FREE LIVE VIRTUAL EVENT – THURS, SEPT 4 | 1 PM ET
Processed foods, particularly ultraprocessed products, are often demonized for contributing to poor health. However, that’s not always the case. This free training explores how processed food is classified, recent research about the effects of processed foods on body weight, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic conditions, the influence of food additives, and the pros and cons of processed food. You will learn how to help consumers make informed decisions about what processed foods to include in a balanced eating plan.
Here’s what you’ll learn from this free training:
- Identify three possible health risks of eating patterns rich in processed and ultraprocessed foods.
- Describe three benefits of processed and ultraprocessed foods.
- Learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the research about the effects of ultraprocessed foods on health.
- Identify talking points to communicate the benefits and risks of processed and ultraprocessed foods to consumers.
Date and Time: Thurs, Sept 4, 2025 at 1 PM ET
Session Length: 1 Hour
About the Speaker
Elizabeth Ward, MS, RDN
Elizabeth M Ward, MS, RDN, is a freelance writer and nutrition consultant. She is the author of Expect the Best, Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, and After Pregnancy, MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Feeding Your Baby, and co-author of The Menopause Diet Plan, A Natural Guide for Managing Hormones, Health, and Happiness. She regularly writes for WebMD and other publications.
As a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for nine years, Ward was featured in nearly 1,000 print and broadcast interviews, including CNN, US News & World Report, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe. She has also been a guest on the Today Show and the Dr. Oz Show.
Ward has been a speaker at more than 100 professional meetings, including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Massachusetts Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and the International Congress of Dietetics. Ward created and conducted corporate nutrition education programs for five years at Medical Care Affiliates in Boston, where she also counseled ambulatory patients. She has worked at the Joslin Diabetes Center and the American Heart Association, and for seven years counseled children and adults about healthy eating and disease prevention at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Boston.
Ward completed her undergraduate degree in human nutrition at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, a one-year dietetic internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and a master’s degree in mass communication at Boston University. She is the recipient of the 125 Alumni to Watch Award from the University of Massachusetts, the Media Excellence Award from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, was named Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year by the Massachusetts Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
