[image ID: A post from @cornonthecorb on instagram. A smiling white woman sitting at a table with a coffee drink. Text reads, "Why I don't use the term "ultraprocessed" in my practice as a registered dietitian."
end ID]
The post continues:
The link between how processed a food is an how healthy it is, is a correlation and not causation.
The label 'ultra-processed food' (UPF) covers a very wide range of foods, many of which we don't need to limit. The narrative around processed foods is often highly emotive and morally driven, which can result in food anxiety.
The foods that fall in the UPF category that we might want to moderate are already covered by existing nutrition guidance. Which the public already struggle to follow-adding in a new and confusing term here is not the solution.
As an ED dietitian, many of my clients are already highly anxious, and it often helps them to meet their nutritional needs to eat more of these foods!
Mod's addition:
It's been said on this blog before, but processed foods are an ideal choice for people in ED recovery. They are highly palatable, easy to digest, and calorie and nutrient dense.
As this dietician said, the term is confusing. "Processed" food really is just anything that has been prepared in any way. Chopping up, combining, and heating food is all just processed food. The act of processing it does not make it less healthy. Adding "ultra" to the word doesn't make it less confusing. There are no guidelines for when a food has become "too processed."
In ED recovery, the most important thing is to eat food. And if a food tastes good and is easy to prepare (or doesn't need prep), then you're more likely to eat it. That makes processed foods the perfect choice! Once you're eating consistently and eating enough, then you can start to make decisions about how to add nutritious, heart-healthy foods into your diet. And if you never start eating whole grains or whatever, then at least you're here and you aren't actively starving to death. You can't eat healthy if you're starving.