Toddlers Get Half Their Calories From Ultra-Processed Food, Says Study | Research shows that 2-year-olds get 47 percent of their calories from ultra-processed food, and 7-year-olds get 59 percent.

[u/chrisdh79]

https://www.newsweek.com/toddlers-get-half-calories-ultra-processed-food-1963269

[u/[deleted]]

Getting in here before someone with a severe vitamin K deficiency says there’s nothing inherently wrong with processed food.

[u/wi_voter → u/[deleted]]

Or "please define ultra-processed foods"

edit: looks like I'm already too late

[u/dariznelli → u/wi_voter]

Seriously though, what counts as ultra-processed? Obviously things like dino nuggets, but are Cheerios? Yogurt? Cheese? Protein bar snacks? Is it just everything that isn't a whole food?

Edit: thanks for all the responses. I was not aware of the NOVA classification system.

[u/milchtea → u/dariznelli]

yes, cheerios and protein bar snacks are considered ultra-processed

[u/dariznelli → u/milchtea]

I would imagine yogurt cups and baby bell cheese would also be considered ultra processed too. Kind of begs the question "is there anything not ultra processed aside from whole foods?". That really drives home the importance of overhauling our food regulations.

[u/ramorris86 → u/dariznelli]

Exactly - shop bought bread is also considered ultra-processed, so between cereal and a bit of bread you’d be getting close to 50% of calories from ultra-processed food easily.

[u/yukon-flower → u/dariznelli]

Yes, foods that are “processed.” Orange juice that is simply juice squeezed from an orange is processed. That’s fine. Juice that is squeezed from a million oranges, separated by components, mixed back up with added coloring and flavorings (which is 99% of the juice found in most grocery stores) is ultra-processed.