At this point, most people know that junk food is loaded with added sugar, saturated fat, and salt, all of which are bad for us.
But many might be surprised to learn that some of their favorite treats contain as many as 120 ingredients.
DailyMail.com found french fries, snack mixes, frozen pizzas and microwave meals to be some of the worst offenders. But even some salad kits contained up to 50 additives, mostly preservatives and added flavorings.
Mountains of studies show that eating too many ultra-processed foods dramatically increases the risk of premature death, dementia and heart disease. Experts say a good rule of thumb is to aim to eat foods with no more than five ingredients.
DailyMail.com found that snacks, quick meals and even salad kits could contain up to 120 hard-to-pronounce ingredients, making them ultra-processed.
Among hundreds of items analyzed by DailyMail.com, Munchies Flamin’ Hot Flavored Snack Mix came out the worst in terms of additives.
An eight-ounce bag – which contains Doritos, Cheetos, Sun Chips and pretzels – contains about 120 ingredients, including a slew of colorings like Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Blue 1, including some contain known carcinogens. compounds.
Additives like these are added to many processed foods to improve their flavor, appearance, or help keep them fresh.
Red 40 and the two yellows have both been banned in food products in the UK because they contain benzidine, a permitted human and animal carcinogen at low doses.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, ingesting free benzidine increases cancer risk to just below the threshold of “concern,” or one cancer in 1 million people.
Some states, such as California, have pushed to ban such additives, although they are widely permitted in the United States.
Although some of the ingredients in Munchies are recognizable, many are more like science than food ingredients, such as maltodextrin, ammonium bicarbonate, and disodium guanylate.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, ultra-processed foods increase the risk of cardiovascular disease
Although individual additives have not been studied extensively, eating too much of them has long been linked to chronic health problems.
A 2022 study published in the journal Neurology found that a 10% increase in consumption of ultra-processed foods could increase the risk of dementia.
Moreover, a large cohort study in France reportedly showed that the same increase in ultra-processed foods led to an increased risk of breast cancer.
A global comparative study published in Obesity Reviews showed that increased per capita sales of ultra-processed foods and beverages were associated with higher body mass index (BMI).
And two studies by Spanish and French researchers found an association between eating ultra-processed foods and an increased risk of premature death.
Munchies weren’t the only food to score in triple figures.
A single-serving Totino’s Party Pizza contains approximately 100 ingredients, including BHA preservative.
This common additive is often found in processed foods such as cereals, gum, fast food and snacks to prolong freshness and help prevent spoilage caused by bacteria, mold or other issues.
It is also a possible human carcinogen, which means it may increase the risk of cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Lean Cuisine, which is generally considered a light and healthy brand for a quick meal, also contains dozens of ingredients in some of its meals.
The brand’s Frozen Chicken Club Panini has 85 items on its ingredient list, including forms of nitrates.
On their own, nitrates are harmless. However, bacteria already living in the mouth and enzymes in the body can convert them to nitrites and then to nitrosamines. These have carcinogenic properties.
A 2022 study from the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University estimated that 73% of the US food supply is ultra-processed.
And a study published in Frontiers in Nutrition found that more than 60% of American calorie intake comes from these foods.
Processing involves adding or modifying raw ingredients, such as storing them in oil or adding sugar or salt.
Foods like apples are usually exactly as they appear in nature and are classified as minimally processed.
Processed foods, such as applesauce, have undergone at least one level of processing that has altered their original form.
Ultra-processed foods have gone through multiple levels of processing and are usually full of hard-to-pronounce fats, dyes, and preservatives.
“At the most basic level, depending on some of these ingredients, it’s possible that these foods contain protein, fat, and carbohydrates. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the sources of these nutrients are truly optimal for supporting health” , Jessica Cording, a registered dietitian in New York and author of The Farewell Tour, told DailyMail.com.
“(Ultra-processed foods) tend to be very high in sodium, such as sodium, sugar, refined carbohydrates in general and unhealthy fats, as well as preservatives,” Ms Cording said.
Microwave meals, snacks, and ice cream are common examples.
But even a Caesar salad kit from Wal-Mart contains about 50 additives. These could largely come from the dressing and some additions, like croutons.
“People think they’re doing something good for themselves because it’s salad. They always hear that they should eat more vegetables. But then the problem is what do you put in that salad,” Ms Cording said.
Ms Cording said to reduce these risks, try to choose foods that contain only a handful of ingredients.
“It’s really best to choose foods that have little to no of these additives,” Ms. Cording said. “I think ideally it would be better to recognize what the ingredients of your food are.”