• A nutrition researcher who studies ultra-processed foods doesn't categorically ban them at home.
• He relies on nutrition basics to choose snacks that are a bit healthier for his family.
• Prioritize beans, whole grains, and vegetables, while avoiding added sugar and excess sodium.

NIH scientist Kevin Hall pioneered the first study to definitively prove that ultra-processed foods — like chicken tenders and prepackaged snacks — drive us to overeat and gain weight.

And yet at home, he doesn't avoid convenience food, and buys ultra-processed snacks for his kids.

Hall says his strategy is not as contradictory as it seems, if you understand the nutrition science behind his choices.

What we know — and don't know — about ultra-processed foods

Six years ago, Hall was the first to show definitively that ultra-processed foods cause people to eat more food (500 calories per day!) and gain weight.

This was a big deal: beforehand, scientists could only draw vague connections between ultra-processed diets and long-term health outcomes. There wasn't a definitive cause-and-effect relationship established between ultra-processed foods and poor health.

Hall's team at the National Institutes of Health put people into a laboratory, gave them strictly prepared foods, and studied every morsel they digested for several weeks at a time, seeing what different diets did to their health.

Since then, research on UPFs has snowballed. Today, ultra-processed foods are the poster child for everything that's wrong with American diets. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are promising to weed them out of our diets as a result of all the new research that has cropped up since Hall's landmark study.

Do not let perfect be the enemy of good, Hall says

Hall is not so strict about cutting all UPFs out, and he isn't going to tell people what to eat.

"I don't stand on my soapbox to claim to know all the answers," he said.

Scientists still don't know exactly why ultra-processed foods are so bad for us. More importantly, he says that we don't actually know yet whether all ultra-processed foods are, by definition, bad.

The NOVA scale — used to differentiate between unprocessed, processed, and ultra-processed foods — only looks at how food was prepared. It does not account for nutritional value.

Is a can of ready-to-heat chili just as unhealthy as a jelly donut? They're both ultra-processed, but one contains meat, beans, and non-starchy veggies. The other is sugar, maybe some butter, refined flour, and lots of oil.

At home, Hall tries not to let perfect be the enemy of good. He makes educated guesses about which ultra-processed foods are the best for his health, while also being a realist about convenience.

Like many nutrition and longevity professionals, he prioritizes non-starchy vegetables, whole grains, fruits, legumes, and beans. He also stocks chicken nuggets in his freezer for nights when the kids need a quick dinner. Goldfish crackers are not forbidden.

Hall thinks big picture, and tries to avoid too much added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium in the ultra-processed foods he picks out for his family.

"Would it be better if you had made the homemade version of that?" Hall wondered aloud. "Maybe. It's possible that there's some weird additive or some ingredient in that food that is not good for you. We don't have the science on that yet, but applying what we do know, I think you can still make educated choices."

Plastic packaging doesn't mean it's bad for you

Canned and frozen foods can be great options for busy folks trying to eat healthier. And they're not all ultra-processed.

"People kind of mistake processed and ultra-processed," Hall said.

"There is some degree of confusion. It's typically people using these rules of thumb: if it comes in a can or a box or a package and has plastic around it, it's ultra-processed. I'm sorry, they put cucumbers in plastic at my supermarket, they're not ultra-processed!"

That kind of rigid thinking leads people into fearing foods like canned beans, tinned fish, or frozen vegetables, pantry staples that can make it easier to cook at home, and regularly eat foods that are great for longevity.

"There's so many canned beans that are just like, seasoned," Hall said. "They don't have some weird additives associated with them. A lot of people don't realize those are just processed foods."

• Ultra-processed foods, which contain additives, have been linked to cancer, diabetes, and depression.
• Nutritionist Rob Hobson tried to eliminate them from his diet as much as possible last year.
• Now, he incorporates them into his diet in a way that works for him.

Since deciding to cut down on ultra-processed foods a year ago, nutritionist Rob Hobson has developed a more "realistic" view of how they fit into a healthy diet, he told Business Insider.

UPFs have made headlines this year as public awareness grew of the potential health risks of eating too many. Studies have linked a diet high in UPFs to a higher risk of 32 illnesses, including type two diabetes, cancer, depression, and cardiovascular disease.

UPFs tend to be highly marketed, shelf-stable, and hyper-palatable, making them easy to overeat, Hobson previously told Business Insider. Soda, candy, and fast food are obvious examples.

At first, Hobson, who is based in the UK, tried to eliminate UPFs from his diet as much as possible and to cook everything from scratch. "I was like a vigilante," he said. But now he incorporates them into his diet in a way that works for him. "I eat less ultra-processed food, but in a way that still makes it easy and convenient to eat. So there's certain foods now that I don't worry too much about, the healthier UPFs," he said.

Hobson, who still limits his intake, shared three changes he's made.

Healthier' UPFs for cooking

Cooking from scratch three times a day simply became too time-consuming, Hobson said. So now he uses some "healthier" UPFs in his cooking to "make life easier."

Previously Hobson would have been strict about only making a pasta sauce from canned tomatoes and fresh produce, for example, but now if he's strapped for time or energy, he's happy to pick up a pre-made sauce from the store. However, he still checks labels and looks for the items with the fewest ingredients.

"I still believe the first port of call is cooking everything as much as you can from scratch. But I'm not going to give myself a hard time about buying a tomato sauce, I'll just buy the best one I possibly can," he said.

Some UPFs are nutritious

Foods like packaged wholemeal bread, and baked beans, which are popular in the UK, might be considered ultra-processed because they contain additives, but unlike soda and cookies, they do have nutritional value.

"These foods still have a lot of fiber. They still contain protein. But they do contain a few additives," Hobson said.

He includes UPFs he considers healthier in his diet if he doesn't have time to cook from scratch or simply is craving them, he said. But he'll still aim to make it a balanced meal by adding some vegetables, a side salad, or some grains.

Eat unprocessed — no cooking required

Over the past year, Hobson learned that putting different foods together on a plate is the easiest way for him "to eat unprocessed."

"Just putting plates together rather than thinking you have to create a proper big meal with lots of ingredients," works well, he said. Cooking a piece of fish or chicken and pairing it with some potatoes and vegetables is simpler than following a recipe and making, say, a pasta dish or a curry, he said. Hobson often adds bags of pre-cooked grains, too.

"It's great to spend time in the kitchen when you have the time, but then when you don't, you have to find all these ways of eating that are really simple," he said.

• Melissa Hemsley's cookbook offers recipes to reduce ultra-processed food intake.
• Ultra-processed foods are linked to health risks like cardiovascular disease and cancer.
• Hemsley's recipes include white chicken chili, noodle salad, and no-bake peanut bars.

If cutting down on ultra-processed food is on your 2025 goals list, finding tasty new recipes is a big help.

Melissa Hemsley is a chef whose latest cookbook, "Real Healthy," is designed to help people "unprocess" their diets.

The recipes are packed with vegetables and designed for those who are short of time.

Ultra-processed foods have come to the fore of public health consciousness in recent years, as research increasingly points to the potential health risks of UPFs, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Hemsley recommends dishes including a white chicken chili with peppers and beans, a zingy vegetarian noodle salad, and no-bake peanut butter chocolate oat bars.

White chicken chili

Hemsley said: "A tomato-less chili, hence the name 'white chili'. I use yellow peppers here to keep the chili 'white' but use whatever color you can find. I like to serve the toppings separately and let everyone help themselves. In terms of the beans, use whatever white beans you like, such as cannellini or butter beans. I find sweetcorn is always worth keeping in the freezer, but if you've got canned corn, then drain, rinse, and add it right at the end."

Serves: Four

Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra if needed
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 yellow peppers, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chile flakes, to taste
• 1.2 litres vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 x 400-gram tins of white beans, drained and rinsed
• 200 grams frozen corn
• Juice of 1 lime, plus a little zest if you like
• Sea salt and black pepper

Optional toppings

• Soured cream or yogurt
• Fresh cilantro and/or scallions onions, sliced
• Sliced avocado
• Sliced radishes or cucumber
• Lime wedges
• Jarred jalapeño slices or chile flakes

Method

1. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and, once warm, add the chicken thighs, skin-side down. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes over a medium-high heat until very well browned, then turn and cook on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. Lift out of the pot and set aside on a large plate.
2. The chicken should have given out plenty of fat but if not, add a splash of olive oil to the pot and, once warm, add the onions, peppers, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry for about 12 minutes over a medium heat until very soft, stirring every so often. Add the garlic, fry for a minute, then add the cumin, oregano, and cayenne or chile flakes and fry for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Return the chicken thighs to the pot and pour in the stock. Simmer for 25 minutes, then add the beans and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken thighs once cooked through and take the meat off the bones and shred. Set aside, discarding the chicken skin if you wish. Use a potato masher or the back of your wooden spoon to crush roughly a third of the beans (this will help thicken the chili).
5. Add the frozen corn, then cook for 5 minutes or so until tender. Remove from the heat, add the chicken, lime juice, plus a little zest if you like, and taste for seasoning.
6. Ladle into bowls and finish with the toppings you like.

Big veg noodle salad with lime, ginger, and peanut dressing

Hemsley said: "Even in the colder months, I think a big noodle salad is always a great thing to have up our sleeves. In the depths of winter, in and among all the cheesy bakes and big soups and stews, I crave fresh, zingy, crunchy salads like this. Use any noodles you like, even spaghetti would work if that's what you've got. I love buckwheat (soba) noodles. Swap the peanuts and peanut butter for cashews or almonds if you prefer. Do the lime trick to release more juice by rolling the limes on the kitchen counter before you slice them in half."

Serves: Two

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 nests of noodles
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 big handfuls of raw peanuts
• 1 large carrot, cut into ribbons with a peeler or cut into thin strips with a knife
• 1⁄4 sweetheart cabbage, very thinly sliced
• 1 small apple or pear, cored, and cut into matchsticks
• 1⁄2 small cucumber, diced

For the dressing:

• 2 tablespoons smooth or crunchy peanut butter
• 2 big limes: zest of 1 and juice of both
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• Thumb of fresh ginger, finely grated
• Pinch of chile flakes
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl or shake in a jam jar. Taste for seasoning.
2. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain and rinse immediately with cold water. Toss the noodles with the sesame oil and set aside.
3. Toast the peanuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan every so often, until golden.
4. In a large bowl, toss together the noodles, carrot, cabbage, apple or pear and roughly half the dressing. Slowly add more splashes of dressing if you like, tossing as you go, until everything is nicely coated. Top with the cucumber and peanuts.

Chocolate peanut butter (no-bake) bars

Hemsley said: "A no-bake family favorite treat. Pretty irresistible but if you don't devour them over a few days, they will keep for a week in a sealed container. Store in the fridge in warmer months. If catering to any nut allergies, swap the ground almonds for more oats and switch the nut butter for pumpkin seed butter. If you have a preferred nut butter, try that — I love a cashew butter but keep it to the smooth variety for a silkier texture. Look out for 60% minimum cocoa solids for your chocolate."

Makes: 16

Time: 20 minutes, plus setting time

Ingredients

• 250 grams smooth peanut butter
• 100 grams ground almonds
• 100 grams porridge oats
• 6 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A little pinch of sea salt

For the chocolate layer

• 180 grams dark chocolate, roughly broken
• 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Optional topping

• 2 handfuls of toasted peanuts

Method

1. Line a small baking pan or dish (about 15 x 8cm or square equivalent) with greaseproof paper, making sure it comes up high enough on the sides so that you can lift the mixture out of the pan once it's set.
2. Mix the peanut butter, ground almonds, oats, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt together in a bowl. Transfer to the lined pan, pressing down with the back of a spoon or spatula to make it even and compact.
3. For the chocolate layer, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie (a heatproof bowl set over a pan of very lightly simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Once melted, stir through the peanut butter and pour this evenly over the base. If topping with the whole peanuts, scatter these over the chocolate layer. Sprinkle over a little pinch of flaky sea salt.
4. Set in the fridge for 1 hour or until firm, then cut into 16 pieces to serve.

• Bernie Sanders is taking on ultra-processed food in his final weeks leading the Senate health panel.
• Sanders wants the US to catch up with other countries, which have cigarette-style warning labels for food.
• He sees a potential opportunity to work with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on this.

In his final weeks leading the Senate health committee, Sen. Bernie Sanders is taking on "big food."

Sanders led a hearing Thursday to interrogate how ultra-processed foods affect our bodies, and how they are regulated. He is campaigning for legislation that would slap warning labels on the front of ultra-processed foods — a step other countries took years ago.

Speaking to Business Insider on Tuesday, Sanders said he sees warning labels as a necessary first step to influence food manufacturers in America to make healthier products, especially for kids.

"When a parent goes out shopping, they need to know that there are products that are just not healthy for their kids," Sanders said. "In the United States, we have not reached that stage. Other countries are doing a lot better than we are."

Obesity has more than tripled among children since the 1970s, per CDC data, and research suggests ultraprocessed foods play a significant role, though it's not clear why. What we do know is that foods high in added sugars, fats, and sodium make up a majority of the calories we consume, and drive us to eat more.

"Our kids are not healthy enough," Sanders said.

Major food companies say new labels would be expensive to produce, and that the cost would be passed onto consumers. Some argue mandatory warning labels would violate their right to free speech. They say we should stick with the current system: a voluntary policy, where companies can put health warnings on the front of products if they see fit.

A shift may be coming, in part driven by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick for HHS secretary who has promised to "make America healthy again" and clean up the US food system. Kennedy's message has resonated with voters as consumer demand grows for healthier food — more natural, more transparent, less processed.

Food giants are nervous about Kennedy's reign, Jerold Mande, CEO of the advocacy group Nourish Science and a senior member of the USDA during the Obama administration, told Business Insider.

"Having worked on this for decades, the level of response from companies has exceeded anything I've seen" since Michelle Obama's campaign, Mande said. "They're deeply concerned that this is going to be a change."

Sanders said he is ready to ride the MAHA wave, if that's what it will take to clean up American diets.

The pitch: Bring the US up to speed with other countries

Sixteen other countries have mandatory, front-of-package warning labels, including most of Latin America, plus Canada, Iran, Sri Lanka, and Singapore.

Sanders looks at the US's southern neighbor, Mexico, as inspiration. During our interview, he pulled up a photo of two bottles of Coca-Cola, one sold in the US and the other in Mexico. The Mexican bottle has big black octagonal boxes that say "excess sugars," "excess calories," and "caffeine warning, not recommended for children."

"That's kind of common sense," Sanders said. "I think if most parents knew that there were 10 or 15 teaspoons of sugar in this drink, I suspect many parents would say, 'Sorry, Joe, you can't have that.' It would put pressure on the industry to start producing healthier products."

The Coca Cola Company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the American Beverage Association said the industry has taken voluntary steps to curb sugar for kids, such as not advertising to children and removing full-calorie products from schools.

According to research conducted in these countries, it can work — if the front-of-package labeling is clear.

In Chile, which has similar black boxes to Mexico, people dramatically reduced the amount of sugar-, fat-, and sodium-heavy products they were buying after labels changed. Companies have also reformulated their products in the country to avoid a warning label, cutting sugar, fat, and sodium levels.

How the US can get this done remains a mystery, Katherine Miller, founder of nutrition advocacy group Table 81, told Business Insider.

"I mean, there are 20 different pieces of the federal government that regulate our eggs," Miller said. "How do we really think we're going to get front of the label, the front-of-the-package labeling in a short period of time that will align the scientific community, the food systems community, the health community, and corporations? That doesn't feel realistic."

The US is already testing out new food labels that flag bad ingredients

The Food and Drug Administration has designed two options for what these new labels could look like on the front of food and drinks.

One version would flag a product as "high in" sugar, sodium, or fat, if it exceeds 20% of the daily recommended limit. Another version would use a color-coded system to grade the levels of sugar, sodium, and fat in the product ("low" for under 5%, "high" for over 20%, "medium" for anything in between).

The agency has spent months testing both options in focus groups.

Sanders says it doesn't go far enough.

He proposed legislation that would force food companies to put a stop sign on anything ultra-processed or high-sugar, similar to cigarettes.

Sanders — who says he is "guilty as anybody else" when it comes to eating and snacking — begrudges how difficult it is to make healthy choices and how easy it is to accidentally ingest copious amounts of fat, sodium, or sugar.

"Some years ago, I was thirsty and I picked up a bottle of something, it was a juice, and I gulped it down as usual," Sanders recalled in the interview. "A little while later, my stomach, I really felt very queasy. I looked at the label and I saw the amount of sugar that was in it."

It was a lot higher than he expected from a quick glance at the bottle.

"The industry has done a very good job in selling us products that are cheap to produce, that make us unhealthy. And that's something Congress has got to deal with."

The problem: A game of whack-a-mole with food companies

The argument against front-of-package labeling, from a health perspective, is that it could delay more concrete action.

It could also lead to unexpected consequences, Mande said.

In the '90s, when he helped design the original Nutrition Facts panel, the goal was low fat. A flurry of new research had recently come out showing fat was linked to heart disease.

Food manufacturers complied, cutting fat from their products — but often swapped it for something else. Take Snackwell's, a now defunct diet cookie brand that offered the pleasure of a sweet treat without the consequences. Problem was, the brand replaced fat with refined carbohydrates.

"We didn't anticipate the harm it would cause," Mande said. Three decades later, health advocates are trying to cut refined carbs in food due to the increased risk of diabetes.

Sanders said front-of-package labeling is the best card we have to play right now.

"I think it's one thing that you've got to do," he said. "It would put pressure on the industry to start producing healthier products."

Next step: Teeing up RFK Jr.

The Senate hearing saw more bipartisan agreement than advocates expected.

"Not one Senator defended the food industry. Big food is in big tobacco territory," Mande said.

Still, it comes at an inflection point. FDA Commissioner Rob Califf is on his way out, and there's no knowing whether his nominated successor, Marty Makary, will want to follow through on his plans for front-of-package labels.

Plus, it's unclear if Makary will have the funds to do so, since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he will gut the FDA if he is confirmed as HHS Secretary. (Kennedy did not respond to a request for a comment.)

Sanders hopes this discussion will harness the buzz around Kennedy's MAHA movement to make warning labels a policy priority.

"When Kennedy talks about an unhealthy society, he's right. The amount of chronic illness that we have is just extraordinary," Sanders said.

"Anybody with a brain in his or her head wants to deal with this issue, to get to the cause of the problem. I think processed food and the kind of sugar and salt that we have in products that our kids and adults are ingesting is an important part of addressing that crisis."