster@lemmy.world 53 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I don't think Americans eat healthy, but "ultra processed" not defined by any metric is in favor of the manufacturer. Something can be unprocessed and unhealthy and vice versa. Better regulation would help.

The article claims instant oatmeal is bad because it's sugary, salty, and has other additives then goes on to recommend eating oatmeal and adding sugar yourself. I'm not sure I understand why it's much better for you.

[-] oxjox@lemmy.ml 23 points 2 days ago

but “ultra processed” not defined by any metric

This is the shit that grinds me. You have the world's information at your finger tips and you're making a wild claim that there isn't a definition for something and basing your argument around that. You have gone this far in your life with the belief that there is no definition "but any metric" for Ultra Process foods?

Don't you think that's a little absurd to think this? I mean, it's literally in the word. Not processed – ultra processed; meaning, roughly, that the food or ingredients in that food are processed again after initial processing.

What I will grant you is that this word is sometimes thrown around inappropriately. You (and us all) have every right to be upset by this confusion and misrepresentation.

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/what-know-about-processed-and-ultra-processed-food

Category 4: Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations made from food components. They include additives that are rare or nonexistent in culinary use, like emulsifiers, hydrogenated oils, synthetic colors, texture improvers or flavor enhancers. Think chips, soda, instant soup, pastries and mass-produced breads.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/un-decade-of-nutrition-the-nova-food-classification-and-the-trouble-with-ultraprocessing/2A9776922A28F8F757BDA32C3266AC2A

Ultra-processed foods, such as soft drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, reconstituted meat products and pre-prepared frozen dishes, are not modified foods but formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives, with little if any intact Group 1 food.

Ingredients of these formulations usually include those also used in processed foods, such as sugars, oils, fats or salt. But ultra-processed products also include other sources of energy and nutrients not normally used in culinary preparations. Some of these are directly extracted from foods, such as casein, lactose, whey and gluten. Many are derived from further processing of food constituents, such as hydrogenated or interesterified oils, hydrolysed proteins, soya protein isolate, maltodextrin, invert sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.

Additives in ultra-processed foods include some also used in processed foods, such as preservatives, antioxidants and stabilizers. Classes of additives found only in ultra-processed products include those used to imitate or enhance the sensory qualities of foods or to disguise unpalatable aspects of the final product. These additives include dyes and other colours, colour stabilizers; flavours, flavour enhancers, non-sugar sweeteners; and processing aids such as carbonating, firming, bulking and anti-bulking, de-foaming, anti-caking and glazing agents, emulsifiers, sequestrants and humectants.

A multitude of sequences of processes is used to combine the usually many ingredients and to create the final product (hence ‘ultra-processed’). The processes include several with no domestic equivalents, such as hydrogenation and hydrolysation, extrusion and moulding, and pre-processing for frying.

The overall purpose of ultra-processing is to create branded, convenient (durable, ready to consume), attractive (hyper-palatable) and highly profitable (low-cost ingredients) food products designed to displace all other food groups. Ultra-processed food products are usually packaged attractively and marketed intensively.

[-] FenderStratocaster@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Imagine doing all that and not reading the article.

[-] teawrecks@sopuli.xyz 1 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

You're making the same "the science isn't settled" argument that right wing media relies on to stoke climate change denial.

In reality, science is never settled, and there is a huge amount of rigorous scientific debate around the definition of UPFs that is narrowing in on it; it is just flat out not the case that the term means nothing. That is something that manufacturers of UPFs want you to accept.

Edit:

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[-] toast@retrolemmy.com 22 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Agreed. Early on, the article points to burgers as a main culprit. I just happened to make myself a burger yesterday. Other than coarsely grinding the cut of beef (chuck), what was so ultra processed here? Was the beef so very different than the steak I could have made instead? I would imagine that the authors had envisioned a more heavily processed, meat from a tube sort of burger than mine, but that's the problem with communicating information like this. The imprecision of the language is killing the messaging and undermining the research.

[-] QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 days ago

The bun, any pickle and your sauces and relishes would be the places to look for ultra processed food ingredients.

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[-] Gates9@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 day ago

You know how they feed farm animals low grade corn and grains, junk byproduct of all kind of food processing, just what they need so we can get what we want out of them…everything is optimized for extraction.

They used to need us to work their factories, back when we were a manufacturing economy. They’re not bringing back the manufacturing economy, you gotta be a goddamn moron to believe that.

So if you’re not gonna pay up and eat the cheapest, shittiest food possible, and not harass them about education and healthcare and your fucking “happiness”…what the fuck do they need you around for?

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

The cheapest crap is fed to animals to extract more profit. The cheapest crap is mixed into manufacturing the food to make it more profitable. The cheapest crap is fed to humans to make them more profitable.

[-] Revan343@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago
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[-] Formfiller@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Large portions of the United States don’t have access to grocery stores that carry fresh produce

[-] M154nthr0p3@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1411126/episodes/17271368-ultra-processed-foods.mp3

Maintenance Phase is a dope podcast that covers the bullshit of the diet/wellness world. It's appropriately scientifically-skeptical.

This episode adds some much needed context to the idea of "processed-food".

[-] Wazowski@lemmy.world 16 points 2 days ago

CDC director bouta get fired

[-] Boddhisatva@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago

Nope. They're bucking for a promotion. Ultra-processed foods is something RFK Jr. has been bitching about for a while. He thinks everyone should go back to a more natural diet. Like eating roadkill.

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this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2025
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