A recent study led by the USDA Agricultural Research Service Grand Forks Center for Human Nutrition Studies found that it is possible to build a healthy diet that consumes up to 91% of its calories from ultra-processed foods and still meet the standards, according to the NOVA scale. was shown to be Recommendations from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Grand Forks Center for Human Nutrition Research found that a healthy diet could consist of up to 91% ultra-processed foods, in line with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. However, potential adverse health effects will be evaluated in future studies.
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Scientist Grand Forks Center for Human Nutrition Research led the research This means building a healthy diet with 91% of your calories from ultra-processed foods (as categorized using the NOVA scale) while following the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommendations. is possible. This study highlights the versatility of using DGA recommendations in building healthy menus.
“This study is a proof-of-concept showing a more balanced view of healthy eating patterns, and using ultra-processed foods could be an option,” said Julie Hess, ARS research dietician at the Grand Forks Center for Human Nutrition Research. ‘ said. “According to current dietary recommendations, the nutrient content of a food and its position within a food group is more important than how processed the food is.”
Understanding the NOVA Scale
In this study, scientists used the NOVA scale to determine which foods to classify as ultra-processed. The NOVA scale, which first appeared in his literature in 2009, is the most commonly used scale in nutrition to classify foods by degree of processing.
According to the NOVA scale, foods can be classified into four groups according to the degree of processing.
- Unprocessed or minimally processed foods.
- processed food ingredients.
- processed food.
- Ultra-processed food.
Experiment details
To test whether ultra-processed foods can be used to build a healthier diet, ARS scientists and collaborators used MyPyramid as a guide to a 2,000-calorie eating pattern for seven days, including breakfast, We have created menus for lunch, dinner and snacks. At least he consists of foods classified as ultra-processed by two of her NOVA graders. Foods included on the menu also comply with the 2020 DGA recommendations for serving groups and subgroups of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods and dairy products.
Scientists selected foods that contained adequate micro- and macro-nutrients, but low levels of saturated fat and added sugar. Ultra-processed foods used in this menu include canned beans, instant oatmeal, ultra-filtered milk, whole grain bread, and dried fruit.
“We used healthy eating index To assess dietary quality in line with the DGA’s key recommendations,” Hess said. “The menu we developed earned him a score of 86 out of 100 on the 2015 Healthy Eating Index, meeting most criteria except sodium content. [exceeded recommendations] and whole grains [below recommendations]”
Direction of future research
While this study provided valuable insight, further studies are planned. Scientists are aiming to dig deeper into the issue, acknowledging that some observational studies have shown that ultra-processed products may be associated with adverse health effects.
This study shows that different foods play a role in building a healthy diet and that more research is needed in this area, especially intervention research.
For details of the research, nutrition journal.
Reference: “NOVA-Compliant Dietary Guidelines: Developing Menus for Healthy Eating Patterns Using Ultraprocessed Foods” Julie M. Hess, Madeline E. Comeau, Shannon Casperson, Joanne L. Slavin, Guy H. Johnson , Mark Messina, Susan Lartz, Angela J. Sheet, Ann Bodensteiner, Daniel G. Palmer, 24 June 2023, nutrition journal.
DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.06.028
The authors of this study are Julie M. Hess (USDA-ARS), Madeline E. Comeau (USDA-ARS), Shanon Casperson (USDA-ARS), Joanne L. Slavin (University of Minnesota), Guy H. Johnson (Johnson Nutrition ) is. Solutions, LLC), Mark Messina (Soy Nutrition Institute Global), Susan Raatz (University of Minnesota), Angela J. Scheett (USDA-ARS), Anne Bodensteiner (University of North Dakota), Daniel G. Palmer (USDA-ARS).
