In the second half In the 2000s, Carlos Monteiro noticed something strange about the food people in Brazil were eating. I was looking for more valuable data. In a recent survey, Monteiro found that Brazilians were buying far less oil, sugar and salt than they used to. Between 1975 and 2009 he more than doubled the proportion of overweight or obese Brazilian adults.
This contradiction bothered Monteiro. If people were buying less fat and sugar, why were they getting bigger? The answer lies in the data. Instead of really cutting back on fat, salt, and sugar, Brazilians were consuming these nutrients in entirely new ways. , sweets, sausages and other snacks. Since the first household survey in 1974, the share of biscuits and soft drinks in Brazilian shopping carts has tripled and quintupled, respectively. This change was noticeable everywhere. When Monteiro first qualified as a doctor in 1972, he was concerned that Brazilians were not getting enough food. By the late 2000s, his country was plagued with diametrically opposed problems.
At first glance, Monteiro’s findings seem obvious. If you eat too much unhealthy food, you will gain weight. But the nutritionist wasn’t satisfied with that explanation. He thought something fundamental had changed in our food system, and scientists needed new ways to talk about it. For so long, nutritional science has focused on nutrients: reduce saturated fat, avoid excess sugar, get enough vitamin C, etc. , wanted a new way to categorize food that emphasizes how the product is made. It wasn’t just the ingredients that made food unhealthy, Monteiro thought. It was the whole system. How food is processed, how quickly it is eaten, and how it is sold and marketed. “We are proposing new theories for understanding the relationship between diet and health,” says Monteiro.
Monteiro has created a new food classification system, NOVA, which classifies foods into four categories. Minimally processed foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and unprocessed meats, are the least worrisome. Next come processed foods (oils, butter, sugar), followed by processed foods (canned vegetables, smoked meats, fresh bread, simple cheeses) and should be used judiciously as part of a healthy diet. . And then there are ultra-processed foods.
There are many reasons why products fall into the ultra-machined category. It may be made using “industrial processes” such as extrusion, transesterification, carbonation, hydrogenation, molding, or pre-frying. It may contain additives designed to be very palatable, or preservatives to help keep it stable at room temperature. It can contain levels of fat, sugar, and salt. It means that it is designed to “Every day, from breakfast to dinner, we consume things that are designed to be consumed in excess,” says Monteiro.
The concept of ultra-processed foods has grown exponentially since it was first introduced in 2009. Brazil, France, Israel, Ecuador, and Peru have all made NOVA part of their dietary guidelines. Countless health and diet blogs extoll the virtues of avoiding ultra-processed foods. Avoiding is one thing that both carnivore and raw vegan diet followers can actually agree on. The label has been used to criticize plant-based meat companies. The Impossible calls plant-based burgers “disrespectfully processed.” Some argue that there is no way to feed billions of people without resorting to processed foods.
