From vegan to Paleo, nutrition experts from across the spectrum agree on more than you might think. And much of the common ground [2] falls under the umbrella advice to “eat real food.” In other words, prioritizing homecooked meals featuring whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. But somewhere along the way, people started conflating food processing with poor nutrition, and as a result, we completely lost the plot on ultra-processed foods. 

Ultra-processed foods, a catch-all term for industrially-produced foods that include everything from 100% whole grain bread to candy bars, are a big focus in public health research and policy. A June 2026 study [3] published in the American Journal of Public Health links higher consumption of ultra-processed foods with dementia and cognitive impairment. This builds on the existing body of research linking a diet high in ultra-processed foods with hypertension [4] and diabetes [5]. 

What fails to make headlines, however, is that most of the items researchers in these studies classify as ultra-processed foods aren’t even foods at all… they’re beverages. 

Take a look at the June study. Approximately 21.5% of the foods participants ate were considered ultra-processed. Of those, the largest contributors to total ultra-processed food intake were sugar-sweetened beverages (31.2%) and other beverages (22.2%), together making up more than half (53.4%) of all ultra-processed food intake. Actual foods, such as dairy (11.2%), snacks and sweets (9.7%), and grains and derivatives (6.2%) make up a much smaller proportion of ultra-processed food intake, making it unlikely that these are the food groups that are driving the increased risk in diet-related diseases.

Most of the items driving consumption in the ultra-processed foods category are soda and diet soda, and yet confused consumers are misled into thinking that anything packaged, from whole grain snacks to frozen brown rice bowls, is a problem. This is just one reason why villainizing all ultra-processed foods is counterproductive. 

Public experts have cautioned time and time again that policies that place too much emphasis on processing risk making healthy foods less accessible. And the reality is, limiting ultra-processed whole grain foods and yogurts won’t make much of a dent in ultra-processed food intake overall, since it is beverages like soda and diet soda that are driving the consumption in this category.

Further, new research pushes back on the assumption that processing in and of itself is the problem. In a June 2026 study [6] published in Science, scientists reviewed randomized controlled trials (the gold standard of establishing cause and effect in nutrition) that compared people eating diets with lots of ultra-processed foods to diets with minimally processed foods. 

This study suggests that the unfavorable effects of ultra-processed foods “are highly likely to be due to differences in traditional nutritional properties that frequently—but not uniformly—co-occur in [ultra-processed foods].” The authors conclude that dietary guidance “should distinguish nutritionally poor, calorie-dense, and rapidly consumed foods regardless of their degree of processing” given that ultra-processed foods include “foods that are not necessarily harmful and even some that are beneficial to health” such as whole grain breads. 

This is to say nothing of the ways that processing can actually improve the nutritional quality of foods. From the extrusion process during pasta production that gives pasta a lower glycemic index [7], meaning it has a gentler blood sugar impact, to the fermentation process during yogurt, traditional cheese [8], or kimchi production that creates probiotics that nourish our gut microbes, processing has played a role in food safety and nutrition for generations. 

Public health research supports policies that reduce barriers to healthy eating, rather than those that create barriers. Specifically, the Global Burden of Disease Study [9] found increasing consumption of beneficial food groups like whole grains is just as important, if not more so, than decreasing consumption of detrimental ingredients such as sodium or added sugar. 

When it comes to improving nutrition, there’s no excuse not to leverage every tool in our toolbox. Ultra-processed foods that contain ingredients from essential food groups like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans are important “bridge foods” as people embark on the journey to better health. By turning our attention from vilification of food choices to improved food access and cooking and nutrition education [10], the healthier we all will be.

- Kelly LeBlanc, MLA, RD, LDN, Vice President of Nutrition Programming, Oldways

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