#53: Ultra-Processed Foods: How Harmful and Why?

9 snips

Oct 28, 2025

Explore the rise of ultra-processed foods and their dominance in our diets since WWII. Discover what exactly classifies as ultra-processed and how various additives might not be the real problem. Learn about fascinating studies showing the significant calorie increase when eating UPFs. Dr. Bobby shares practical tips on prioritizing whole foods and navigating the food landscape without fear. He emphasizes moderation and offers insight into his own indulgences and choices to maintain a balanced approach.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

How UPFs Took Over The American Plate

Ultra-processed foods now make up about 60% of the American diet and are engineered for cheapness, stability, and desirability.
Post-WWII advances (cheap flour, HFCS, oils) plus convenience culture created the UPF explosion.

ANECDOTE

College Mac And Cheese Preference

Dr. Bobby recalls eating cheap boxed mac and cheese in medical school and later preferring the ultra-processed version over homemade.
This personal example shows how UPFs create lasting taste preferences.

INSIGHT

NOVA's Four-Group Framework

The NOVA system classifies foods into four groups and group four labels items as ultra-processed, often recombined and engineered.
Ultra-processed products often include unfamiliar ingredients and aim for irresistible textures and flavors.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Send us a text

I unpack what “ultra-processed” really means, why these foods are so easy to overeat, what the best evidence shows (including metabolic-ward studies), and how I personally navigate them without fear or perfectionism.

Key topics & evidence (in plain English):

What counts as “ultra-processed”? I walk through the NOVA system—useful, not perfect—and where borderline items (frozen meals, boxed mixes) fit. See an overview of NOVA classifications here
.
How we got here: post-WWII abundance of refined flour, cheap sugars, oils, and a cultural push for convenience—now ~60% of the U.S. diet comes from UPFs (study
).
Additives: stabilizers, emulsifiers, preservatives, and colors are generally recognized as safe (GRAS). I explain why, on their own, they’re probably not the main health issue.
The bigger problem: UPFs are energy-dense, engineered for bliss (fat/sugar/salt + perfect texture), and easy to eat quickly—driving higher calorie intake.
• Metabolic-ward crossover trial: +~508 kcal/day when participants ate UPFs vs minimally processed (Cell 2019
).
• Overweight adults in a crossover design: +~814 kcal/day on the UPF week (PubMed
).
• Another recent crossover RCT reports ~300 kcal/day higher on UPFs (Nature Medicine 2025
).

What I recommend (and what I do):

Prioritize whole foods most of the time; shop the perimeter; cook when you can. Canned tomatoes/beans and frozen fruits/peas are fine helpers.
If weight, diabetes, or blood pressure are concerns, be extra cautious with UPFs—they’re designed to be irresistible and calorie-dense.
Moderation wins: I enjoy favorites (yes, even boxed mac ’n’ cheese and crunchy peanut butter) without letting them dominate my plate.

Takeaways you can use today:

Build meals around minimally processed proteins, veggies, fruits, and beans; let convenience items support—not star—in your diet.
Watch “calorie-dense + easy to overeat” combos (chips, sweets, fast food). If you have them, portion once, then put the package away.
If symptoms or inflammation are puzzling you, try a short UPF-light experiment (2–4 weeks) and see how you feel.

If this episode helped, please follow and leave a quick review—and share it with a friend who’s curious about UPFs. For my newsletter and resources, visit drbobbylivelongandwell.com.