I’m sure you’ve heard about ultra-processed food, whether they are so tasty or so damaging for your health. Who hasn’t bought them once? I mean, they come in boxes, bags or containers ready to heat them up and eat; for example: cookies, industrial cereals, ‘’healthy’’ bars, frozen pizzas, or soda. They are so convenient, but science says that even though some of them might look ‘’healthy’’, ultra-processed foods can be against you if you want to lose weight.
A new study made in the United Kingdom and the United States confirms this: although two pizzas have the same calories, fats, fiber, and vegetables; if one of them is full of ultra-processed products and the one is home-made or less processed, the results are very different. So, let’s see more about ultra-processed foods.
Experiment with 50 people
Researchers found 50 overweighted people and they tried two different diets on these people for eight weeks each, with a break between them:
- Ultra-processed diet: here, they ate products like lasagna ready to heat or packaged oat bars.
- Less processed products diet: they were offered home-made versions, like oat made at home or spaghettis with meat made with natural ingredients.
The thing is that both diets had the same nutrients: same amount of carbohydrates, fat, salt, fruit, and vegetables.
What happened?
Both groups lost weight, but those who ate home-made foods lost twice as much as the ultra-processed group: the first group lost about 2% of weight in just 8 weeks whereas the second group lost only 1% in the same period of time.
I know this might seem so little, but if you extend it over a year with the home-made diet they can reach up to 13% weight loss on men and 9% on women. However, with the ultra-processed diet they will only lose about 4-5% weight.
What’s more, the home-made food diet also helped people lose more unhealthy body fat and made them feel more in control of cravings.
Why does this happen?
Scientists are still researching it, but it seems that the issue is not just about calories or nutrients. The industrial process of ultra-processed foods is also negative for our bodies, for how full we feel, and even for how our hormones regulate hunger.
No matter if on the package you see ‘’rich in fiber’’ or ‘’low in sugar’’, because ultra-processed products aren’t processed by our bodies as good as home-made food.
Ultra-processed v. home-made food
I’m sure some people might say that both foods have similar flavors, but as you have seen in the study, the effects on your weight and health are way different. So, if you are thinking about eating packaged oatmeal cookies or frozen lasagna, why not try fresh oatmeal with fruit or lasagna made at home with pasta, veggies, and fresh tomato sauce? I’m sure you will like it better, and your body will be grateful for it.
So…
Ultra-processed foods are fast, cheap, and sometimes even marketed as healthy, but science shows they can slow down your progress. In this study, people lost more weight, burned more fat, and handled cravings better when they ate homemade meals instead of ultra-processed ones.
So next time you are hungry, think twice: is it better to grab a packaged snack, or take a few minutes to make something fresh? Protecting your health and reaching your goals isn’t about magic, it’s about making smarter choices and not letting ultra-processed foods run your diet. I know changing habits it’s not an easy task, but you need to care for your body and think about how you will feel when you can finally say: ‘’I did it!’’