A study released by the CDC on found that Americans 18 and younger receive nearly 62% of their calories from ultra-processed foods. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
The Centers for Disease Control reported that American young people between the ages 1-18 receive nearly 62% of their calories from ultra-processed foods.
The CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that from August 2021 to August 2023, people from that age range got 61.9% of their calories from ultra-processed foods, while adults age 19 and older received 53% of their calories from such foods.
Ultra-processed foods, according to the CDC, are able to provide energy but are “low in dietary fiber, and contain little or no whole foods, while having high amounts of salt, sweeteners, and unhealthy fats.”
The agency also stated that the consumption of ultra-processed foods “has been associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.”
A deeper breakdown of the study showed that among children, kids ages 1-5 received 56.1% of their calories from ultra-processed foods, while those ages 6-11 received 64.8% of their calories from them.
The caloric reception from such foods then dips slightly for youth ages 12-18, at 63%. As for adults, the numbers indicate that they get fewer calories from ultra-processed foods, as those ages 19-39 received 54.4% of calories from them, then adults ages 40-59 52.6%, and those ages 60 and older 51.7%.
The CDC also noted that the top five sources of calories from ultra-processed foods among kids are sandwiches, burgers, sweet bakery products, savory snacks, pizza and sweetened beverages.
The CDC is an agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. posted a video clip to X Wednesday in which he said that “we are poisoning our children, we are mass-poisoning this generation of children” with sugar and ultra-processed foods.
