Erin Allman-Updike

And so to just blanket statement discourage all processed foods is really doing a disservice if we're not also changing the way that we regulate our foods, the way that we label our foods, and the way that we provide access

access to foods for people.

And none of that is changing with these dietary guidelines.

Right.

And that what that also does is it contributes to a level of stigma or shame associated with certain foods.

Yes.

Guilty pleasures.

That we then associated.

Exactly.

And that contributes to issues of disordered eating as well as just discrimination.

Like it's we could keep going.

Yes.

They go even further, though, in this section where they talk about avoiding highly processed foods because they also specifically talk about limiting artificial food dyes—we know that they're railing against those—as well as preservatives, non-nutritive sweeteners.

And if you haven't listened to our food dyes episode, we have a way deep dive on that.

But the fact is there really isn't a ton of data to support these recommendations.

Right.

There really isn't like we don't have data to say that we need to be avoiding X, Y and Z preservatives or for what reason or that artificial food dyes are in any way less safe than so-called natural food dyes, which, again, they are just lifting restrictions on the ability to license and use various forms of, quote unquote, natural derived food dyes.

No, right.

And none of this, like, so that part is really not based in data, but it's lumped into this idea of avoiding highly processed foods.

So again, that's a can of worms.