Build meals around whole, unprocessed foods

Fill most of your plate with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and lean proteins like fish or poultry. These foods deliver vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients in forms your body absorbs well, while naturally displacing ultra-processed options.

Why It Works

Whole foods retain their natural fiber and nutrient structure, which slows digestion, stabilizes blood sugar, and promotes lasting fullness. Ultra-processed foods -- defined as industrially formulated products with five or more ingredients including additives -- now account for a large share of calories in many Western diets and are consistently linked to higher rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in observational studies.

Tips

• Shop the perimeter of the grocery store where produce, meat, and dairy are typically stocked
• A useful rule of thumb: if the ingredient list is longer than five items or contains words you would not use in a home kitchen, it is likely ultra-processed
• Frozen vegetables and fruits are nutritionally comparable to fresh and often more affordable
• Start by replacing one processed item per week rather than overhauling everything at once