Not All Processed Foods Are Bad for Your Health

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You’ve probably seen the headlines screaming about ultra-processed foods destroying your health. Open any wellness blog, and you’ll find lists of ingredients to avoid at all costs. But here’s the thing—science is starting to tell a different story.

Groundbreaking research from Swinburne University is shaking up everything we thought we knew about processed foods. And honestly? It’s about time someone said it out loud.

The Headline-Grabbing Finding

Associate Professor Jimmy Louie, who leads the Dietetics program at Swinburne, just published a critical review in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society that’s challenging years of food fear-mongering. His conclusion? The question “Are ultra-processed foods bad?” doesn’t have a simple yes or no answer.

I know what you’re thinking—sounds like someone’s making excuses for junk food, right? Not quite.

Here’s What Actually Matters

The research confirms what we suspected about the obvious culprits. Snacks, soft drinks, and heavily processed sweets? Yeah, those consistently show negative health outcomes. No surprises there.

But here’s where it gets interesting: wholegrain fortified cereals and certain dairy products actually show neutral or even potentially beneficial effects on your health. Let me repeat that—some ultra-processed foods might actually be good for you. Sources.

As Professor Louie puts it, headlines make everything sound black and white, but the truth is far more complicated. Some processed foods genuinely offer nutritional value and can fit perfectly into a healthy diet. The oversimplification we’re seeing everywhere? It’s misleading people and pulling attention away from the real dietary dangers we should worry about.

Why This Changes Everything

Think about your own life for a second. Can you really survive on only minimally processed foods? Maybe if you’re independently wealthy with a personal chef and unlimited time. For the rest of us living in the real world, it’s a different story.

Professor Louie points out something crucial that health influencers often ignore: ultra-processed products frequently provide cost-effective sources of essential nutrients for people facing economic challenges. They also help reduce food waste because they last longer on the shelf.

That fortified cereal you grab on busy mornings? The protein-enriched yogurt your kids love? These aren’t dietary disasters—they’re nutritionally sound processed foods that can be healthy, practical choices.

The Problem With How We Label Food

The study takes a hard look at the NOVA classification system, which divides foods into four categories based purely on processing levels. This system has become incredibly popular, but it’s also controversial.

Why? Because it lumps vastly different foods into the same “ultra-processed” category without considering their actual nutritional content. A vitamin-fortified whole grain cereal gets thrown in the same bucket as candy bars and soda. Does that actually help anyone make better choices?

Professor Louie isn’t saying we should ignore processing—he’s advocating for something smarter. We need a classification system that examines both how food is processed and its nutritional value. That way, people get clearer and fairer guidance about what they’re actually eating.

What This Means When You’re Shopping

Before you run to the grocery store with a new perspective, let’s be crystal clear about what this research is and isn’t saying.

Still avoid: Sugary drinks, candy, heavily processed snack foods, and products loaded with sodium and unhealthy fats. These consistently correlate with poor health outcomes.

Can include: Fortified whole grain cereals, certain dairy products, frozen vegetables, canned beans, and other nutritionally dense processed items that make healthy eating more accessible.

The key isn’t obsessing over whether something went through a factory. It’s understanding the context of food within your overall dietary pattern.

The Bigger Picture

Here’s what really matters: not everyone has the same access to fresh food, the same budget, or the same amount of time to cook from scratch. Creating food rules that ignore these realities doesn’t make anyone healthier—it just makes people feel guilty about choices they may have no control over.

Professor Louie’s research emphasizes that health implications depend on how foods fit into overall dietary patterns. That’s a much more useful framework than arbitrary food rules based on processing alone.

My Take on This Research

This study, published in August 2025 in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, represents the kind of nuanced thinking we desperately need in nutrition science. It acknowledges reality while still prioritizing health.

The takeaway isn’t “eat whatever you want because some processed food is fine.” It’s “make informed choices based on nutrition, not just fear of processing.”

What You Should Actually Do

Stop treating all processed foods like poison. Start reading nutrition labels to understand what you’re actually getting. Focus on your overall eating pattern rather than obsessing over individual ingredients you can’t pronounce.

If a processed food provides nutrients you need, fits your budget, and helps you maintain a balanced diet—it’s probably fine. Save your concern for the ultra-processed items that genuinely lack nutritional value: the sodas, the candy, the chips.

At the end of the day, a healthy diet you can actually maintain beats a “perfect” diet that’s completely unrealistic for your life.