An ultra-processed experiment

An interesting new study was published last week about 'ultra-processed food' (UPFs). The researchers tried to recreate the typical Western (or at least American) diet using 'less-processed food' rather than UPFs. It turned out to be a lot of hassle for no benefit.

 

Selecting less-processed foods according to the Nova classification system does not guarantee a high-quality diet. In this study, we used the Nova classification system to design a Western diet with less processed foods to match the meals of a Western diet with more processed foods. Using less processed foods did not improve the nutritional value of the diet and resulted in projected greater costs and a shorter shelf life than the comparable menu with more-processed foods.

 

Cue Chris van Tulleken accusing all the authors of being in the pocket of Big Food in 3, 2, 1...