Kathy Kolasa said she has not changed her nutrition advice despite alarming ultraprocessed-food headlines, arguing people should focus on overall diet quality rather than trying to eliminate vaguely defined UPFs.
April 2026 passed without the federal UPF definition Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had promised, and Kolasa said most studies driving concern are observational, leaving unclear whether harms stem from processing, additives, nutrients or eating patterns.
Science journal authors she cited linked many reported risks more closely to what consumers already recognize as junk food, so Kolasa still advises limiting foods high in saturated fat, salt and added sugars and low in fiber or protein.
Processed staples such as canned or frozen produce, pasteurized milk and nutrition drinks like Ensure or Boost can still be useful, she said, especially for affordability, safety and preventing malnutrition in older adults.
Kolasa also warned that emerging 'non-UPF' labels may be more marketing than science and pointed readers instead to the 2020-25 Dietary Guidelines, DASH and Mediterranean eating patterns.