Food Processing: What It Is, How It Affects Your Body, and Why It Matters

In today’s modern industrialized food environment, most of what’s readily available and marketed as convenient, tasty, or affordable is also processed—sometimes ultra-processed. But what does "processed" really mean? How does it impact your nutrition, digestion, metabolism, and long-term health? And why can choosing more whole or minimally processed foods improve your health?

What Is Food Processing?

Food processing refers to any method that alters food from its natural state—the state in which it is grown and harvested. This can include:

• Mechanical processing: chopping, juicing, grinding
  
  

• Cooking: baking, boiling, roasting
  
  

• Chemical processing: adding preservatives, colorings, emulsifiers
  
  

• Refining: removing components, like bran or germ in grains
  
  

• Packaging and shelf-stabilization: for global distribution and to extend expiration dates

Some processing is necessary and beneficial—like cooking to enhance digestibility, pasteurizing milk to reduce pathogens, or freezing produce to preserve nutrients. But problems arise with ultra-processed foods (UPFs): industrial formulations that include few whole-food ingredients and are loaded with refined grains, added sugars & oils, chemical additives, and strip nutrients from the food resulting in “empty calories–” meaning you get all the calories with little nutrition.

Examples of Food Processing: From Whole to Ultra-Processed

Food Type                      Whole / Minimally Processed                          Highly Processed / Ultra-Processed

Grains                            Steel-cut oats, brown rice, quinoa                   White bread, breakfast cereal, crackers

Fruits/Vegetables           Fresh, frozen, or dried with no sugar               Fruit snacks, veggie chips, canned in syrup (added sugars)

Proteins                         Eggs, fresh fish, plain chicken breast              Chicken nuggets, sausages, deli meats

Dairy                              Plain Greek yogurt, milk                                   Flavored yogurts, processed cheese slices

Fats                                Nuts, olive oil, avocado                                   Margarine, vegetable oil blends, deep fried

Here's a slightly closer look at common sources of whole vs. processed carbohydrates since they are so common in our food system. The following list shows examples of a spectrum from least to most refined:

• Minimally processed (best options): steel-cut oats, intact whole grains (quinoa, barley, farro, bulgur, millet), sprouted grain bread, brown rice, wild rice, beans, lentils, and sweet potatoes, corn on the cob

• Moderately processed: rolled oats, whole wheat pasta, 100% whole wheat bread, air-popped popcorn (no butter or added sugar), corn tortilla (stone-ground)

• Highly refined (limit or avoid): white rice, white bread, white pasta, crackers, pastries, sugary breakfast cereals, flour tortillas, cookies or baked desserts, most snack bars, chips, and foods with added sugars.

How Processing Affects Nutritional Value & Digestion

Food processing often removes beneficial nutrients and adds less healthy components.

• Refining grains removes the bran and germ, stripping away fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, and antioxidants

•  Added sugars and refined flours spike blood sugar rapidly by digesting very quickly and entering the blood system all at once, contributing to insulin resistance

• Highly processed fats (like hydrogenated oils) promote inflammation and cellular damage

• Artificial additives can alter gut microbiota and metabolic signaling

• However, minimal processing (like, steaming or blending) may improve nutrient availability without harm

Our body responds to ultra-processed foods very differently than it does to whole foods:

• Faster digestion: Ultra-processed foods are often low in fiber and protein and high in simple carbs and fats, which means they digest quickly—leading to blood sugar spikes, rapid drops, and more cravings

• Lower thermic effect: Whole foods require more energy to break down and metabolize, increasing your metabolic rate slightly compared to processed foods

• Blunted satiety: Processed foods are engineered to be “hyper-palatable” but less satisfying, promoting overeating and disrupting hunger/fullness hormones like ghrelin and leptin

• Addictive qualities: Highly palatable foods trigger our reward circuits in the brain leading to future cravings of these foods, with an opportunity cost by increasing consumption of these foods versus eating more nutritious foods

• Altered gut response: Additives and lack of fiber affect gut bacteria, weakening the gut lining and affecting our immune system

Health Implications of High Processed Food Intake

Numerous large-scale studies link high intake of ultra-processed foods to increases in:

• Obesity and weight gain

• Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes

• Heart disease and hypertension

• Depression and mood instability

• All-cause mortality

Studies on ultra-processed foods show that people who eat a diet higher in these foods eat an average of 500 calories more per day than those who eat “whole” food diets. An extra 500 calories per day is a significant amount of extra calories that can contribute to excess body fat and obesity, which puts someone at high risk of most chronic diseases and mortality. Moreover, studies find the more ultra-processed food in the diet, the worse the overall diet quality, regardless of calorie intake.

How to Choose More Nutritious Food Options: Look, Swap, Simplify

Making healthier choices doesn’t mean giving up convenience or flavor, it means upgrading your shopping game and being a more informed shopper by learning to recognize better alternatives.

Look at the Labels. Aim for packaged items that:

• Have few & recognizable ingredients - look for short ingredients lists on the label and foods that you recognize (e.g., oats, almonds, olive oil; not "maltodextrin" or "partially hydrogenated oil")

• Are higher in fiber (look for at least 3g per serving for breads, pasta, and grains)

• Contain no added sugars or low added sugar (check the "added sugar" line)

• Use minimal or no artificial additives (like dyes, gums, and preservatives)

• Contain a significant amount of protein per serving (10-30g). Not all foods are a significant source of protein, but foods that are higher in protein will slow absorption and increase satiety

Sample Swaps to Reduce Processed Foods

Instead of... Try This.

Sugary cereal... Steel-cut oats with fruit and seeds

White bread... Sprouted grain or whole grain bread

Flavored yogurt... Plain Greek yogurt + berries or honey

Soda / sweetened drinks... Sparkling water with lemon or herbal tea

Chips or crackers... Roasted chickpeas, light popcorn, or sliced veggies

Candy bars or pastries... Nut butter + dark chocolate (70%+)

Processed deli meats... Sliced grilled chicken, tuna, hard-boiled eggs

Instant noodles... Brown rice + sautéed veggies + broth

Frozen microwave dinners... Batch-cooked homemade meals or meal prep bowls

Tips for Making Food Decisions Easier

• Shop the perimeter of the store—this is where the fresh produce, meats, and dairy are usually located

• Prep key ingredients in bulk (grains, roasted veggies, proteins) to make meals easier to assemble. For instance, cook/prepare multiple servings of overnight steel cut oats, cauliflower rice, or grilled salmon so they’re readily available during your busy week

• Stock up on nutrient-dense staples: like, low-sodium canned beans, frozen vegetables, eggs, seeds, nuts, quinoa, plain Greek yogurt, olive oil

• Use the “grandma rule”: If your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize it as food, it’s probably highly processed

You don’t have to be perfect. Processed foods are everywhere, but reducing ultra-processed foods and replacing them with whole or minimally processed options can dramatically improve your long-term health. Start with small swaps. Be mindful of what’s in your packaged foods or goes into your meals. And remember—your body evolved to thrive on real food.

Try This Challenge:

1. Identify: 3–5 ultra-processed foods you regularly eat

   • Examples: sugary cereals, packaged snacks, fast food, sweetened drinks

2. Swap: find minimally processed alternatives for the UPFs you identified

   • Replace white bread with sprouted grain bread, soda with sparkling water, flavored yogurt with plain Greek yogurt and fruit

3. Cook or prep: at least 1 more meal than usual at home each week for 4 weeks

   • Focus on whole ingredients: lean proteins, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and healthy fats

4. Read labels: start paying attention to ingredient lists; if it has more than 5 ingredients, especially ones you don’t recognize, it’s likely ultra-processed

5. Pay attention: Notice changes in your energy, cravings, mood, digestion, hunger, and satisfaction when eating highly processed foods vs whole foods