What is the Difference Between Ultra-Processed and Processed Foods?

If you have a disease like Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) or diabetes and have spent any amount of time on our blog, you know how imperative it is to eat healthily. Eating healthy means selecting foods that are beneficial to your health. But in the age of convenience and fast-food drive-throughs, it can be hard to discern between what is healthy and what is not. There are so many choices when you walk down the grocery aisle—and marketing tactics can make it confusing to differentiate between what is nourishing and what is not.

You have probably heard that to be healthy, we should avoid “processed foods,” but even this common statement can be misleading. Not all processed foods are bad for your vascular system or general health. There is a difference between processed and ultra-processed foods, and it is important to know which is which. Healthy processed foods, like frozen vegetables or fruits, are a tasty food choice and something you should add to your grocery list permanently. Fruits and vegetables are typically frozen when the fruit or vegetable is at its optimal best, so this type of frozen food means you are consuming it at its freshest. Frozen berries, for example, make an excellent base for smoothies, giving them an ice-cream-type texture that makes a healthy snack a delicious one as well.

At NewportVascular.com, we opt for organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible, especially those fruits and vegetables with a delicate outer covering, such as spinach or berries. The process of canning foods is not necessarily a bad one if you don’t choose canned foods with a high sodium content or are made with unhealthy preservatives. Unsalted black or garbanzo beans are a healthful and convenient complement to any meal. 

Ultra-processed foods are highly refined and filled with preservatives, trans fats, and added sugars, and are also high in saturated fats and sodium and offer little to no fiber or nutritional value. Unfortunately, ultra-processed food consumption is on the rise. It is usually less expensive and convenient, but it comes at a steep cost—your health. The chemical acrylamide is present in ultra-processed foods, and this chemical poses a serious cardiovascular risk.

As a matter of fact, this chemical is also found in cigarettes, which is a scary thought.

If you have PAD or any chronic disease process, what you eat is so important. A healthy diet can improve your health and minimize your risk factor for further illnesses or cardiovascular events. We truly are what we eat—we can benefit from healthy food, or we can add risk and illness to our lives with unhealthy options.

Whenever you consider any dietary change, speak to your doctor first to make sure that it is the correct choice for you.