Each year, food companies launch thousands of new ultra-processed foods with an endless variety of flavors and ingredients. These products offer a potent combination of fat, sugar, sodium, and artificial flavors. They are what scientists call very palatable. It can be irresistible, overeat, and hijack the brain’s reward system, triggering powerful cravings.
But in dozens of large-scale studies, scientists have found that ultra-processed foods are linked to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancerMore recent research 22,000 people People who ate more ultra-processed foods were 19% more likely to die early and had a 32% higher risk of dying from heart disease than those who ate very little ultra-processed food.
So how can you break your addiction to ultra-processed foods? You can start by knowing which foods in your diet are considered ultra-processed. But if you know how to spot ultra-processed foods, you can easily find less-processed alternatives.
This is your body after eating ultra-processed foods
The growing interest in ultra-processed foods represents a paradigm shift in how the scientific and public health communities think about nutrition. Instead of focusing on nutrients, calories, and types of food, the emphasis is on what happens after food is grown or raised, and the physical, biological, and chemical processes that occur before we eat it. will be placed.
The foods we buy, such as whole fruits and vegetables, chilled or frozen meats, dairy products, and eggs, may be unprocessed or minimally processed. Other foods undergo moderate amounts of processing. You can usually find these foods because they have fewer ingredients listed on their labels. Think fish, vegetables, and so on.
Then there are ultra-processed foods. Essentially, they are industrial formulations containing numerous additives: salts, sugars, oils combined with artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, stabilizers and preservatives. They are typically subjected to multiple treatments that change their taste, texture, and appearance to something not found in nature. Think frosted flakes, hot pockets, donuts, hot dogs, cheese crackers, and boxed macaroni & cheese.
Studies show that our bodies seem to respond differently to ultra-processed foods compared to similar foods that are not highly processed.
and Rigorously Controlled Clinical Trials In a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health, scientists compared what happened when a group of people were fed a diet of ultra-processed foods for two weeks, and on another occasion, Matching diet meals mostly made from scratch.
Both diets contained approximately equal amounts of fat, sugar, sodium and fiber. And everyone was allowed to eat until they were satisfied. But to the researchers’ surprise, people ate significantly more calories when fed ultra-processed foods. I ate almost as much as I ordered.
On the ultra-processed diet, participants quickly gained weight and body fat. They lost weight, had lower cholesterol, and increased levels of hormones called appetite-suppressing hormones. PYY. They experienced lower levels of ghrelin, known as the hunger hormone. It’s not clear why the effects of unprocessed and ultra-processed foods are so different.
“We can’t explain it yet.”
Some experts believe ultra-processed foods can overwhelm our brains and overwhelm our biology because they contain unnatural combinations of fats and carbohydrates, along with sodium and other flavor enhancers. I’m claiming
Some nutrition scientists point to the texture of ultra-processed foods.These foods often contain little or no fiber and, despite being high in calories, are easy to chew and quickly digested. please think about it Or a moist blueberry muffin stuffed with sugar, flour and vegetable oil. These foods are absorbed as soon as they leave the stomach and enter the small intestine, causing spikes in blood sugar, insulin, and other hormones.
“All bad things happen with too much influx of nutrients into the bloodstream,” he said. Darish Mozaffarian, cardiologist and dean of the Friedman School of Nutritional Science and Policy at Tufts University, said:
Many ultra-processed foods are made in industrial machines that subject grains, corn and other raw materials to extremely high pressures and temperatures. This can destroy micronutrients and create harmful new compounds, including carcinogens, says Carlos A., an ultra-processed food expert and professor of nutrition and public health at the University of São Paulo School of Public Health. says Monteiro. Brazil.
“These foods contain many compounds that are not nutrients,” he added.
Ultra-processed foods often contain a range of additives whose effects on our health are not yet fully understood. Artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, emulsifiers, stabilizers, guar gum, xanthan gum,” he said. “We don’t know they’re harmless.”
Find alternatives with lower throughput
The easiest way to reduce ultra-processed foods from your diet is to buy less prepared and packaged foods and consume more whole, minimally processed foods.Instead of buying sweetened fruit yogurt with additives, buy plain yogurt and add berries, nut butters and honey if desired. please give me baked nuggets At home, it doesn’t take long.
You should also eliminate sugary sodas and sports drinks, which are full of additives and have little or no nutritional value. Sparkling water with lemon or lime, unsweetened tea, plain water or real fruit Substitute with seasoned water.
If you want the convenience of ultra-processed foods, check out our labels and comparison shops. Try to choose products with the fewest raw materials.If you need help while shopping, you can call the website by phone truefood.techYou enter the food you want to buy on the site, such as chicken nuggets or breakfast cereals, and in response the site shows you dozens of brands and recommends the least processed version. is used to rank foods on a scale of 1 to 100 based on factors such as the number of additives they contain and the degree of processing. The lower the score, the better.
This site was created by Giulia Menichetti and Albert-László Barabási, two scientists from Northeastern University. research ultra-processed foods When developed a database Over 50,000 foods sold in grocery stores. You might be surprised to find that processing varies greatly between different types of macaroni and cheese, and that your favorite organic gluten-free chicken nuggets score higher than standard recipes.
Replacing some of the ultra-processed foods that are staples of your diet with unprocessed or less-processed versions may provide health benefits, says Menichetti. I’m not suggesting that,” she said. “We’re pushing you toward healthier eating patterns.”
Meanwhile, other experts are calling for aggressive public policies, such as stricter food labeling and health warnings, that could push the food industry to produce healthier products.
“It will take some time for people to change their eating habits,” Monteiro said. “But if people start consuming less ultra-processed foods, the food industry will be forced to produce more minimally processed foods.”
Questions about healthy eating? Email [email protected] I may answer your question in a future column.
