Ultra-processed foods and veganism: what are the facts?

Vegan Society Dietitian, Emily Mckee, clears up the confusion around ultra-processed vegan foods

Vegan foods have faced recent media scrutiny in the debate over ‘ultra-processed’ foods, and a study published in The Lancet on 10 June looking at the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with different types of plant-based foods has led to a new wave of headlines on this topic. But what does the evidence actually say, and what does it mean for vegan diets?

What are ultra-processed foods?

Many foods are processed to release edible parts or to improve their shelf life, for example by chopping, drying, freezing or canning. Processing may also include more advanced methods such as fortification to increase the nutritional value of foods, and many family staples such as breakfast cereals and breads have added micronutrients.

Ultra-processed foods are made using industrial techniques. This group consists of a wide range of different foods,including packaged breads, breakfast cereals, biscuits, sweets, fizzy drinks, flavoured yogurts, pre-made sandwiches, crisps, processed meat and plant-based meat alternatives.

During processing, some foods may have salt, sugar or saturated fat added or be stripped of fibre. It is these nutritional properties that make some ultra-processed foods a higher concern.

Whilst many scientific studies have linked high intake of ultra-processed foods to increased risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, it is important to note that not all ultra-processed foods have been shown to have health risks.

Are vegan diets ultra-processed?

Despite the current media focus on vegan diets, they are not inherently more processed than any other dietary patterns.

Whilst the number of ‘ultra-processed’ plant-based alternative products available has increased significantly over the last decade, a balanced vegan diet is based around a variety of whole or minimally processed plant foods such as beans and pulses, tofu, nuts and seeds, whole grains, fruit and vegetables.

Are ultra-processed vegan foods bad for me?

We already know that the classification system is oversimplified, because ‘ultra-processed’ refers to a huge variety of different foods with varying nutritional profiles. This means that simply labelling a food ‘ultra-processed’ is not actually very helpful for classifying whether a food is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for us.

Previous research by the American Association of Cardiology has already linked regular consumption of specific ultra-processed plant-based foods with cardiovascular disease, mainly sugar-sweetened drinks and products based on refined carbohydrates.

The recent Lancet study stated that consuming ultra-processed foods made from plants increased the risk of cardiovascular disease by 5%, and early death by 13%. However, it is important to note that most of the plant-based foods they looked at were packaged breads, pastries, buns, cakes and cookies.

On the other hand, research has shown that consuming wholegrain bread and cereal products is associated with better long-term health, and eating plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy is not associated with increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes.

In conclusion, labelling food as ‘ultra-processed’ is not a reliable way of identifying its potential effect on our health. It is more helpful to check the nutritional information on packaged products and choose products that are lower in salt, sugar and saturated fat, and higher in unsaturated fats and fibre when trying to make healthy choices.

Are plant-based meat alternatives bad for my heart?

Despite news articles suggesting that plant-based meat alternatives are bad for our heart health following the release of The Lancet paper, this is a misrepresentation of the evidence. The study did look at meat alternative products, but they only made up 0.5% of the products evaluated in this research. This means there is not enough data in this study to determine health outcomes associated with meat alternatives.

Previous research looking specifically into plant-based meat alternatives has suggested that they are better for our cardiovascular health than meat products. This may be because meat alternatives are lower in saturated fat and higher in fibre.

The SWAP-MEAT study found that swapping meat for plant-based meat alternatives for eight weeks led to improved cholesterol levels. Another study in which people swapped meat for mycoprotein alternatives showed this change led to reduced overall cholesterol levels and higher ‘good’ cholesterol levels for participants, suggesting a heart healthy effect.

Another study looked at intake of ultra-processed foods over 11.2 years and found no increased risk of cardiovascular disease for people who consumed plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products.

It is true that some plant-based meat alternatives can be high in salt, which is associated with increased blood pressure, so when choosing an alternative aim for products with less than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g.

Is a vegan diet bad for me?

In short, no. It’s about having a healthy, balanced diet no matter what your dietary choices are, and a well-planned vegan diet has many health benefits.

A growing body of evidence shows that vegan diets are associated with healthy aging, including a reduced risk of developing many chronic diseases. Several dietary patterns that have been shown to improve life expectancy centre around whole plant foods, and research indicates that a global shift to plant-based diets could lower the risk of early death from non-communicable diseases by 18-21%.

A recent article by The Office of Health Economics predicted that if everyone in England transitioned to a fully plant-based diet it could save the NHS £6.7 billion per year. This is due to a predicted 47% reduction in cases of type 2 diabetes, 18% reduction in cancer diagnoses, and smaller but significant reductions in the rates of coronary heart disease and cataracts.

It is true that a vegan diet based around mainly whole and minimally processed foods has the most health benefits, so make sure you are eating plenty of foods such as wholegrains, nuts, fruit, vegetables and legumes. High intake of ultra-processed foods can displace other, less processed or whole foods, from our diets and lead to a lower intake of beneficial nutrients. This is not a concern specific to veganism, but applicable across all dietary patterns. It is currently estimated that 57% of food consumed in the UK fits the definition of ‘ultra-processed.’

The Lancet study echoes this, showing that each 10% replacement of plant-based ultra-processed foods with fresh, frozen or minimally processed plants reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 7%. When looking at the data in more depth most cardiovascular disease risk is associated with sugary drinks, sweet snacks and refined carbohydrates.

Ultimately, The Lancet study found that there is no evidence that vegan diets in general increased the risk of cardiovascular disease or death. As for any dietary pattern, eating a balanced diet is important. 

By Emily McKee