Ultra-processed Food Overload: Are We Eating Ourselves Sick?
How much ultra-processed foods are Americans eating? A lot, according to a CDC study released this week. This is concern not only for health reasons but also because Americans youth are consuming even more ultra-processed foods. How much ultra-processed foods are Americans eating? Although young children aged 1-5 consume fewer calories from ultra-processed foods, those ages 6-11 and 12-18 consume well over 50% of their calories from ultra-processed foods as the chart indicates. (See: Ultra-processed Foods, Chemicals, and Chronic Illness: RFK Jr.’s MAHA Report About Children’s Health in America .) But even older adults, those 60 and over consume over 50% of their calories from ultra-processed foods. 🧪 What Counts as Ultra-Processed Food? There is no one standard definition of ultra-processed foods, but most experts relay on the NOVA classification system . Basically, ultra-pr...