EP078 Healthy Ultra Processed Foods: Can They Fit a Diabetes Eating Plan?

I don't think that grocery shopping should require a chemistry degree.

You pick up whole-wheat bread. It has fiber. It looks like a good choice. Then you turn over the bag.

Fourteen ingredients.

Do you put it back? Find another loaf? Start baking bread after work?

If you have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, food shopping can feel like a test you never studied for. We want to take some pressure off.

Healthy ultra processed foods can fit into an eating plan. But the label alone cannot tell you how well a food fits your needs.

What Does “Ultra-Processed” Mean?

In this episode, we explain NOVA, a system that groups foods by how and why they are processed.

It looks at how food is made. It is not a full nutrition score.

That matters. A whole-grain bread and a sugary drink may both fall into the ultra-processed group. That does not make them the same food.

Bread does not lose its fiber just because its ingredient list is long.

The Study That Made Us Stop and Think

About 500 More Calories a Day

In a 2019 trial, 20 adults stayed at a research center. They ate an ultra-processed diet for two weeks and an unprocessed diet for two weeks.

They could eat as much or as little as they wanted.

On average, they ate about 500 more calories a day during the ultra-processed phase. That is a big difference. Read the NIH study summary.

Richie’s question was practical: Could chewing and eating speed play a part?

Amber’s point was just as important: The study did not prove that every ultra-processed food makes you overeat. It also did not pin the result on one cause.

What If Both Diets Were Designed to Be Healthy?

A 2025 trial asked a different question. Both diets followed healthy eating guidelines, but one used mostly minimally processed foods.

People lost weight on both. Average weight loss was about 2.1% on the minimally processed diet and 1.1% on the ultra-processed diet over eight weeks.

This trial excluded people with type 2 diabetes. It offers clues about eating patterns, not proof of diabetes remission. Read the trial in Nature Medicine.

Food quality mattered. Processing may matter too. The exact reasons still need study.

Healthy Ultra Processed Foods in Real Life

You work. You have people to care for. You still need dinner.

Some products in these groups may count as ultra-processed, depending on their ingredients:

• Whole-grain bread: A simple base for lunch.

• Flavored Greek yogurt: An easy snack with protein.

• High-fiber cereal: A quick breakfast option.

• Frozen meals: Look for options with vegetables, whole grains, and protein.

These are starting points, not a blanket stamp of approval. Compare products and think about the meal each one helps you make.

A useful question is: “What does this food help me do?”

Start With One Useful Change

Instead of checking every unfamiliar word, step back.

• Does this meal help me feel full?

• Am I getting foods with fiber?

• Can I add a fruit or vegetable?

• Is this a meal I can make on a busy day?

Pick one step this week. Keep an easy meal ready. Put a snack portion in a bowl. Compare two bread labels.

You do not have to earn better health by making every meal from scratch.

You Deserve Help, Not Another Food Rule

Your food choices happen inside a real life. Time, cost, access, and energy all count. A plan that ignores those things is hard to use.

For help getting started, download our FREE Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Remission Roadmap. Subscribe to The Diabetes Podcast® on YouTube for more plain-language talks with us.

Take courage! You can do this, and we can help.

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