Over half of Americans' calories come from ultra-processed foods

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For most Americans, more than half of their calories are from eating ultra-processed foods full of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. 

The CDC report used data from August 2021 to August 2023 to reach that conclusion, and the report could have big implications as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to criticize such foods and blame them for causing disease. 

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Americans’ ultra-processed diets

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What they’re saying:

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 “We are poisoning ourselves and it’s coming principally from these ultra-processed foods,” Kennedy told Fox News earlier this year.

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The new CDC report used the most common definition based on the four-tier Nova system developed by Brazilian researchers that classifies foods according to the amount of processing they undergo. Such foods tend to be “hyperpalatable, energy-dense, low in dietary fiber and contain little or no whole foods, while having high amounts of salt, sweeteners and unhealthy fats,” the CDC report said.

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By the numbers:

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Overall, about 55% of total calories consumed by Americans age 1 and older came from ultra-processed foods during that period, according to the report. For adults, ultra-processed foods made up about 53% of total calories consumed, but for kids through age 18, it was nearly 62%.

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Young children consumed fewer calories from ultra-processed foods than older kids, the report found. Adults 60 and older consumed fewer calories from those sources than younger adults. Low-income adults consumed more ultra-processed foods than those with higher incomes.

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Researchers weren’t surprised by the high numbers, but they were surprised that consumption of ultra-processed foods appeared to dip slightly over the past decade. Among adults, total calories from those sources fell from about 56% in 2013-2014 and from nearly 66% for kids in 2017-2018.

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The top sources included burgers and sandwiches, sweet baked goods, savory snacks, pizza and sweetened drinks.

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Why are ultra-processed diets on the decline? 

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Dig deeper:

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Andrea Deierlein, a nutrition expert at New York University who was not involved in the research, told The Associated Press that there may be greater awareness of the potential harms of ultra-processed foods.

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RELATED: RFK Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ report cited studies that don’t exist

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“People are trying, at least in some populations, to decrease their intakes of these foods,” she said.

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Why are ultra-processed foods so bad for you?

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Big picture view:

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Many studies have linked ultra-processed foods to obesity, diabetes and heart disease, but they haven’t been able to prove that the foods directly cause those chronic health problems.

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One small but influential study found that even when diets were matched for calories, sugar, fat, fiber and micronutrients, people consumed more calories and gained more weight when they ate ultra-processed foods than when they ate minimally processed foods.

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Research published this week in the journal Nature found that participants in a clinical trial lost twice as much weight when they ate minimally processed foods — such as pasta, chicken, fruits and vegetables — than ultra-processed foods, even those matched for nutrition components and considered healthy, such as ready-to-heat frozen meals, protein bars and shakes.

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What you can do:

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Americans should try to reduce ultra-processed foods in their daily diets, Deierlein said. For instance, instead of instant oatmeal that may contain added sugar, sodium, artificial colors and preservatives, use plain oats sweetened with honey or maple syrup. Read food packages and nutrition information, she suggested.

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“I do think that there are less-processed options available for many foods,” she said.

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What’s next:

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department recently issued a request for information to develop a new, uniform definition of ultra-processed foods for products in the U.S. food supply.

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HealthFood and Drink