ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Ultra-processed foods are everywhere. Their convenience and cost are appealing. But health experts say the long lists of ingredients should give you pause. Still, there are ways to spot ultra-processed foods while you’re shopping.
“We’re eating more processed foods and moving away from vegetables and fruits,” says Rolando Toyos, MD, founder and CEO of Toyos Clinic.
Ultra-processed foods are designed to be easy to eat, tasty and have a long shelf life, but doctors say they’re bad for your health.
“What we’re really talking about is avoiding ultra-processed foods that are in the middle of the store — cookies, chips, foods that come in a box,” says Ilana Katz Sand, MD, a neurologist at Mount Sinai in New York.
One easy way to tell is that they usually have a long list of ingredients, many of which you’ve probably never heard of. If the list includes things you wouldn’t use in your own kitchen, you know it’s ultra-processed.
“Whenever possible, if you can prepare your meals at home. When you prepare your own meals, you know you know exactly what’s going to go in,” Dr. Sand says.
The Washington Post lists other warning signs of processed foods: Look for added sweeteners like corn syrup or cane sugar, artificial sweeteners like aspartame, ingredients ending in “…ose” like fructose or glucose, and convenience foods and foods with a variety of flavors.
Keeping these unhealthy, ultra-processed foods off your shelves means more space in your cart for better-for-you foods.
Experts also warn to be wary of clever marketing tactics that make processed foods appear healthy but contain large amounts of additives and sugar.
Contributors to this news report include Producer Lindsay Daly and Editor Chuck Bennetham.
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