Did you know that in Indian households majority of the calories are driven from ultra-processed foods rather than whole foods? Be honest here — just consider your eating habits.
You get the point!
Increasing ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption has significantly increased the obesity in India. According to data from the World Obesity Atlas 2023, adult obesity in India is predicted to rise at a compound annual growth rate of 5.2% between 2020 and 2035. Similarly, child obesity in India is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate of 9.1% for the same period.
Eating Ultra-Processed Foods rarely and mindfully doesn’t cause significant harm. Daily consumption is where the real trouble begins.
Reason for Increasing UPF Consumption
Many Indian citizens are unaware of how to read nutrition labels and identify harmful ingredients such as trans fats and added sugars. They assume that heavily marketed foods like breakfast cereals saying rich in vitamins and fiber are nutrient dense and neglect real foods like fruits and whole grain.
Inspiringly, Japan’s school curriculum covers a program called Shokuiku (food education) where students learn about balanced diet, food preparation. Lunch preparation is utilized as hands-on training to cook healthy meals.
Making nutrition literacy a core component of our school curriculum could be the answer to India's lack of nutrition literacy, which includes knowledge of what is and is not nutrient dense and healthy.
We often underestimate the degree of processing and the synthetic ingredients that go into these food products. While ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and their health impacts have been discussed widely, here I aim to highlight ultra-processed foods that are widely consumed under the misconception of being healthy and share direction toward healthier eating habits.
5 Ultra-processed foods that are widely consumed under the misconception of being healthy
These UPFs are based on my observations; people consume them for convenience and as nutrient dense. However, in the long term, they contribute to deteriorating health.
1) Breads and Buns: Breads and Buns became typical breakfast carb source nowadays. Bread is minimally processed only when it has the basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast and salt. But do you know most of the commercial breads have unwelcomed additions like added sugars (high fructose corn syrup or cane sugar), mold inhibitors, hydrogenated oils and synthetically added nutrients.
2) Peanut Butter: As the name says it’s just peanuts. It should be just roasted peanut and salt that undergoes simple grinding process. But won’t the oils separate or tastes bland? That’s when the industrial heroes like emulsifiers, added sugars and hydrogenated oils comes as saviour to improve consistency and taste. But while they’re busy saving the industry’s product, they’re secretly plotting against your gut. How thoughtful!
3) Flavoured Yoghurt: Yoghurt is a healthy option for gut health and protein source. Flavoured yoghurts are packed with artificial flavours and synthetic sweeteners making it far from wholesome. Plain yoghurt would be healthier only when milk and bacterial culture is used.
4) Baked chips: Baking may seem healthier than frying, but commercially baked chips still contain excess oils and fats to attain texture. To enhance the flavour and shelf life excess salt and monosodium glutamate (MSG) are added. These flavours are addictive in nature, leading to over consumption.
5) Instant Oats: Oats are very good source of cereals. Instant oats cooks quickly and also digests faster leading to sugar spikes. Their fiber content is relatively lower than steel cut or rolled oats.
Why Pasta is one of the healthy foods across the world?
Pasta is staple for Italians. The modern recipe that we follow is which making it super unhealthy by using ultra processed ingredients like instant pasta, processed cheese and so on. Whereas the traditional or “OG pasta” is made of clean ingredients like freshly made cheese, loads of vegetables and fresh herb. Traditional pasta is mainly made of unrefined Durum wheat which has high protein and good fiber content. In contrast refined wheat pasta lacks fiber and lot of nutrients.
It’s not the food that’s unhealthy — it’s the preparation process and ingredients.
Steps to Avoid UPFs & Incorporate Healthy Eating Habits
Opt for artisanal or minimally processed breads and other foods.
Gain some general understanding of ultra-processing in food industry. A commercial food that is completely different from its natural form would have undergone extensive ultra-processing. Techniques like spray-drying liquids into powders, extrusion at high temperatures for shaping foods like pasta and cereals, and hydrogenation of oils are some examples of ultra-processing methods. Additionally, packaging methods like Modified Atmospheric Packaging (MAP) are used to extend shelf life.
Don’t just check the expiry date but also the ingredient label. A healthy product is made of real / culinary-processed foods and doesn’t have additives like MSGs, colours hydrogenated fats and so on.
Meal preparation/planning each week would reduce reliance on UPFs.
Make your spreads at home for the upcoming week or get it from a reliable brand. The brand should use clean ingredients and be consumer conscious.
Opt for plain yoghurts or consume home-made curd. Curd is great alternative as it undergoes less processing and easily made at home. Fresh curd is free of preservatives and naturally fermented food.
Make use of your in-house OTGs or convectional ovens to make breads, buns, cookies, chips. This will reduce your dependency on packaged snacks. Keep in mind, the ingredients you use should be unprocessed or minimally processed.
Make farm subscriptions to get whole and fresh foods. Opt for local brands that follows minimal processing and farm subscriptions to get organic farm produce.
Don’t fall prey to marketing gimmicks. When packaging says it is High in Fiber, it’s not just high in fiber; it might also be High in Sodium. So, going through the nutritional label is a must.
Your balanced meal should be of minimally processed and majorly consists of whole foods.
Sourcing majority of nutrients from real and whole foods is vital to be healthy. Also, eating balanced meal has reduced junk intake.
Key Consideration while Cooking
Your home cooked meal is healthier only when whole foods and minimally processed ingredients are used. Home-made and cooking from scratch are two different thing.
Not all home-made foods contain clean ingredients. It might be made using Ultra processed ingredients like cream, essence, syrups, mayonnaise, sauce, packaged ginger-garlic paste. Whereas cooking from scratch is making the ingredients fresh at home or using only minimally processed ingredients.
Even if it’s homemade, eatables like chips, biscuits, sweets and any snacks should be consumed in moderation.
Conclusion
Eliminating UPFs can be challenging initially, but in the long run, it promotes better health, reduces medical expenses, and minimizes hospital visits. Avoid stocking UPFs at home—this ensures that when hunger or cravings strike, healthier options are the only ones available.
Eating healthy is not a high-maintenance habit. Compare your monthly food ordering expenses, and you’ll notice significant savings.
Are you going to build healthy eating habit?
Comment the UPF you consume assuming it’s nutrient dense.
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