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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
@johnshopkinssph.bsky.social
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The @jhu.edu Bloomberg School of Public Health

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/
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johnshopkinssph.bsky.social
Illustration of a turkey on a plate. Text reads: No food poisoning at this table. Keep your household safe from food poisoning caused by raw meat! Do not wash the turkey as this can spread bacteria. Wash your hands after handling raw meat and disinfect any surfaces or utensils that come in contact with raw meat. Cook the turkey to an internal temperature of 165⁰F (as measured by a meat thermometer) to eliminate bacteria. Illustration of smoke alarm with a pot on the stove that has caught on fire. Text reads: Grateful for a loud smoke alarm. Test your home’s smoke alarms before the holiday and make sure to have an unexpired fire extinguisher handy. Illustration of a pie with a label that says "contains milk." Text reads: No allergic reactions here! Be mindful of food allergies your guests may have. Label ingredients and potential allergens on notecards next to each dish. Illustration of leftovers in a container. Text says: Got leftovers? Don’t let leftovers go to waste... Leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours to avoid health risks from bacteria growth. Use shallow dishes to cool leftovers faster. Eat leftovers within four days or freeze them. Donate unopened prepackaged products to a local food bank. If anything does go bad, compost it instead of throwing it in the trash.
November 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM
johnshopkinssph.bsky.social
illustration of a thumbs up and yogurt. Text reads: On the other end: Some UPFs actually have healthy benefits to them. For example: Whole grain breads, low-fat yogurts, instant oatmeal, and jarred pasta sauces have lower levels of saturated fats and added sugars while containing a plethora of nutrients that help reduce disease risk. Baked beans have been shown to support heart health by lowering cholesterol, improving digestive health through fiber, and helping stabilize blood sugar. Reducing Consumption of bad UPFs: There are realistic solutions to limiting our ultra-processed food intake. For example: Educating the public about UPFS through improved front-of-package food labels. Taxes and policy changes for food production companies (like the soda tax). But recognizing that these foods are widely used—and why—would be crucial. UPFs save time and effort, but most importantly, they are more affordable. If policy changes are put into action, “we need to help people afford the alternative,” says Julia Wolfson, associate professor in International Health. Illustration of a lot of whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, and fish. Text reads: On an individual level, reducing UPF intake can be a gradual process. If possible, you should: Keep healthy foods at home and try not to purchase UPFs when at the grocery store. Read labels and ingredient lists, looking for foods that have only a few pronounceable, recognizable ingredients. Try substituting fruit or vegetables for ultra-processed foods. Use minimally processed frozen or canned options if fresh fruit or vegetables aren’t available. Replace sugary beverages with water.
November 12, 2025 at 9:00 PM
johnshopkinssph.bsky.social
What are ultra-processed foods (UPFs)? The term “ultra-processed foods” originated from the Nova food classification system, ranging from least to most processed: Unprocessed/minimally processed: fruit, vegetables, milk, or fish. 2. Processed culinary ingredients: salt, sugar, olive oil, and butter. 3. Processed: jam, pickles, or canned fruit. 4. Ultra-processed: energy drinks, instant oatmeal, sliced bread, or hot dogs What’s actually in UPFs? UPFs have one or more ingredients that wouldn’t be found in a kitchen, like: Chemical-based preservatives, Emulsifiers like hydrogenated oils, Sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, Artificial colors and flavors. They also undergo processing techniques like pre-frying, molding, extrusion, fractioning, and other chemical alterations, leaving the final product bearing almost no resemblance to the original ingredients. But not all ultra-processed foods are the same. Illustration of a donut, chips, an energy drink, applesauce, peanut butter, and cereal. Text reads: When thinking of UPFs, one might only think of “junk foods,” like donuts, energy drinks, chips, candy, boxed mac and cheese, frozen pizza, and lunch meat. they are UPFs, but so are: High-fiber breakfast cereals, most granola or protein bars, applesauce, plant-based “meat” burgers, liquid egg whites, and nut butters. Don’t get us wrong—a lot of UPFs are associated with worse diet quality and a long list of adverse health outcomes. What’s important is to look at the ingredients in what you are consuming to determine whether or not they are good for you. Illustration of a thumbs down. Text reads: UPFs CAN BE ADDICTIVE. Ultra-processed foods are designed to appeal to the human palate and contain ingredients like sugar, fat, and salt that stimulate the brain's reward system, making it hard to stop eating them. A 2024 review found that diets high in UPFs are linked to 32 health conditions, including: Obesity, Type 2 diabetes, Cardiometabolic diseases, Many cancers, Gastrointestinal disorders, asthma, Anxiety, Depression, Cardiovascular events, and All-cause mortality.
November 12, 2025 at 9:00 PM
johnshopkinssph.bsky.social
illustration of an older person talking with a doctor. Text reads: How would these changes to the ACA impact Americans? There’s a concern that many people will be priced out of their plans and drop out. As prices rise, many people can’t afford to pay for health insurance when they have to pay rent and buy food and clothes. People without these subsidies are going to have to make a really difficult choice. Illustration of a hospital. Text reads: The increases have implications beyond just what the individual seeking care is facing. They will also affect hospitals, physicians, drug companies, and everybody else in the health care system. For example: Hospitals are required to treat people that go to the emergency department, regardless of their ability to pay for care. Especially in rural areas, that debt can become a loss for the hospital which could force them to close.
November 6, 2025 at 5:43 PM