The dangers of excess sugar consumption have been well-established and were officially recognized in the 2015-2020 U.S. dietary guidelines, which recommend limiting added sugars to 10% of daily calories
Sixty percent of the processed foods consumed by Americans are ultraprocessed and account for 90% of the added sugar consumption in the U.S.
Examples of ultraprocessed foods include breakfast cereals, pizza, chicken nuggets, soda, chips, salty/sweet/savory snacks, packaged baked goods, microwaveable frozen meals, instant soups and sauces
Studies have highlighted the risks of processed high-sugar diets, showing excessive sugar consumption is at the very core of many of our current disease epidemics as it drives obesity and insulin resistance
French researchers now warn that ultraprocessed foods raise your risk of cancer, and the more ultraprocessed foods you eat, the greater your risk; each 10% increase in ultraprocessed food raised the cancer rate by 12%
Examples of ultraprocessed foods include breakfast cereals, pizza, chicken nuggets, soda, chips and other salty/sweet/savory snacks, packaged baked goods, microwaveable frozen meals, instant soups and sauces and much more. More generally, ultraprocessed foods can be defined as food products containing one or more of the following:
- Ingredients that are not traditionally used in cooking
- Unnaturally high amounts of sugar, salt, processed industrial oils and unhealthy fats
- Artificial flavors, colors, chemical sweeteners and other additives that imitate sensorial qualities of unprocessed or minimally processed foods (examples include additives that create textures and pleasing mouthfeel)
- Preservatives and chemicals that impart an unnaturally long shelf-life
- Genetically engineered (GE) ingredients, which in addition to carrying potential health risks also tend to be heavily contaminated with toxic herbicides such as glyphosate, 2,4-D and dicamba
Specifically, foods that fall in those categories include just about anything that comes in a box, can or plastic package, including commercial breads, sandwich meats and canned soups.8 Even some canned fish and meats contain processed additives that include sugars and vegetable oils.