With this in mind, go for rolled oats over instant oatmeal.
Lanman says that flavoured yogurt is also sneakily ultra-processed. While it does have protein, calcium, and probiotics, he says that yogurts are also often full of sugar. Instead, he recommends opting for plain yogurt and sweetening it with less processed ingredients like berries and honey.
Lunch
The unexpected saboteurs: Deli meat, refined breads, bottled salad dressings
The replacements: Chicken, ready-to-eat fish, whole grain bread, homemade salad dressing
Deli meat is both the most processed and least healthy food commonly eaten for lunch, according to both Dr. Landry and Lanman. That’s because it’s high in sodium, which, in excess, is bad for your heart. There’s also some scientific research—such as this 2022 study published in Food—that the nitrates in deli meat can increase the risk of colon cancer. To avoid these risks, both dietitians say to go for a less processed alternative, like chicken or turkey breast you prepare at home, ready-to-eat fish packaged in water, or plain hummus.
If you’re a sandwich lover, consider your bread choice. “Ideally, the first ingredient listed should be ‘whole grain.’ If the first ingredient is ‘refined flour,’ that means it went through more processing steps,” Dr. Landry says, adding that (not so coincidentally) refined breads are less nutrient-rich than whole grain bread.
More of a salad-for-lunch type? Dr. Landy and Lanman say that spending two minutes making your own salad dressing out of olive oil and herbs is a less-processed and healthier alternative than store-bought dressings, which can contain high amounts of sodium or sugar.
“Creamy salad dressings like Thousand Island and ranch are typically high in saturated fat, which you want to minimise,” Dr. Landry adds.
Dinner
The unexpected saboteurs: Plant-based meat, marinated tofu
The replacements: Beans, lentils, chickpeas, plain tofu, chicken, seafood
Having a goal to eat less meat is great, but all of the experts we spoke to say that plant-based meat is firmly in the ultra-processed category and isn’t as beneficial as subbing out your meat for whole foods like beans, lentils, tempeh, and chickpeas.
“If you’re consuming plant-based meat products regularly, you’re missing out on a lot of the nutrients in actual plant-based foods,” Dr. Landy says.
If you make a lot of tofu-based meals, Dr. Landry says to go for plain tofu as opposed to marinated tofu, which is more processed and can contain sugar, salt, and other ingredients added for flavour.
If you do eat meat, the dietitians say that chicken and seafood (that’s fresh or frozen) are nutrient-rich options that are minimally processed, so keep them in your regular dinner rotation.
Remember, if you’re trying to figure out how processed something is, consider why it was processed: Was it for safety or for taste? Use the answer to weed out the foods that are worming their way into your routine—even if they’re branded as a health food. The original health foods never needed any fancy wording or trickery. And they taste just fine as is.