Uploaded May 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Dumping on processed foods is the thing to do these days. I have done my share of it too. While they aren’t poisons, Froot Loops, Pop Tarts, soft drinks and chicken nuggets should not be major components of the diet. But there is a wide spectrum of processed foods. Frozen vegetables are processed, so is pasteurized milk and yogurt. Like in so many areas of nutritional science, there are nuances upon nuances.
The NOVA system attempts to categorize the relationship between processed foods and health by sorting foods into four groups. Group 1 includes unprocessed or minimally processed foods like fruits, seeds, vegetables, eggs, nuts and meat. In Group 2 we have the likes of oils, butter and sugar, foods that are produced by pressing, milling or refining Group 1 foods. Group 3 has food that requires significant processing, such as cured meats, cheese, beer and pickled vegetables. Group 4 contains chips, ice cream, prepared frozen dishes, sweetened cereals and canned soups, in other words, the notorious “ultra-processed foods.” The usual message is to emphasize Group 1 foods over Group 4 in our diet. Numerous epidemiological studies support this recommendation, having found an association between obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and ultra-processed diets.
Another association has recently popped up. This time between ultra-processed food consumption and brain health. We are talking not only about cognitive function, but risk of stroke as well. In 2003, some 20,00 adults over the age of forty-five with no history of stroke or cognitive impairment were enlisted in a study and were followed for four years. Using food frequency questionnaires their foods were categorized according to the NOVA system, memory tests were administered, and stroke cases were identified from medical records.
Risk of stroke increased with more foods consumed from Groups 3 and 4, and there was significantly more cognitive impairment associated with diet high in Group 4 foods. The researchers also determined which of the subjects were following a Mediterranean, DASH or MIND diet, all of which emphasize vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fish. These diets mimimize processed foods, so it comes as no surprise that they were also associated with a lower risk of stroke and cognitive impairment. There is nothing dramatically new here. When it comes to decision making, nuts are better than chips for a snack, a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato is better than a frozen pizza, oatmeal is better than corn flakes, pita with humus beats a hot dog, water is definitely preferred over soda pop and an apple triumphs over a donut.
Dumping on processed foods is the thing to do these days. I have done my share of it too. While they aren’t poisons, Froot Loops, Pop Tarts, soft drinks and chicken nuggets should not be major components of the diet. But there is a wide spectrum of processed foods. Frozen vegetables are processed, so is pasteurized milk and yogurt. Like in so many areas of nutritional science, there are nuances upon nuances.
The NOVA system attempts to categorize the relationship between processed foods and health by sorting foods into four groups. Group 1 includes unprocessed or minimally processed foods like fruits, seeds, vegetables, eggs, nuts and meat. In Group 2 we have the likes of oils, butter and sugar, foods that are produced by pressing, milling or refining Group 1 foods. Group 3 has food that requires significant processing, such as cured meats, cheese, beer and pickled vegetables. Group 4 contains chips, ice cream, prepared frozen dishes, sweetened cereals and canned soups, in other words, the notorious “ultra-processed foods.” The usual message is to emphasize Group 1 foods over Group 4 in our diet. Numerous epidemiological studies support this recommendation, having found an association between obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and ultra-processed diets.
Another association has recently popped up. This time between ultra-processed food consumption and brain health. We are talking not only about cognitive function, but risk of stroke as well. In 2003, some 20,00 adults over the age of forty-five with no history of stroke or cognitive impairment were enlisted in a study and were followed for four years. Using food frequency questionnaires their foods were categorized according to the NOVA system, memory tests were administered, and stroke cases were identified from medical records.
Risk of stroke increased with more foods consumed from Groups 3 and 4, and there was significantly more cognitive impairment associated with diet high in Group 4 foods. The researchers also determined which of the subjects were following a Mediterranean, DASH or MIND diet, all of which emphasize vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fish. These diets mimimize processed foods, so it comes as no surprise that they were also associated with a lower risk of stroke and cognitive impairment. There is nothing dramatically new here. When it comes to decision making, nuts are better than chips for a snack, a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato is better than a frozen pizza, oatmeal is better than corn flakes, pita with humus beats a hot dog, water is definitely preferred over soda pop and an apple triumphs over a donut.
