Ultra-processed foods have been a hot topic in wellness conversations, and for good reason. Research continues to link diets high in these foods with anxiety and inflammation, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and more.
But this isn’t a story about fear. The goal is not perfection. It’s about awareness — understanding why some foods are so easy to overeat and how small shifts can help protect our long-term health.
Just last month, a series of papers published in the American Journal of Public Health added to the conversation. Some of the research explored possible links between ultra-processed foods and cognitive decline. Other papers examined the role tobacco companies played in the food industry. The dementia findings made headlines, but the bigger story may be how these foods became so successful in the first place.
What Ultra-Processed Means
Lots of nutritious foods are processed. Plain Greek yogurt, steel-cut oats, frozen chopped spinach, canned beans and even pre-washed salad greens have all been processed in some way. Processing can make healthy foods more convenient, affordable and accessible.
Ultra-processed foods are different. They are typically industrial formulations made mostly from refined ingredients, additives and compounds many of us wouldn’t have in our own kitchens. Think of products like chips, cookies, candies, sugary cereals, frozen meals, soft drinks and others marketed as convenient grab-and-go options.
Not every packaged food is a problem. The question is whether the food still looks like food —with ingredients we recognize —or whether it has been carefully formulated to be especially appealing and difficult to resist.
The Bliss Point
Food scientists use the term “bliss point” to describe the “sweet spot” combination of carbohydrate, salt, fat and texture that lights up our brain’s pleasure centers. That combination can make food especially rewarding to eat —and incredibly difficult to stop eating.
For a recent episode of my FUELED Wellness + Nutrition podcast, I interviewed Erica LaFata, PhD, a clinical psychologist and researcher whose work focuses on the addictive and reinforcing properties of ultra-processed foods.
“This isn’t just about willpower; people aren’t suddenly becoming worse at regulating their eating behavior,” noted LaFata. The food environment itself has changed, making highly rewarding, ultra-processed foods easier to access and consume than ever before.
The History
According to the recent series in the American Journal of Public Health, some of these strategies have deeper roots than many of us realize. During the 1980s and 1990s, tobacco companies owned some of the nation’s largest food companies.
Researchers suggest that tobacco companies brought their expertise in marketing, consumer psychology and product development into the food industry, noting that some products were engineered to activate the brain’s pathways to be highly rewarding to eat, while targeted advertising helped create an emotional connection between products and consumers. That history is important because it helps explain how certain products became so common, familiar and hard to resist.
A key takeaway is that, for the most part, these ultra-processed foods do not exist in nature. Instead, they are strategically designed to maximize craveability, and our desire to consume more and more. The more we understand how products are created and marketed to us, the better equipped we are to make healthier choices.
What Brain Research Adds
Researchers are increasingly looking at how ultra-processed foods may affect more than weight and metabolism.
The latest research offers another reason to pay attention. In one recent analysis of more than 5,000 adults over age 50, people who consumed the highest amounts of ultra-processed foods had significantly higher rates of dementia and cognitive impairment than those who consumed the least.
It’s important to note that this study does not prove ultra-processed foods cause dementia. It shows an association, which means researchers found a relationship but cannot say for certain that one caused the other.
Still, these aren’t isolated examples. The findings are part of a growing body of research suggesting that diets high in ultra-processed foods can negatively affect our health, including metabolic, cardiovascular and brain health.
Researchers are exploring several possible explanations. Ultra-processed foods tend to crowd out more nutrient-dense options and may contribute to chronic inflammation, blood sugar instability and changes to the gut microbiome —factors increasingly linked to cognitive health.
The (encouraging) flip side? Higher intake of whole and minimally processed foods was associated with lower risk.
No Need to Panic
This isn’t about obsessing over every ingredient label. It’s about recognizing how these foods are designed and marketed to us so we can make more intentional choices.
LaFata believes that awareness itself can be empowering. It helps us recognize that the issue isn’t simply willpower, but the food environment surrounding us every day.
Small shifts toward whole and minimally processed foods can support overall health. Making intentional choices–even when foods are designed to keep us coming back for more–is a step in the right direction.
Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, is a registered dietitian with Ochsner Health and founder of Ochsner’s Eat Fit nonprofit initiative. For more wellness content, tune in to Molly’s podcast, FUELED Wellness + Nutrition, and follow @MollykimballRD and @EatFitOchsner on social media. Email nutrition@ochsner.org to connect with Molly or schedule a consult with her team.