The processed food debate is failing people with IBD. Processed foods are frequently talked about as the villain in every diet story. . .but what if they're your only option? Here's what wellness culture gets wrong about IBD and food access.
What the Processed Food Debate Gets Wrong About IBD and Food Access
Making food choices isn’t always simple, especially if you live with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Between managing busy schedules, juggling doctor visits, and dealing with endless calls to insurance companies, it’s easy to skip meals or rely on whatever is fast, affordable, or familiar.
What starts as “I’ll just have chips for dinner” can quickly turn into a regular pattern. Soon, you’re standing in front of an empty fridge, too exhausted to figure out what to eat. Takeout becomes the routine, and packaged snacks fill the gaps because they’re cheap, convenient, and last a long time.
Maybe you were told years ago to avoid fiber, and ever since, low-fiber foods like rice cakes and potato chips have felt like safe staples. But now, you’re starting to realize that this way of eating no longer supports your overall health. The problem is, changing your diet feels risky, especially if you’re unsure how to add new foods without triggering discomfort. None of this is easy, and it’s important to recognize that food choices don’t happen in a vacuum.
That’s why we need to talk about how processed foods are viewed in the world of nutrition and IBD. While research often links ultra-processed foods to worse outcomes, these conversations frequently miss an important piece of the puzzle: access. Many people with IBD live with food insecurity, meaning they don’t always have reliable access to affordable, nutritious food. For them, processed foods aren’t just convenient; they’re sometimes the only option.
This blog unpacks what the processed food debate often gets wrong, especially when it comes to chronic illness and access. We’ll explore how history, policy, and social structures shape food choices, and why oversimplified advice like “just eat whole foods” can do more harm than good. Let’s bring more nuance, empathy, and equity into the conversation around IBD nutrition.
Table of Contents
The Missing Context in Nutrition Research
Research tells us that people with IBD tend to do better when they eat more whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and home-cooked meals. At the same time, diets high in processed foods have been linked to a greater risk of developing IBD.
But before you start tossing everything from your pantry or feeling guilty and defeated about what’s in your grocery cart, take a breath. The way we talk about processed foods is often too black-and-white. So instead of jumping to extremes, let’s break it down: what does “processed” really mean, and why is reality much more complicated than it seems?
Which Foods are “Processed”? And Where Did Processed Foods Come From?
We hear a lot about “processed foods,” but what does that actually mean? The truth is, nearly all food is processed in some way, and processing isn’t new. Long before factories and fast food, people were drying meat in the sun, fermenting vegetables, and salting fish to keep it from spoiling. Historically, processing has been about survival rather than convenience.
As humans started farming, they learned how to mill grains, ferment dairy, and pickle produce. Later, the Industrial Revolution introduced canning and pasteurization to feed growing cities and make food safer. And during World War II, food processing took off. We needed shelf-stable meals that could travel long distances and prevent hunger. After the war, that same convenience stuck around and kept growing.
Today, ultra-processed foods are everywhere. These are the packaged snacks, instant noodles, energy bars, sodas, and ready-to-eat meals we see in every store. They’re designed to be cheap, tasty, and long-lasting, but they often lose nutritional quality along the way. That’s where a lot of the concern comes from.
Still, it’s important to remember that food processing exists for a reason. Sometimes it saves lives. Sometimes it just saves time. The question you should be asking isn’t whether a food is processed, but how that processing affects your health, your access, your ability to eat in a way that works for your life, and vice versa.
Understanding NOVA, A Tool for Classifying Processed Foods
So, if almost everything is processed to some degree, how do researchers tell the difference between a bag of frozen peas and a bag of cheese puffs?
The NOVA classification system.
It was developed by public health researchers to study how different types of food processing affect health. The system splits food into four groups based on how much processing they go through, not necessarily how “healthy” they are.
But, like any system, NOVA has its strengths and its limits. First, here’s a quick breakdown of how it works:
NOVA Food Classification
Below is an overview of the four NOVA food categories, their definitions, and examples.
| NOVA Group | Category | Definition | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Foods | Foods that are fresh, frozen, or dried with no added ingredients. They may be cleaned, cut, or cooked, but not altered in a major way. | Fresh/frozen fruits & vegetables, plain rice, oats, eggs, fresh fish or meat, plain yogurt, black coffee |
| Group 2 | Processed Culinary Ingredients | Ingredients used to cook or season foods, usually not eaten alone. Made by pressing, grinding, or refining Group 1 foods. | Salt, sugar, honey, oils, butter, starches, vinegar |
| Group 3 | Processed Foods | Foods made by adding Group 2 ingredients to Group 1 foods. Still recognizable and often processed for flavor or preservation. | Cheese, canned beans, traditional bread, smoked fish, fruit in syrup |
| Group 4 | Ultra-Processed Foods | Industrial products made mostly from refined ingredients, starches, oils, added sugars, and additives. Often hyper-palatable and nutrient-poor. | Soft drinks, packaged snacks, frozen meals, flavored chips, protein bars, chicken nuggets |
The Problem with NOVA
NOVA is a helpful tool for spotting broad patterns in diet and disease risk, but it’s not perfect. Here’s why:
It doesn’t consider nutrients. A food can be ultra-processed but still have important nutrients, like fortified cereal or protein shakes.
Some foods are hard to classify. Is sparkling water really the same as a protein bar? Is peanut butter “processed” if the only ingredient is peanuts?
It ignores real-life context. The system looks only at processing, not things like portion size, overall diet, or the social and cultural reasons why someone chooses certain foods.
Ultimately, NOVA is useful for research, but it’s not a personal nutrition guide. It doesn’t tell you what’s right for your body, your budget, or your health goals. That’s why we need more nuance (and less judgment) when we talk about processed foods.
What the Processed Foods Debate Gets Wrong
There’s a lot of noise around processed foods, especially in wellness spaces. But much of it oversimplifies a complex reality, especially for people with IBD.
When influencers, politicians, or even health professionals label processed foods as “bad,” they often ignore important context. Not all processed foods are the same, and more importantly, not everyone has the same access, income, time, or energy to prepare “whole” foods from scratch.
A clearer look at common assumptions about nutrition, motivation, and access — and what they overlook.
| Common Claim | What It Misses |
|---|---|
| People just don’t care about nutrition. | Many people do care, but may lack access to fresh foods or the time to cook every meal. |
| People are lazy or unmotivated. | Processed foods are everywhere, cheap, ready-to-eat, and shelf-stable. That’s survival, not laziness. |
| People are uneducated about what’s healthy. | Processed foods can be more energy-dense and easier to digest, which helps people with low appetite, fatigue, or digestive symptoms. |
| People are choosing to make themselves sick. | Many folks with IBD are told to eat low-fiber or bland diets. These often include processed foods for comfort and symptom relief. |
| Schools, hospitals, and institutions are to blame. | These institutions often rely on budget-friendly options, which tend to be highly processed due in part to agricultural subsidies. |
The real risk of over-restricting
Trying to follow NOVA’s “unprocessed foods only” logic might sound noble—but it can backfire, especially for people with chronic illness or food insecurity. Here’s how:
It creates nutrient gaps. Avoiding all processed foods might mean skipping fortified products or medical nutrition supplements that provide essential nutrients.
It worsens food insecurity. Whole, unprocessed foods are often more expensive and harder to find, especially if you live in a food desert.
It mislabels healthy foods. Canned beans, frozen veggies, and whole-grain bread are all technically “processed,” but still nutritious.
It increases food anxiety. When we divide foods into “good” vs. “bad”, we increase guilt, shame, and disordered thinking.
It ignores real-world barriers. Not everyone can afford farmers’ markets, has time to cook, or access to fresh produce daily.
Food processing exists on a spectrum, and so does food access. The processed food debate often focuses on individual choices while forgetting to question the systems that limit those choices in the first place.
Food Insecurity and IBD
Here’s what rarely gets mentioned when we talk about processed foods: not everyone has the luxury of choice.
If you’re living with IBD and struggling with fatigue, pain, or a tight budget, cooking fresh meals every day might be impossible. Add in the rising cost of groceries, lack of transportation, or limited access to a full grocery store, and suddenly, ultra-processed foods aren’t a preference, but a lifeline.
What the Research Actually Shows
⚠️ Misconception
People eat too many ultra-processed foods because they’re careless or lazy.
✅ Reality
People often rely on processed foods because fresh options take time, energy, tools, and money to prepare — not because they don’t care.
⚠️ Misconception
Lower-income households eat more ultra-processed foods because they make poor choices.
✅ Reality
Ultra-processed foods are often the most affordable, accessible, and shelf-stable options for people experiencing financial strain or food insecurity.
⚠️ Misconception
Food insecurity doesn’t affect people with IBD.
✅ Reality
Food insecurity is more common in individuals with IBD and often leads to increased consumption of ultra-processed foods.
⚠️ Misconception
Processed foods are simply the result of poor decisions.
✅ Reality
Many people with IBD are advised to eat low-fiber or “easy-to-digest” foods — which often include processed options for symptom relief.
⚠️ Misconception
If people cared about their health, they would just eat whole foods.
✅ Reality
This assumes everyone has access to fresh produce, stable income, time, cooking equipment, transportation, or energy — which many do not.
Why blanket food advice can backfire
Telling people to avoid processed food, without acknowledging food insecurity and chronic illness can lead to:
Nutrient gaps from avoiding fortified or tolerated foods
More stress and guilt around food choices
Worsening food insecurity when “clean eating” becomes financially out of reach
Increased stigma toward those relying on affordable processed options
Missed opportunities to support people with real, accessible, achievable solutions
Let’s shift the focus. Instead of blaming individuals for eating what’s available to them, we should be asking:
Why are the most affordable foods often the least nutritious?
Why are whole foods harder to access in lower-income areas?
Why aren’t more food assistance programs designed with chronic illness in mind?
Why can’t people have access to healthcare without employment?
It’s Time to Change the Conversation
People with IBD are more likely to struggle with food insecurity, and that often means relying on ultra-processed foods. But the solution isn’t shame or restriction; it’s access, affordability, education, and support.
The processed food debate needs more than hot takes and judgment. It needs nuance, empathy, and equity.
In our next blog, we’ll get practical as we unpack how to eat nourishing, anti-inflammatory meals on a budget.
Helpful Resource
Want to explore some anti-inflammatory, budget-friendly recipes developed by our team at Stacey Collins Nutrition? Grab our guide featuring recipes, grocery lists, and more.
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