‘Ultra-processed’ jam and cereals no worse than more natural foods, US breakfast study concludes

There is no need to cut out jam or cereal for breakfast, scientists have said, despite growing fears about ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

Experts at the United States Department of Agriculture (Usda) analysed breakfast menus with different amounts of “processed” foods and found that the nutritional values were the same.

The breakfast menu with a higher quantity of UPFs was also cheaper and had a longer shelf life.

UPFs have been condemned by medical experts including Prof Tim Spector and Dr Chris van Tulleken for being unhealthy, because they can contain high amounts of saturated fat, sugars and salt.

But the American scientists concluded the level of processing a food has been through does not equate to how healthy or nutritious it is to eat.

In the study, scientists looked at a “less-processed” breakfast menu, which featured homemade jam and bread, and poached egg with bacon, and derived 20 per cent of its calories from UPFs.

They compared this with a “more processed” breakfast, which contained shop-bought jam and bread, egg toast made with ham, and hash browns, and derived 67 per cent of its calories from UPFs.

Less processed menu was double the price

When checked against the Healthy Eating Index, a measure used to assesses diet quality in relation to the US health department’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, they both scored a “low” 43-44 out of 100.

The menu with less processed food was twice as expensive, though, and reached its expiry date more than three times faster, without delivering any additional nutritional value.

Dr Julie Hess, a research nutritionist at Usda, presented the findings at the American Society for Nutrition conference in Chicago

She said: “This study indicates that it is possible to eat a low-quality diet even when choosing mostly minimally processed foods.

“It also shows that more processed and less processed diets can be equally nutritious, but the more processed diet may have a longer shelf life and be less costly.”

Dr Hess added: “The concepts of ‘ultra-processed’ foods and ‘less processed’ foods need to be better characterised by the nutrition research community.”

If a food is classed as a UPF is currently determined by a system called Nova, which categorises food based upon the way it is  prepared, and the amount of processing it has undergone.

UPFs typically include crisps, sweets, breakfast cereals, and breads, but the researchers point out that some packaged foods such as unsweetened apple sauce, filtered milk, liquid egg whites, and some brands of raisins and canned tomatoes can be classed as ultra-processed, even though they are “nutrient dense”.

Processed foods add ‘considerable nutritional value’

Dr Hilda Mulrooney, from London Metropolitan University, said the US study “illustrates a major problem many dietitians and nutritionists have with the Nova classification system, namely that it distinguishes foods only on the basis of their degree of processing and not on their nutritional value”.

She said that “rejecting foods on the basis of their degree of processing would risk removing many foods which could add considerable nutritional value to diets”.

Dr Mulrooney said many foods in the UK classified by the Nova system as ultra-processed, such as some breakfast cereals and high-street breads, make “important contributions” to a person’s dietary intake, and added that cost was also “really important”.

“Without them, there is a risk that some groups might not meet the recommended intakes of key nutrients,” she said, adding: “Foods that last and are affordable are not only likely to be more attractive options to many, but to be the only options for some.”

Baby carrots a boost to health

A separate study presented at the conference found that there were “significant” health benefits to snacking on baby carrots three times a week.

Fruit and veg that are bright orange, red and yellow have high levels of carotenoids, which can be measured in a person’s skin and are high in anti-oxidants, boost the immune system and can protect against heart disease.

In the study of 60 young adults by Samford University, in Birmingham, Alabama, those who ate the carrots three times a week had carotenoid levels that were 10.8 per cent higher than a control group eating apple slices.

Those who ate carrots plus a multivitamin supplement containing beta carotene saw levels rise by 21.6 per cent, but those who just took the supplement saw no improvement.