Take a walk through any grocery store, and you’ll see them everywhere. Brightly colored packages, foods that last for months, and long ingredient lists filled with unfamiliar words. These are ultra-processed foods, and they now make up more than half of what many Americans eat. As rates of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes continue to rise, many health experts are asking: Are ultra-processed foods making us sick?

What Are Ultra-Processed Foods? Ultra-processed foods go beyond basic cooking and are made in factories using ingredients not found in most kitchens like artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and other additives. Common examples include:

• Sodas and energy drinks
• Chips, cookies, and candy
• Instant noodles and frozen meals
• Sweetened cereals
• Hot dogs and lunch meats

These foods are made to taste good, be easy to prepare, and sell quickly. But studies show they may be doing more harm than good.

The Health Risks Are Real

Research from the past 10 years has found strong links between ultra-processed food and serious health problems:

• Weight Gain: A study from the National Institutes of Health showed that people who ate more ultra-processed foods ate about 500 extra calories a day even when given the same portion sizes as those eating fresh food.
• Diabetes Risk: A French study found that every 10% increase in ultra-processed food in someone’s diet raised their risk of type 2 diabetes by 15%.
• Heart Disease and Cancer: Other studies have shown that eating lots of ultra-processed foods may increase the risk of heart problems, certain cancers, and early death.

These foods are often made to be hyper-palatable, meaning they taste so good, it’s hard to stop eating them. They can make us lose touch with our natural hunger cues.

Why Are They So Harmful?

It’s not just the sugar, salt, or fat that makes these foods unhealthy. It’s also how they’re made:

• They are low in fiber and important nutrients.
• They contain additives that may upset our gut health.
• They digest quickly, causing blood sugar spikes and crashes.
• They confuse hormones that help control hunger and fullness.

Some scientists even say ultra-processed foods can act like addictive substances, lighting up the brain’s reward system and making people crave more.

What Can You Do?

While we wait for updates in the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines, here are some simple steps you can take now:

• Pick whole or less-processed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats.
• Check the ingredient labels. If it has a long list of ingredients you don’t recognize, it’s likely ultra-processed.
• Cook more at home so you can control what goes into your food.

Ultra-processed foods are quick, cheap, and everywhere. But their effect on our long-term health is too important to ignore. Food should fuel our bodies, not harm them. If we want to reduce chronic disease in this country, it starts with what we choose to eat each day.

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