KUOW72%
Ask a Doctor: What are ultra-processed foods (and should we avoid them)?! 28%
By Libby Denkmann0% Maleeha Syed0%
5/21/2026, 11:08:43 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 22 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Framing Effect, and False Dilemma, with Biased Writer Voice as the most egregious example at 34.2% saturation with 76 hits. Analysis detected 607 faulty-reasoning hits from 222 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 38.6% and a BS Rank of 28% (12,241 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 72.80% of the article peer group.
Ultra-processed foods are everywhere.
But we aren’t supposed to eat them.
At least, that’s the current discourse around these foods, which can include soda, instant oatmeal and sliced bread.
Research has found that diets high in ultra-processed foods are linked to diabetes, obesity, heart disease and many cancers.
That's a hard pill to swallow, considering that roughly 70% of our grocery store products are ultra-processed, according to the Yale School of Public Health.
So we want a little more clarity on what these foods are, how they could impact us and if it’s really so bad to snack on a granola bar (or order the occasional hot dog at a baseball game).
Guest: Dr.
Neelendu Dey, a gastroenterologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and associate professor of gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Related links:
Ultra-Processed Foods Information Sheet | Yale School of Public Health
Ultra-processed food: Five things to know | Stanford Medicine News Center
What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?
| Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible!
If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes
Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.