I write the Well newsletter, about personal health and fitness.
I love those sprinkle-covered sheet cakes you can buy at the supermarket – so much so that when my daughter was little I trained her to take the corner piece for me at birthday parties.
When you hear the phrase “ultra-processed foods,” these rainbow-colored desserts — with their long, complicated ingredient lists — are probably the types of products you think of.
In reality, the category is much broader than that.
Ultra-processed foods include anything that typically can’t be prepared in a home kitchen because you don’t have the ingredients or machinery. (Most of us don’t have a jar of, say, methylcellulose in our pantry.)
These types of foods have become ubiquitous in the United States, and experts say they appear to be harming our health.
The Times’ Well Desk begins each January with a week-long challenge aimed at improving some aspect of our health. This year the focus is on reduce ultra-processed foods in our diet. In today’s newsletter, I’ll explain the science behind this challenge.
Health problems
Almost all foods are processed in some way, whether chopped, frozen, or cooked. But ultraprocessing is different. Ultra-processed foods are formulations manufactured using industrial methods.
Ultra-processed foods often contain ingredients that improve taste, texture and shelf life, such as hydrogenated oils, modified starches, emulsifiers and artificial colors and sweeteners. Yes, my beloved sheet cake is an ultra-processed food, but so are many products we might consider nutritious, like some packaged breads, flavored yogurts, vegan “meats,” and drinks proteins. Nearly three-quarters of the U.S. food supply is ultra-processed, according to an estimate published in the journal Nature Communications.
Research suggests that diets high in ultra-processed foods are linked to health problems, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and mental health disorders. And a small but influential study found that subjects who ate mostly ultra-processed foods consumed about 500 more calories per day.
As my colleague Alice Callahan has pointed out, researchers don’t know exactly what it is in ultra-processed foods that may be affecting our health, and it may be years before they truly understand the link. Despite all these unknowns, many experts agree that eating fewer ultra-processed foods can be beneficial for your health.
Reduce
I’ve spent the last six months interviewing dozens of nutrition experts to better understand ultra-processed foods. I learned that cutting expenses isn’t just a matter of willpower. Ultra-processed foods are convenient and some are less expensive than minimally processed foods. And many of them are designed to be so irresistible that it’s hard for us to stop eating them, even when we feel full.
It’s unrealistic to permanently give up all ultra-processed foods, said Kevin Hall, a nutrition and metabolism researcher at the National Institutes of Health.
“Not all ultra-processed foods are necessarily bad for your health, nor should you think you should try to get rid of them,” Hall said.
What’s more important, he added, is to focus on your overall eating habits rather than individual foods — and you can make changes to help you achieve that.
Over the next five days, the Well Challenge will offer tips, advice and inspiration to better understand ultra-processed foods. The goal is not to completely rethink your diet. (I, for one, will never give up supermarket sheet cakes.) Instead, we’ll explore simple ways to cut back, so you can be on the right track to feeling better in the long run. I hope you will join me – you can register here.
THE SUNDAY DEBATE
What is Jimmy Carter’s legacy?
Decency. Carter embodied truthfulness and transparency, was a supporter of civil rights, and concluded lasting peace treaties. “Yet, to our eternal shame, not enough of us wanted to call him ‘Mr.’ President,'” Larry Smith of the Indianapolis Recorder writes.
Weakness. Carter made the same mistake as president as Joe Biden. “They share the fate of one-term presidents undone by similar political turmoil – inflation and the perception of growing US weakness abroad. » The Wall Street Journal editorial board writes.
BY REVIEW
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s congestion pricing plan may receive more support if she fits it into a larger story about restore order in New York, Henri Grabar writing.
Trump appointees should remember that even if he still escapes consequences, his loyal supporters do not, John Boltonwrites Trump’s former national security adviser.
Here is a chronicle of The winner “Win a trip” by Nicholas Kristof on the need for menstrual products.
Wishes : She did not believe that the institution of marriage was good for women. Then she met Richard.
Lives lived: Tomiko Itooka, born in Japan before the start of World War I and the sinking of the Titanic, was considered the oldest person in the world. His secret to longevity: eat bananas and drink a Japanese milk drink. Itooka died at 116.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
“A Life Fully” by Jimmy Carter: In addition to being the 39th President of the United States, James Earl Carter Jr. is the author of 32 books. If you’re looking for one that encapsulates his decency, curiosity, eye for detail, and appreciation of the natural world, “A Full Life” is a great place to start. Carter, who died last week at age 100, looks back on his first 90 years, including his time in the White House. You’ll learn about important policy initiatives, but you’ll also see the Carters go on clandestine fly-fishing expeditions, play bowling in their own basement, and discuss current events at the dinner table. The audiobook is narrated by the author himself – a voice of reason, with hints of pain and pride. A presidential yacht? Astronomical food bills? Unnecessary construction at Camp David? Not under his watch.
Learn more about books
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Want to read more books about Carter’s life? Start here.
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The plagiarism conspiracy is having a moment. What is behind all these stories of literary theft? Emily Eakin investigates.
THE INTERVIEW
This week’s subject for The Interview is outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who inherited the world from the Trump administration four years ago and is now poised to hand it back. We spoke about his commitment to strengthening American alliances, his vision of diplomacy in a world in crisis and the major conflicts that remain unresolved.
We know that President-elect Trump is surrounded by people who are very willing to see Ukraine cede territory to Russia. There has been no parallel diplomatic channel and the arms will likely dry up. Do you think you left Ukraine in the strongest possible position? Or were there things you could have done differently?
Well, first of all, what we left was Ukraine, which was not obvious since Putin’s ambition was to wipe it off the map. We stopped that. Putin has failed. Ukraine is standing. And I believe it also has extraordinary potential not only to survive, but to thrive in the future. And it depends on the decisions that the incoming administration and many other countries will make.
Do you think it’s time to end the war?
These are decisions that it is up to Ukrainians to make. They must decide where their future lies and how they want to get there. Where the line is drawn on the map at this point, I don’t think it’s going to fundamentally change much.
Do you mean that, in your opinion, the areas controlled by Russia will have to be ceded?
Giving in is not the point. The question is that, from a practical standpoint, the line is unlikely to move much in the near future. Ukraine’s claim to this territory will always be there. And the question is: will they find ways, with the support of others, to regain lost territory? Putin is unlikely to abandon his ambitions. If there is a ceasefire, then, in Putin’s mind, the ceasefire will probably give him time to rest, to reset, to attack again at some point in the future.
What will therefore be essential to ensure that any ceasefire that is put in place is truly lasting is to ensure that Ukraine has the capacity to deter any further aggression. And this can take many forms. This could go through NATO, and we would put Ukraine on the path to NATO membership. This could involve security assurances, commitments, guarantees from different countries, to ensure that Russia knows that if it attacks again, it will have a big problem.
Read the rest of the interview here.
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE
In this week Newsletter Five weekly dishesMia Leimkuhler offers five recipes that match her 2025 culinary goals. Along with her resolution to explore more plant-based proteins, Mia highlights a sticky and spicy tempeh. And for his desire to cook with more chicken breast: Pierre Franey’s classic chicken and lemon recipe.