Are Baked Beans Healthy? It was the question that set Twitter on fire last week. According to food policy expert and author Rob Percival, the beloved British staple brainwashes children into developing a taste for sweet foods from an early age, growing them into junk food fiends. And he didn’t stop there.
In a detailed Twitter thread — which attracted 150,000 views — he suggested the same was true for baby food and kids’ snacks.
Nutritionist Professor Tim Spector quickly got involved, highlighting the risks of a host of supermarket favorites: bread, pastries and even flour.
Why are these foods supposedly so bad for our bodies?
Because they’re ultra-processed, say the experts.
It means they’re made in a factory with lots of ingredients on the back of the package, often with chemicals to extend shelf life.
Ultra-processed foods (UPF) have become the big bad wolf of the diet world in recent years, linked to everything from cancer to bipolar disorder.
Are Baked Beans Healthy? It was the question that set Twitter on fire last week. According to food policy expert and author Rob Percival, the beloved British staple brainwashes children into developing a taste for sweet foods from an early age
This was highlighted last month in The Mail on Sunday’s serialization of Dr Chris van Tulleken’s new book on UPFs.
I am slowly getting tired of this trend. But this latest Twitter debacle really pissed me off.
The warnings sparked a flurry of questions from puzzled, frightened Twitter users. What about expensive canned beans? Are they better, or do you have to rinse off the sauce? Are cakes okay if you make them at home without adding chemicals? And what about canned potatoes?
It was a perfect illustration of why telling us to avoid processed foods can cause more confusion.
The truth is that just because food comes in a package doesn’t mean it’s bad for you. In fact, many of the products fresh evangelists turn their noses up at—pots of pasta sauce, packaged bread, and some ready meals—are, dare I say it, healthy.
That was the conclusion of the British Nutrition Foundation last week, according to a statement to which Rob Percival responded in his tweets. The charity has come under attack for its claims that frozen fish fingers and baked beans are healthy, with critics accusing it of bias due to the funding it receives from major food brands.
Bridget Benelam, spokesperson for the British Nutrition Foundation, hits back: ‘Food manufacturers pay us to advise them on nutritional policies to make their food healthier. We think this is important work and are always transparent about it.’
So let’s take a look at the research on these maligned UPFs.
The most commonly used definition of the term comes from a groundbreaking paper published in 2016 by a group of Brazilian scientists. Their research was based on studies that tracked the dietary habits and health outcomes of hundreds of thousands of people in the US and Western Europe, including the UK.
And as for the claims that sweet foods stimulate young brains to seek out junk foods later in life, the experts disagree
People who ate a lot of food that had undergone various industrial processes were found to have a higher risk of obesity. The scientists categorized foods into four groups based on the level of processing, which they called the Nova classification.
Fresh meat and fish and dried nuts belong to the unprocessed, healthy group. Condiments, such as vinegar and salted butter, fall into “minimally processed” group two. Group three – canned fruit, smoked meats and unpackaged fresh supermarket bread – should be limited. Group four is ultra-processed – the worst type, with five or more ingredients, and should be avoided. This consists of mass-produced packaged breads, pasta sauces, cereals and fruit yoghurts.
But healthy eating just doesn’t work that way.
‘The Nova system doesn’t account for the nutrients in food,’ says Steve Blackburn, an NHS dietitian who works at a London hospital. “There are plenty of foods that are perfectly nutritious and easy to prepare, but are “processed.” Cereals for example.
‘Low-sugar whole grains such as Weetabix are a great source of fiber, which protects against colon cancer. We can’t get enough of it. Most are fortified with extra vitamins and minerals, and if you add milk you get a little protein and calcium, which is good for bone health and energy.’
Professor Tom Sanders, emeritus professor of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, adds: ‘Breakfast cereals provide 30 to 40 percent of the nutrients children need.’
There are plenty of other examples. Take ultra-processed pasta sauce. A one-pot serving of Waitrose’s Essential Bolognese Sauce contains a measly 29 calories, one teaspoon of sugar, and barely a trace of salt and fat. The sugar content comes from the tomatoes and tomato paste – so no different than what you could make at home. The only unusual ingredient is lactic acid, which keeps the sauce fresher for longer.
What about packaged, supermarket bread?
Sainsbury’s Multiseed Farmhouse Wholemeal Bread contains almost half the calories and one gram less sugar than a luxurious, freshly baked multiseed bread from traditional bakery chain Gail’s. There is also more fiber in the packaged version.
Ready meals aren’t too bad these days, either, thanks to government incentives to cut back on sugar, salt, and fat.
The ingredients in Sainsbury’s Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta Bake differ little from what you might use at home. It also contains 185 fewer calories, about a teaspoon less salt and two-thirds less fat than a plate of fresh tomato-mozzarella pasta from Italian restaurant chain Vapiano.
“If you buy a cheap Victoria sponge cake, it’s probably less thick than one you make at home,” says Prof. Sanders.
But what about all the nasty chemicals, you might ask. Do they not hijack our appetites and ruin our bowels?
As shown above, not all processed foods contain an infinite list of foreign ingredients. And not all additives deserve a bad reputation.
“Most of them are there to keep us from getting food poisoning,” says Prof. Sanders. ‘Extra vitamins and minerals count as additives. And this is part of the reason why we have virtually eradicated nutrient deficiencies in many parts of the world.”
There is research showing that some additives — particularly emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners — can destroy the healthy bacteria in our gut, which are said to be key to maintaining a healthy weight, among other benefits
There is research showing that some additives, especially emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners, can destroy the healthy bacteria in our gut, which are said to be key to maintaining a healthy weight, among other benefits. But many of the studies have been done on rodents, and it has not yet been proven that it is absolutely the ultra-processed food that changes the gut bacteria, and not something else.
And as for claims that sweet foods stimulate young brains to seek out junk foods later in life, the experts disagree. ‘Children’s brains are naturally programmed to seek out fatty, sweet foods with high energy – it’s a survival tactic,’ explains Professor Sanders.
The anti-processed food brigade often points to brain research to prove this stuff is “addictive.” Experiments showed that when participants looked at pictures of junk food, the reward centers in their brains “light up.”
“We’ve learned over time that it tastes good,” says Prof. Sanders. That’s not the same as an addiction. That’s like saying we’re addicted to everything we enjoy.’
Mr Blackburn adds: ‘The patients I treat are unhealthy thin and have little appetite. They usually eat ready meals that are high in sugar and calories because they are easy to eat when you have mouth sores and help with weight gain. If they were addictive, patients wouldn’t stop eating – but we have the opposite problem.’
The British do consume too much junk food, such as cakes, biscuits, chips and fast food. About a fifth of people say they eat it at least once or twice a week. But it’s not unhealthy because it’s made in a factory. Coincidentally, many of these products are high in fat, sugar, salt and, most importantly, calories. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that people who eat a lot of calories are more likely to develop obesity and associated health problems.
‘It’s easier to overeat because these foods taste good – especially when they’re snacks like crisps and chocolate and eaten mindlessly in front of the television,’ says Prof Sanders.
Studies also show that people who eat a lot of these types of foods are more likely to do other unhealthy things, such as avoiding exercise, smoking, drinking, and working shifts.
So how do we know if the way the food is made is the cause of the health problems, or if it’s something else?
It’s also worth saying that most of the ultra-processed foods are eaten by low-income people.
And what’s the point of making them feel guilty or ashamed for selecting foods they can afford? It’s not all about money – not everyone has the time to whip up a homemade pasta sauce after a long day at work. So what should we eat?
‘No food should be avoided unless you have an allergy,’ says Mr Blackburn. “Don’t often eat foods high in fat, sugar, salt, and calories, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.”
Where have I heard that advice before?
https://healthmedicinet.com/i/eve-simmons-why-diet-gurus-are-wrong-about-packaged-foods/