THE UPF DETECTIVES

Ultra-processed foods are everywhere, but we know weirdly little about which ones are the most dangerous. These scientists are trying to crack the code before disease rates climb higher.

- TARA HAELLE

A FEW MONTHS ago, I decided I would try making overnight oats as a healthier breakfast option than sugary drinkable yogurt. I found the oats aisle and just stood there, attempting to make sense of the four dozen options in front of me, in every form, flavor, and level of added sugar. They all looked equally "processed" to me. I gave up, leaving the store without oats and with a heavy load of emotional exhaustion. And that's just the oatmeal section of the grocery store, never mind the stacks of snacks, drinks, and condiments.

Welcome to the new supermarket anxiety plaguing Americans who want to eat healthier but aren't quite sure how. By now, you're likely aware of the overwhelming, still growing evidence of the health risks of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which links their overconsumption to a greater chance of premature death, as well as to plenty of its contributors: cognitive decline, dementia, depression and anxiety, several types of cancer, heart disease, inflammation, insulin resistance, and gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases. Yeah, rough.

What's wild is that UPFs are a huge part of what we eat. The average American's diet consists of about 57 percent UPFs; that jumps to about two-thirds for children and teens. Maybe that's not surprising when you consider that up to 73 percent of the U.S. food supply is ultra-processed, according to a study by a Harvard and Northeastern University research group led by Giulia Menichetti, PhD.