A top doctor has shared four simple tests to help determine the healthiness of your food shopping. Dr Megan Rossi, a registered dietician and gut scientist, revealed the items that often make it into her shopping basket.
Despite being ‘controversial’, she argued that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) could be nutritious. She pointed out that viewing the likes of hummus and chicken nuggets as unhealthy as both are ultra processed does not accurately reflect the health benefits of certain foods.
She also noted that things are more complex than what social media might suggest. The King’s College London doctor said: “Controversial, maybe, but hear me out…many foods classified as UPF are nutritious,” she said. “Not all UPFs are created equal, and the term comes from the NOVA classification system, which sorts foods into four categories based on processing levels.”
She explained: “UPFs typically have five or more ingredients, but here’s the catch. It lumps nutrient-packed options like pre-packaged hummus with less nutritious ones like cookies and chicken nuggets. This is why we need a more practical way to decide what’s truly nutritious.
“While our team at King’s College London works on that, here are my top tips for making more informed food choices. Ingredients are listed from greatest to smallest by weight. If the product claims it’s made with healthy ingredients (like chickpeas), these should feature at the top.
“Keep an eye on the top three ingredients. You want these to come from whole foods, reducing the overall proportion of refined ingredients.
“Natural doesn’t always mean it’s good for you. It’s one of my biggest bugbears that marketers often try to push this term to make something sound more wholesome.
“Did you know there are over 50 names for different types of added sugars? Exotic-sounding sugars like coconut blossom nectar and date syrup can make products sound healthy, but they are still types of added sugar that leave your microbes hangry. I don’t recommend loading up on UPF. But it’s much more nuanced than social media would have you believe.”
The NHS says that ultra-processed foods are foods and drinks that have been through more processing than other foods, reports Surrey Live. Ultra-processed foods often include ingredients you would not usually have at home, such as preservatives, sweeteners and emulsifiers. Examples include sweets and chocolate, crisps and some ready meals. Heart UK says: ‘Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have been linked to poorer health, and this may be because certain UPFs tend to be high in salt, saturated fat and sugar.
“UPFs have become a hot topic of debate recently, with extensive media attention and a growing body of research looking into how they can affect our health. Unfortunately, this has led to mixed messages in the media which makes it difficult to know which foods to buy.
“The term ‘ultra-processed food’ simply refers to how much processing the foods have been through, not how healthy they may be. While eating large amounts of high calorie, less nutritious UPFs such as doughnuts and ready-made pizzas can lead to weight gain and health problems, others can be included in a heart-healthy diet, such as wholegrain breakfast cereals. Some have even been shown to lower cholesterol, for example, foods fortified with plant sterols and stanols.”