Take a quick look in your pantry. Chances are you will find a few crinkly bags, bright boxes and ready-to-eat snacks. You are not alone. A 2025 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that ultra-processed foods make up more than half of the calories Americans eat.
No guilt needed. But it is worth knowing what these foods are and what researchers are learning, so our families can make simple, steady choices.
What Counts as “Ultra-Processed”?
Almost all food is processed in some way. Chopping, freezing, cooking and pasteurizing milk are all forms of processing, and some of it, like pasteurizing, is helpful. The National Institutes of Health describes ultra-processed foods as those that have gone through the greatest level of processing. They are usually made with industrial methods and ingredients you would not keep in a home kitchen, such as hydrogenated oils, isolated proteins and high-fructose corn syrup. They are designed to be cheap, long-lasting, tasty and ready to eat.
Think sodas, many packaged snacks and sweets, and lots of ready-made meals.
How Much Are We Eating?
The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics published its findings on August 7, 2025, using national survey data from 2021 to 2023. Here is what it found:
- Ultra-processed foods made up 55 percent of calories for everyone ages 1 and older.
- For children and teens ages 1 to 18, the share was nearly 62 percent.
- For adults, it was 53 percent, and the share was lower in older age groups.
There is some good news too. The same report found that the share has gone down a little over the past decade for both adults and young people.
What the Research Says
A big global review. In November 2025, The Lancet published a series on ultra-processed foods written by 43 international experts. According to a ScienceDaily summary, they reviewed 104 long-term studies, and 92 of them found a higher risk of at least one chronic disease. Higher intake was linked with conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression. These findings show links, not proof of cause, and the authors noted there is still scientific debate about how to define these foods.
A real-world trial. In August 2025, a University College London team published a study in Nature Medicine. Fifty-five adults tried two diets for eight weeks each. Both diets followed the U.K.’s healthy eating guidelines, but one was built from minimally processed foods and the other from ultra-processed foods. People lost weight on both, but they lost about twice as much on the minimally processed diet (about 2 percent of body weight versus about 1 percent). They also reported better control over cravings. It was a small study, and the researchers say longer studies are needed.
An earlier NIH study. Back in 2019, an NIH study of 20 adults found that people ate about 500 more calories a day when served an ultra-processed diet compared with an unprocessed one, and gained weight on the ultra-processed diet.
The World Health Organization’s healthy diet guidance points in the same direction: it links more processed food in our diets to more sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, and to fewer fruits, vegetables and fiber.
Simple Swaps for Busy Families
The NIH’s News in Health offers practical tips. Here are a few to try this week:
- Start with whole foods. Fill your cart with fruits, vegetables, unprocessed meats and seafood, beans and nuts. One NIH researcher noted that if you are holding a crinkly package from a middle aisle, it is probably ultra-processed.
- Rethink drinks. Swap some sodas and sports drinks for water.
- Choose whole grains. Try whole grain bread, pasta or brown rice.
- Keep easy snacks ready. Cut-up vegetables with hummus, fruit, yogurt, nuts or seeds make the healthy choice the easy one.
- Read the label. Shorter ingredient lists with words you recognize are a good sign.
- Do it together. Ask family and friends to join you, and be patient with cravings as your tastes adjust.
Remember that progress beats perfection. Researchers themselves have noted that less-processed food can take more time and money. Small changes, made one meal at a time, add up.
“Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.”
— Daniel 1:12 (KJV)
Long ago, Daniel and his friends chose simple food and water and trusted God with the results. We can take the same humble, faithful approach: one small, wise step at a time.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, special dietary needs or questions about changing how you eat, please check with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
What is one simple swap your family has made to eat a little less from the package and a little more from scratch?
Sources: CDC/NCHS, “Ultra-processed Food Consumption in Youth and Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023,” Data Brief No. 536 (Aug 7, 2025); ScienceDaily, Lancet Series on ultra-processed foods (Nov 24, 2025); UCL News, “Less processed diet may be more beneficial for weight loss” (Aug 4, 2025); NIH, “NIH study finds heavily processed foods cause overeating and weight gain” (May 16, 2019); NIH News in Health, “Dejunking Your Diet” (Feb 2024); WHO, “Healthy diet” fact sheet (Aug 30, 2018); KJV Daniel 1:12
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