The Well Challenge: 5 Days to Happier, Healthier Eating
These simple tips will set you up for a delicious year.
Welcome to the Well Challenge: 5 Days to Happier, Healthier Eating.
This week will be all about ultraprocessed foods, probably the biggest question in nutrition today. We’re kicking things off with an interactive game to help you judge how often you reach for UPFs, and each day this week will include a simple exercise to help you think more deeply about them. Ready to get started? Read on.
When we started brainstorming the topic for our annual challenge, we reached a consensus pretty quickly that it should be about ultraprocessed foods.
In the last five years, there has been an explosion of scientific research on ultraprocessed foods and their links to certain health problems.
Now many of us are looking at what we eat through a new lens: We’re not just paying attention to the nutrients in our food; we’re also looking for clues to tell whether a food was processed — and if so, how much.
But what, exactly, should we look for? And how can we make sense of lengthy ingredients lists?
Today, we’ll play a game to explore your buying habits — but first, let’s review some basics.
What are ultraprocessed foods?
Ultraprocessed foods, or UPFs, are commonly defined as products you couldn’t typically make in your own kitchen. They contain ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, protein isolates, emulsifiers and artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners. Think chicken nuggets, hot dogs, flavored yogurts, sodas and many breakfast cereals, packaged breads and snack foods.
We don’t have a clear picture of when ultraprocessed foods started to dominate our diets. They have been part of the American food supply for decades, but they probably got a boost in the 1980s and ’90s, when tobacco companies bought several major food companies. The products made by those companies were more likely to have combinations of fat, sugar, carbohydrates or sodium that made them hard to stop eating, research suggests. And over time, our consumption of them has gradually crept up.
Today, ultraprocessed foods make up a majority of what we eat — nearly 60 percent of the calories adults consume in the United States, and nearly 70 percent of the calories consumed by children and teens.
How do ultraprocessed foods affect our health?
There’s a lot scientists are still learning about ultraprocessed foods, but public health experts are increasingly warning that they may be contributing to poor health.
Researchers have linked ultraprocessed foods to 32 health concerns, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, certain gastrointestinal conditions and some types of cancer. Studies have also found links between ultraprocessed foods and depression and anxiety.
But it’s not clear whether all ultraprocessed foods are harmful for us. One recent study, for instance, suggested that some, like flavored yogurts and cereal, were not. It’s also unclear if ultraprocessed foods directly cause poor health, or if it is caused by other aspects of people’s lives.
It may take decades for researchers to work through exactly why UPFs are connected to negative health outcomes. Still, most experts agree there’s enough evidence to suggest we should eat less ultraprocessed foods.
But we have families to feed and overwhelming supermarket choices to face. So where to start?
The Well Challenge Day 1: How often do you buy ultraprocessed foods? Let’s find out.
Today, we’ll help you understand how often ultraprocessed foods end up in your cart when you go to the market. You don’t have to leave your seat for this one.
We designed a digital game where you’ll go “shopping” to learn more about ultraprocessed foods at the store.
Then, stay tuned for more UPF challenges all week long.
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This is Day 2 of the 5-Day Healthier Eating Challenge. To start at the beginning, click here.
I’m a Gen X-er, so ultraprocessed foods have been a mainstay of my diet since I was a kid. I was raised on bowls of sugary cereal, mac and cheese and instant ramen. I still crave them.
And that’s by design, said Ashley Gearhardt, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. Dr. Gearhardt’s research suggests that some UPF ingredients, like added fats and sugars, can activate the brain’s reward centers in ways similar to those of addictive substances like alcohol and nicotine.
“The more you have, the more you want,” she said.
So it’s logical that we might prefer them to some less-processed foods. But when you stop to think about how different some seem from their whole-food counterparts, the temptation diminishes a little. Many of us don’t pay close attention, though.
“Most UPFs aren’t designed to be eaten mindfully,” said Arielle Johnson, a flavor scientist and the author of “Flavorama: A Guide to Unlocking the Art and Science of Flavor.” A small 2019 study monitored people on both whole-food diets and ultraprocessed food diets. When they were on the UPF diet, subjects consumed more — an average of 500 extra calories a day — and ate the food more quickly.
If you are like me and find ultraprocessed foods irresistible, today’s challenge may help reduce their allure.
Well Challenge Day 2: Are ultraprocessed foods really that delicious?
Head into your kitchen in search of an ultraprocessed food and a less-processed counterpart. If you have cheese puffs or cheese-flavored chips, pair them with a block of real cheese; place a peanut butter energy bar beside a handful of peanuts; put a cup of honey oat breakfast cereal next to some cooked oatmeal and honey.
Examine your UPF closely: Once you have both items, inspect your product. What does it look like? Can you tell what it’s made of? Does its color match something in nature? Does it have its own unique texture? Paying attention to these details helped me spot the less-appetizing qualities of a few beloved UPFs.
Some UPFs are developed to be very soft, making them easier to chew and swallow in larger quantities, as one study suggested. Others are dry so that they can stay on shelves longer and microbes won’t grow in them, said Chris van Tulleken, an associate professor of infection and immunity at University College London and the author of “Ultra-Processed People.”
Now, take a bite and pay attention to how it sounds. Sometimes a noticeable texture distracts from what’s lacking in flavor, Dr. van Tulleken said. Other times, he added, an ultraprocessed food can have an initial crackle or crunch but turn quickly to powder.
Take a whiff: Can you identify an aroma? Name what you are smelling. Free-associate.
The biggest contributor to a food’s flavor is its smell, Dr. Johnson explained. Your product’s smell might be very faint, she said, because industrially processing ingredients can alter the chemical complexity that produces a more distinct aroma.
Compare your UPF to your whole food: Taste your UPF again, noting whatever smells and flavors come to mind. Then, do the same with its less-processed or unprocessed counterpart.
Dr. Johnson and I did this with Dannon Light + Fit raspberry yogurt, a UPF, and plain yogurt with raspberry jam drizzled on top. Dr. Johnson opened the Light + Fit and sniffed: “It smells like raspberry candy,” she said.
She ate a spoonful of the Dannon yogurt and said it tasted sweet and the fruit flavor was faint. Then she smelled the plain yogurt, identifying hints of butter, cream, cheese and a “mildly fruity, slightly green flavor, like underripe green apple.”
For the raspberry jam, Dr. Johnson noted a “deep cooked-fruit smell.” When she ate some, she mused like a sommelier: “It’s just really pleasantly round and rich,” she said.
Dr. Johnson took another bite of the Light + Fit and said it tasted even more like candy this time. Eating something less-processed can make the UPF taste more artificial, she said, because UPF flavor “tends to be a simplified version of whole foods.”
We spent an hour comparing a dozen more UPFs to less-processed foods. Each one made me more aware of the vast difference between them and prompted me to pause and consider alternatives before I reach for UPFs.
At the end of the hour, our odd picnic completed, I packed up my makeshift UPF charcuterie board and headed home to take an antacid.
This is Day 3 of the 5-Day Healthier Eating Challenge. To start at the beginning, click here.
Americans are snacking more than ever. A recent survey suggested that 95 percent of us now eat at least one snack a day, and most of us eat two or more.
When a craving hits, many people reach for ultraprocessed snacks like candy or chips. That’s partly because, as I mentioned in yesterday’s challenge, these foods are engineered to be craveable. (My favorites are chocolate bars with nuts and any cheese-flavored chip that turns your fingers orange.)
But there’s another reason we might want an ultraprocessed snack. Sometimes, healthier whole foods like walnuts, fruit or carrot sticks can seem a little bland and joyless. And that’s too bad, because minimally processed foods generally include things that make you feel sated for longer, like fiber, water and protein, said Ashley Gearhardt, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.
Here’s the thing, though: That sad handful of almonds could be bursting with flavor.
Today we’re going to take a break from ultraprocessed snacks by making whole-food snacks just as delicious. We’ve enlisted experts to mimic the crave-worthy qualities of ultraprocessed foods, adding the salt, sweetness, fat and spice that can make more healthful foods pop.
Well Challenge Day 3: Try a sprinkle of ‘flavor dust.’
We’re making what we are calling flavor dusts — simple spice blends using ingredients you may have in your kitchen at home.
We’ve asked chefs to craft recipes just for us that you can sprinkle on nuts and popcorn — three savory, one spicy-sweet. We’ve also included some quick and easy recipes from NYT Cooking below.
Flavor Dusts for Popcorn
Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu are the chefs at Jun, an acclaimed restaurant in Houston. They created two toppings for popcorn — one with warm herbs and spices, the other a cheese blend with a kick. If you don’t have one of the ingredients, Chef Garcia said, the recipes are forgiving and worth a try.
Easy Snack-y Spice Blend
Yield: about ⅔ cup
Ingredients
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground fenugreek
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon Korean chili flakes, or any chili flakes you have on hand
Preparation: Mix together and store in a jar with a lid. Toss one tablespoon onto freshly popped popcorn.
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Flaming Hot Cheese Dust
Yield: about ⅔ cup
Ingredients
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon Korean chili flakes, or any chili flakes you have on hand
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil spray
Preparation: Combine ingredients aside from butter or olive oil spray in a small bowl.
After popping your popcorn, coat it with the melted butter or olive oil spray to help the seasoning blend stick, and then sprinkle on as much seasoning as desired. (You can also toss this spice blend onto any of your favorite cooked or steamed vegetables or stir it into plain yogurt to make a dip for raw carrots and celery.)
Flavor Dusts for Nuts
Kwame Onwuachi is the chef at Tatiana in New York City, which tops the The Times’s list of the best restaurants in NYC. His House Spice recipe, featuring cayenne pepper and paprika, pairs nicely with pecans, but you can sprinkle either of these toppings on any nuts you’d like.
House Spice
Yield: 1 ½ cups
Ingredients
5 tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste
6 ½ tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons granulated garlic
4 tablespoons granulated onion
4 tablespoons Worcestershire powder
2 ½ tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 ½ tablespoons Hungarian paprika (or sweet paprika)
Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. Season to taste. Store in an airtight container.
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Plantain Spice
Yield: 1 ½ cups
Ingredients
6 tablespoons House Spice
5 tablespoons Caribbean curry powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste
Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. Season to taste. Store in an airtight container.
And check out these easy sweet-snack recipes, using whole foods, from NYT Cooking: Coconut Granola Bars, Strawberry and Sesame Swirl Soft Serve, Vegan Banana Bread, Yogurt Parfaits With Cherries and Pistachios and Apple Compote.
This is Day 4 of the 5-Day Healthier Eating Challenge. To start at the beginning, click here.
So far, these challenges have kept you at home. You’ve scanned ingredients lists, conducted a taste test and zhuzhed up some snacks — all without straying too far from your kitchen.
But today, we’re heading to a real-life grocery store to identify ultraprocessed foods and their less processed alternatives.
If this sounds daunting, don’t worry. I called a few experts to help us out. Marion Nestle, an emerita professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, agreed to come to my local supermarket so we could look at food labels together.
I also chatted with two other experts to learn how they make choices when they’re shopping.
Well Challenge Day 4: Grocery shop like a nutrition scientist.
First, think of an ultraprocessed food you regularly buy: Maybe it’s frozen pizza or a packaged snack.
Then, go to a grocery store and read the label for that food. Note how many ingredients you don’t recognize. Take a few minutes and compare it with similar items: If you’re looking at strawberry yogurt, scan its ingredients list alongside those of other strawberry yogurts. Is there a less processed choice you can make that still falls within your price range?
Notice the ingredients that make a UPF a UPF.
As we cruised the aisles, Dr. Nestle flagged certain ingredients that signal that a food or drink may be ultraprocessed. These include thickeners like modified starches, gums (xanthan gum, guar gum), emulsifiers (like soy lecithin and carrageenan), sugar substitutes (like Stevia and Splenda), synthetic food dyes (like Red 40 and Yellow 5), artificial flavors and other ingredients that aren’t normally found in home kitchens or even grocery stores.
And while the conventional wisdom is that a long list of ingredients means a food is ultraprocessed, that is not always the case, Dr. Nestle said.
Some frozen meals, for example, may have a lengthy list of ingredients, but all of them are recognizable, she said. From the freezer case, she pulled out a frozen lasagna made with ingredients like tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, beef and onions.
“Nothing artificial,” Dr. Nestle said.
Get curious about ingredients you don’t recognize.
Nutrition experts, even with their deep knowledge, still come across unfamiliar ingredients. During our trip, Dr. Nestle peered at the label of a flavored yogurt: “Cultured dextrose,” she remarked. “I don’t know what that is.” She looked it up and said that it appeared to inhibit bacteria growth in food.
If you encounter an ingredient that you don’t recognize, Dr. Nestle said, that may be a sign that it’s a UPF. She recommended checking the database of food additives from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. (Dr. Nestle and I did this right in Aisle 7.)
Then you can decide if it’s right for you. The presence of just one of these ingredients makes it an ultraprocessed food, but you may be fine with that, said Maya Vadiveloo, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island. If you see an emulsifier in a whole-grain bread, “it’s not necessarily a reason to not pick it up,” she said. (In fact, one study we mentioned on Day 1 of this challenge found that some ultraprocessed foods, including whole-grain breads, were associated with reduced risks for cardiovascular disease.)
And some ingredients that are unrecognizable to many people may actually be vitamins, Dr. Nestle said, like sodium ascorbate (vitamin C), pyridoxine (vitamin B6) and alpha-tocopherol acetate (vitamin E). These do not make something a UPF, she said.
Don’t equate words like ‘wholesome’ and ‘natural’ with ‘unprocessed.’
Just because a food label contains a picture of a garden or words like “natural” or “plant-based” doesn’t mean it’s not ultraprocessed, said Josiemer Mattei, an associate professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Foods such as veggie burgers or frozen “healthy” meals can have many ingredients that make them ultraprocessed.
On the front of the package, the manufacturer may list what is not in the food (“no trans fats,” “no high-fructose corn syrup”), but the item may contain other ingredients that make it a UPF, Dr. Mattei added.
Do a quick comparison of similar products.
I soon learned that the level of processing can vary wildly among my favorite snacks, even those from the same brand. When I showed Dr. Nestle my afternoon go-to — White Cheddar PopCorners — she examined the label and said it was ultraprocessed.
Then she picked up the kettle corn-flavored version. “Aha,” she said. “Yellow corn, sunflower oil, cane sugar and sea salt. That’s it. Four ingredients. Not ultraprocessed.”
If you’re willing to make a relatively painless swap — trading cheese for kettle corn was not a problem for me — it’s worth taking a few minutes to scan labels for less processed alternatives, Dr. Nestle added.
When options are limited, look for short ingredient lists.
After our supermarket outing, Dr. Nestle and I drove to a convenience store, where I asked her to find some food and drinks that were not ultraprocessed.
After rummaging for a bit, Dr. Nestle grabbed an apple, orange juice, plain yogurt, salted pistachios and Fritos (its three ingredients — corn, vegetable oil and salt — make it a non-UPF), although the store did not have her preferred “lightly salted” version of the chips.
My diet will never be as wholesome as Dr. Nestle’s. (“One rule I have is never to eat anything artificial,” she said.) But I did note her unflagging energy at age 88: When I drove her back to the train station, she jogged briskly up the steps. I, however, needed a nap.
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This is Day 5 of the 5-Day Healthier Eating Challenge. To start at the beginning, click here.
This week, we’ve thought a lot about our eating habits: We’ve tested our knowledge of ultraprocessed foods, examined them with our senses, made flavor-packed snacks and shopped for groceries.
Before this challenge, I would chuck food into my shopping cart without thinking. Now, I’m a dedicated label-reader who considers how a food was processed before I buy it.
I still eat ultraprocessed foods. And that’s OK. But the Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that 85 percent of our diets should be what’s called “nutrient-dense.” That refers to foods with high levels of nutrients and few added sugars, saturated fats or sodium. A diet high in nutrient-dense foods certainly can include UPFs, but experts recommend focusing on whole foods like vegetables and fruits, legumes, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, seafood, lean meats and poultry.
You may not be able to hit 85 percent right away (or ever), but you can consider today’s challenge a good first step.
Well Challenge Day 5: Add produce to your plate
Today, let’s try something you can do all year. If you regularly eat ultraprocessed foods at meals — like a packaged fruit bar at breakfast or a frozen meal at dinner — keep doing that, but add one fruit or vegetable to your plate. It could be an apple at breakfast or some broccoli at dinner.
“Then you don’t look at it as, ‘What do I have to get rid of?’” said Linda V. Van Horn, the chief of the nutrition division at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Eating meals that are well-rounded and balanced in terms of nutrients, like protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, is more important than eliminating UPFs, said Kevin Hall, a nutrition and metabolism researcher at the National Institutes of Health. “It’s the overall profile of what’s on your plate, not each individual food, that matters most,” he said.
“Not all ultraprocessed foods are necessarily bad for you,” Dr. Hall added, and unprocessed foods aren’t all unequivocally good for you, either. “Just because Grandma made it, doesn’t make it healthy.”
So keep your chicken tenders, Dr. Hall said, but pair them with some greens. Over time, he added, incorporating produce into your meals can improve your health.
For one week, have a fruit or vegetable at one meal a day. The following week, see if you can add a fruit or vegetable to two of your daily meals, Dr. Van Horn suggested.
These behavioral changes, Dr. Van Horn said, can prompt people to keep going, because they might start to feel better or realize that they enjoy the flavors of the fresh produce.
Here are a few more things I plan to do to keep the momentum going this year:
I’m going to keep eating flavored yogurts, but will limit sodas and processed meats. Those last two items have been more clearly associated with health risks than other UPFs. Josiemer Mattei, an associate professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has found this in her research analyzing the links between ultraprocessed foods and heart health. “And that’s what the literature keeps showing over and over,” she said.
I’m going to learn more about the food I buy. During my reporting for this challenge, I used an easy-to-navigate database called TrueFood, which can help you choose less-processed options among over 50,000 grocery store items.
TrueFood analyzes the nutrition facts and ingredients lists provided by the manufacturer and suggests alternatives that are scored as less processed.
And because affordability is a factor when it comes to selecting your foods, here is a guide to eating well on a budget from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Here’s to a healthful 2025.