2023-07-15 08:06:20
There are many foods that are high in nutrients, despite their level of processing. (GETTY IMAGES)
Ultra-processed foods are not the ideal food that doctors recommend to lead a healthy life since they have different effects on long-term health such as obesity or diabetes, however, not everything is bad since, according to a new study of the United States Agricultural Research Service, it is possible to develop a healthy diet with 91 percent of the calories coming from ultra-processed foods.
“The study is a proof of concept that shows a more balanced view of healthy eating patterns, where the use of ultra-processed foods may be an option,” says the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research nutritionist. ) at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Julie Hess. In this sense, the researcher assures that, “according to current dietary recommendations, the nutrient content of a food and its place in a food group are more important than the extent to which a food was processed.”
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In the study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, the scientists used the NOVA scale to determine which foods to classify as ultra-processed. The NOVA scale first appeared in the literature in 2009 and is the most widely used scale in nutrition science to classify foods by degree of processing. According to the NOVA scale, foods can be classified into four groups according to their degree of processing: unprocessed or minimally processed foods; processed culinary ingredients; processed foods; and ultra-processed foods.
To test whether ultra-processed foods can be used to build a healthy diet, ARS scientists and collaborators created a menu with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks using MyPyramid as a guide for a seven-day, 2,000-calorie meal pattern.
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The menu consisted of foods categorized as ultra-processed by at least two NOVA raters. Menu items also aligned with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommendations for serving groups and subgroups of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy.
The scientists selected food products that have lower levels of saturated fats and added sugars and, at the same time, contain sufficient micronutrients and macronutrients. Some of the ultra-processed foods used on this menu included canned beans, instant oats, ultra-filtered milk, whole wheat bread, and dried fruit.
A group of bakers. (GETTY IMAGES)
“We use the Healthy Eating Index to assess diet quality as it aligns with key DGA recommendations,” Hess explains. “The menu we developed scored 86 out of 100 points in the 2015 Healthy Eating Index, meeting most thresholds except sodium content [recomendaciones superadas] and whole grains [recomendaciones inferiores]”, details the scientist.
Scientists will continue to investigate this concept, understanding that observational research indicates that ultra-processed products may be associated with adverse health outcomes. This research shows that there is a role for a variety of foods in building a healthy diet and that more research is needed in this field, especially intervention studies.
Do not make the mistake of thinking that you are talking about the worst category of ultra-processed foods, but about those that fill supermarkets and the shelves of all kitchens. In other words, there are many foods that are rich in nutrients, despite their level of processing, which, in general, usually exceed the recommendations for sodium and added sugars.
Thus, for example, there is food like yogurt that is a good or excellent source of nutrients, although it has preservatives and added sugars; frequently eaten breads, rolls, and tortillas, when they are whole grain products, contribute to energy and nutrient intake; cans of chickpeas, beans or crushed tomato, which when bought in a greengrocer’s are part of a healthy diet but when they come packaged it is observed that they can contain a percentage of salt, citric acid or calcium chloride.
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Another example they give is charcuterie products such as shredded smoked turkey: containing turkey breast, water, white turkey, modified food starch, contains less than 2% salt, dextrose, sodium phosphates, carrageenan, sodium propionate, sodium diacetate, sodium benzoate, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrate.
In addition, there were other items that were included: runny egg whites, light orange juice, frozen baked potatoes, lemon pepper salmon, toasted nori, ultra-filtered milk, black pepper tuna, brown rice, and garlic, salt, and pepper quinoa. . And added cashews, strawberry kefir and honey roasted chickpeas.
The researchers determined the feasibility of creating a sample menu of 2,000 kcal for 7 days that aligned with the recommendations of a Healthy Dietary Pattern, such that 80 percent of the items within the menu were processed.
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Scores were made for each food and, combining them, they made a menu with 13 different dietary components (total fruits, whole fruits, total vegetables, vegetables and beans, whole grains, dairy, total protein foods, seafood and vegetable proteins, fatty acids , refined grains, sodium, added sugars and saturated fat).
Thus, for example, the first day of the menu consisted of: Breakfast burrito, with runny egg whites, canned black beans, grated cheddar, and to drink orange juice, fat-free ultrafiltered milk; the meal Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, tomato, mushrooms and shredded mozzarella, served with frozen roast potatoes and sparkling water; and dinner a bowl of frozen salmon rice with lemon and pepper, accompanied by sesame seeds, mayonnaise, toasted Nori hot sauce, steamed broccoli and nonfat ultrafiltered milk.
In the end, this study highlights the challenges of categorizing foods as “raw,” “minimally processed,” or “ultra-processed,” as well as the potential consequences of warning against consuming all ultra-processed foods in the interest of public health.
Information prepared by Europa Press
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