“don't eat anything your
great-grandmother
wouldn't recognize as food”
Michael Pollan, author and journalist
In Defense of Food
nova 2
nova 1
potatoes
flour
nova 3
gnocchi
the nova standard
food classification system
developed in 2010 by nutritional epidemiologists at the University of São Paulo School of Public Health
divides all food into four groups by degree of industrial processing,
ranging from whole ingredients and culinary staples to ultra-processed industrial products
nova I
included
unprocessed foods
or minimally processed
fresh vegetables and fruit,
eggs, fresh fish and meat,
fresh milk, rice, quinoa, oats,
nuts, fresh herbs, kimchi,
kefir, sauerkraut
nova II
included
processed
culinary ingredients
olive oil, butter, sugar, salt,
vinegar, honey, flour,
coconut oil, brewed soy
sauce, cornstarch,
fish sauce, molasses
nova III
included
processed foods
nova 1 & 2 combined
artisanal cheese, dried pasta,
cured meats, smoked fish,
sourdough bread, miso,
tempeh, fermented
vegetables, tofu
nova IV
excluded
ultra-processed
industrial products
imitation meat burgers,
protein isolates, artificial
flavors, preservatives,
emulsifiers, synthetic stocks,
high fructose corn syrup
real food, real ingredients
no ultra-processed foods. ever.