Tara Ferrara\u2019s 7-year-old daughter began suffering from a baffling mix of symptoms four years ago \u2014 nausea, stomach pain and sudden, intense panic that struck without warning. The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission\u2019s report marks the Trump administration\u2019s first major push to confront what it calls a \u201ccrisis\u201d affecting more than 40% of young people across the country. While there\u2019s no single, universally accepted definition, UPFs are generally packaged, ready-to-eat products that undergo extensive industrial processing to boost their flavor, texture and shelf life. Two years into the strict diet, Ferrara is still navigating the minefield \u2014 and slip-ups come with serious consequences. Ferrara\u2019s younger daughter, 4, doesn\u2019t have food sensitivities \u2014 but keeping her diet clean is still a challenge. At school, playdates and other places outside the home, junk food is nearly impossible to avoid. Astoria mom Carissa Serralta has always strived to feed her kids a healthy diet \u2014 but it wasn\u2019t until one of her newborn twin daughters was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, MCAD deficiency, that she saw just how flooded grocery stores are with ultra-processed junk. The issue of ultra-processed foods in children’s diets is a pressing concern that needs to be addressed. With the rise of childhood chronic diseases, it is essential to take action and make changes to the food system. By increasing awareness and access to healthier foods, we can work towards creating a healthier future for our children.<\/p>\n Q: What are ultra-processed foods? Furious NYC Moms Rail Against Toxins in Kid Foods Tara Ferrara\u2019s 7-year-old daughter began suffering from a baffling mix of symptoms four years ago \u2014 nausea, stomach pain and sudden, intense panic that struck without warning. As dozens of doctors worked to pinpoint the cause, they put the girl on a strict diet low in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":18055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18054","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-wellness"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/newspress-collage-7wqmylenw-1748026926057.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1748018070&w=1024&w=1024&resize=1024,682&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18054"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18054"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18056,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18054\/revisions\/18056"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nAs dozens of doctors worked to pinpoint the cause, they put the girl on a strict diet low in highly processed foods and free of gluten, dairy, corn, soy and histamines.
\nFor Ferrara, 39, figuring out what her daughter could safely eat was like trying to understand a foreign language.
\nThe Ferrara family strives to follow a diet packed with clean, whole foods. Clarissa Byrne<\/span>
\n\u201cSometimes I feel like I can\u2019t work because I literally need to research food,\u201d Ferrara, a speech and language pathologist from Brooklyn, told The Post.
\nUltra-processed foods (UPFs) make up nearly 70% of calories in American kids\u2019 diets \u2014 and a jaw-dropping new White House report warns they may be fueling the nationwide rise in childhood chronic diseases.<\/p>\nThe Crisis of Ultra-Processed Foods<\/h2>\n
\n\u201cWe will follow the truth wherever it leads, uphold rigorous science, and drive bold policies that put the health, development and future of every child first,\u201d HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., said Thursday.
\nTwo New York moms raising children with chronic health issues told The Post that it can be an uphill battle to keep their kids\u2019 diets clean in a country where UPFs dominate supermarket shelves.<\/p>\nUPFs Explained<\/h2>\n
\nThey\u2019re often loaded with added sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and refined grains \u2014 and packed with preservatives, artificial colors, flavors, emulsifiers and stabilizers not commonly used in home cooking.
\nMost Americans don\u2019t go a day without eating ultra-processed foods. beats_ \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span>
\nUPFs usually contain little to no fruits, vegetables or whole grains and are typically low in fiber and other essential nutrients.\u00a0
\nResearchers estimate that about 70% of the 300,000-plus branded food products in grocery stores fall into this category.<\/p>\nFood Fight<\/h2>\n
\n\u201c[Food] really, really affects her and can trigger a flare-up where she\u2019s so uncomfortable gut-wise and brain-wise that she can\u2019t go to school,\u201d said Ferrara, who co-owns Social City, which provides social support services for children.
\nOne recent mistake? The gluten-free, dairy-free pancakes her daughter eats every morning. Turns out they contain a corn-derived additive called maltodextrin \u2014 something Ferrara only discovered after calling the manufacturer.
\n\u201cIt was one of the ingredients that my eyes just skipped over, because I don\u2019t know what that is,\u201d she said. \u201cUnknowingly, every morning I was giving her these gluten-free, dairy-free pancakes that actually have something that is highly inflammatory and ultra-processed.\u201d
\nFood labels are frequently cited as a source of confusion for consumers. rosinka79 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span>
\nThe MAHA report warns that more than 2,500 food additives can be pumped into UPFs \u2014 all to enhance taste and texture and stretch shelf life.
\nSome additives have been linked to serious health concerns, including behavioral disorders, metabolic issues and even cancer.
\nTake Red 40, for example. This food dye is found in popular snacks like Skittles and Doritos, as well as drinks like Pepsi. It has been tied to increased hyperactivity and irritability in children, especially if they have ADHD, and can\u00a0trigger allergic reactions\u00a0in others.
\nMeanwhile, research shows titanium dioxide, found in everything from candies to sauces, may damage cells and even DNA.
\nThen there are artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and saccharin, which some studies suggest can disrupt the gut microbiome \u2014 a key player in metabolism, weight control and blood sugar regulation.
\nRed dye 40 is also known as Allura Red AC. taidundua \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/p>\nThe Impact on Children’s Health<\/h2>\n
\n\u201cShe doesn\u2019t get directly affected immediately after she eats, but I know it\u2019s doing harm to her over the long term,\u201d Ferrara said. \u201cJust because it doesn\u2019t outrightly show on every single person doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not doing the same damage internally.\u201d
\nAccording to the White House report, ultra-processed grains \u2014 found in cakes, cookies, breads and snack foods \u2014 dominate children\u2019s diets. These products are stripped of their bran and germ, removing essential fiber, vitamins and minerals.
\n\u201cThe stripping of these components can lead to blood sugar spikes, increasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes,\u201d the report states.\u00a0
\nThe sugar situation is just as grim. Ultra-processed sugars can be found in 75% of packaged foods. The average American consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day \u2014 amounting to a whopping 60 pounds a year.
\nMany American children exceed the recommended daily limits for added sugar. HandmadePictures \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span>
\nThis sugar overload \u2014 especially from high-fructose corn syrup and other additives \u2014 may be playing a \u201csignificant role\u201d in the nation\u2019s rise of childhood obesity, Type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to the report.<\/p>\nToxic Situation<\/h2>\n
\nThe condition prevents her now 2-year-old, Mila, from properly metabolizing fats from seed oils like palm, coconut and avocado.
\nSerralta\u2019s daughter\u2019s condition has changed the whole family\u2019s eating habits. Clarissa Serralta<\/span>
\n\u201cEighty to 90% of the brands you see on the shelf she can\u2019t have,\u201d Serralta told The Post. \u201cIt could be anywhere from pasta to tortillas to Cheez-Its.\u201d
\nThat became a nightmare when she couldn\u2019t produce enough breast milk \u2014 and realized nearly all baby formulas on the market are loaded with seed oils.
\n\u201cThey say breast is best, but if you don\u2019t have milk for your baby and you have no choice but to give them formula, and the formula has bad ingredients, what do you do?\u201d she mused. \u201cYour baby has to be fed.\u201d
\nSeed oils are common in packaged and processed foods. alex9500 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span>
\nDoctors told Serralta to give Mila tiny doses of seed oils to build tolerance for formula \u2014 but that led to months of relentless diarrhea.
\nThe MAHA report notes that seed oils have flooded the US food supply, overtaking animal-based fats like butter and lard in American diets over the past century.
\nFinding safe foods has become \u201ca full-time job\u201d for Serralta. Many of the items her daughter can eat aren\u2019t available locally, forcing her to shop online or cook everything from scratch.
\nIf Mila accidentally eats seed oil, it means an upset stomach, which Serralta said is painful but manageable. She is thankful it\u2019s not something more severe like a peanut or gluten allergy.
\nMila Walpole can\u2019t eat many store-bought foods due to her seed oil intolerance. Clarissa Serralta<\/span>
\nThe White House report highlights that childhood food allergies have soared 88% since 1997, while celiac disease in kids has jumped fivefold since the \u201980s.
\nThe diagnosis didn\u2019t just change what Mila eats \u2014 it transformed the rest of the family\u2019s eating habits. Serralta shudders at the thought of her older son previously eating ultra-processed snacks.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s almost a scary thought, because I was so unaware of this before I had the twins,\u201d she said.
\nAnd while she\u2019s no fan of the current administration, Serralta said she welcomes any effort to expand access to healthier foods.
\n\u201cLess-processed foods have to be made available to all kids \u2014 it shouldn\u2019t just be online where people with lower incomes can\u2019t access it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n
FAQs<\/h2>\n
\nA: Ultra-processed foods are packaged, ready-to-eat products that undergo extensive industrial processing to boost their flavor, texture, and shelf life.
\nQ: What are the health concerns associated with ultra-processed foods?
\nA: Ultra-processed foods have been linked to various health concerns, including behavioral disorders, metabolic issues, and even cancer.
\nQ: How can parents ensure their children are eating a healthy diet?
\nA: Parents can ensure their children are eating a healthy diet by reading food labels, avoiding ultra-processed foods, and choosing whole, nutrient-dense foods.
\nQ: What is the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"