"Reduce processed foods," seems like a simple enough statement but it's also a very broad statement. So what do we mean when we say, "reduce processed foods?"

Your chips, soft drinks, candy, ready to eat meals, and anything else wherein the majority of the product is from substances extracted from foods or pulled from food constituents with little to nothing left intact are ultra processed foods. Say what? 🤔

These products contain refined carbs, saturated fats, and tons of salt. This is not super healthy. These are seldom created with health in mind.

Let's say you buy a bag of baby carrots, this is a processed food, it has been processed but the processing is minimal. Let's say you buy a bag of Cheetos, this is definitely an ultra processed food.

If the end product has no semblance of the original foods it is derived from and has an ingredient list that goes forever, I consider this to be ultra processed. That being said, many companies are now "designing foods" for health by combining good ingredients together so it is not a "one size fits all" every time.

Ultra processed food labels also look like everything nutritious (protein, fiber, etc.) was stripped out and replaced by high calorie garbage (bad fat, sugar, and empty carbs).

No, processed foods are not all bad. Far from it. But you should limit the ultra processed foods loaded in added sugar, salt, fat, and empty carbs.

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