‘The Priority Is to Get Enough to Eat’
Most dietary guidelines suggest limiting ultra-processed foods. But dietitians say not to worry too much if these items are all your budget allows during a tough stretch.
“We all have [times when] we may not eat perfectly — no such thing, by the way — and a few less nutritious meals each week will not unravel anyone’s health,” says Meridan Zerner, a registered dietitian-nutritionist at Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. In college, she often ate ramen noodles with canned tuna over a bed of lettuce.
Healthwise, Zerner emphasizes “looking at the bigger picture.” Lindsay Malone, RDN, an instructor and clinical dietitian at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, agrees: “The key is not to stress about a single meal or a single day.”
Most important, “I always remind people that food is about both survival and joy. If you’re struggling financially, the priority is to get enough to eat,” says Malone.
However, if highly processed foods make up the majority of your diet, it’s important to know that it could put you at a higher risk of chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, Malone adds.
Ultra-processed foods tend to be “calorie-dense but nutrient-poor,” she says. They often contain refined carbohydrates, sodium, added fats, and preservatives, and little fiber, protein, and micronutrients — which Malone says can “leave you feeling hungry again soon, which sometimes leads to eating more calories overall.”
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