Did you know that 75% of the food in the grocery store is processed food. Let that sink in for a minute. Historically, our calories have been “home grown” and delivered to us from farm to table but in the last 50 years that has changed with the creation of processed foods. What has also changed is our health! Chronic disease is now more prevalent in American society, with 60% of Americans suffering from a chronic disease such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. The answer to this dilemma just might be found on our plate.
Our diet is now being linked to our health issues and a poor diet has become a leading cause of death. The average American gets 60% of their calories from processed foods. These foods contain refined ingredients and artificial substances that provide little nutritional value and come to find out, harm our health.
What is an Ultra Processed Food (UPF)?
Here’s another bite to chew on. UPF are made from the cheapest possible versions of the three essential molecules – fats, protein and carbohydrates. These ingredients are generally molecules that are extracted from crops grown for animal food. Literally the stuff we won’t feed to livestock. These substrates are then manipulated in a laboratory to become almost anything. They are very shelf stable so they can be made in a manufacturing plant and then distributed all over the world without fear of spoilage. This manipulation of ingredients improves texture, taste, creaminess, mouth feel, and are designed to be delicious to get you to eat beyond your fullness. Those extra calories that are harming your health, are generating profit to the food industry. That should bother all of us as much as it’s disrupting our health.
The definition of ultra processed food is something that is wrapped in plastic and has an ingredient that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen. It’s not food, it’s an industrially produced edible substance.
We need to begin looking at these foods in our diet differently, UPF are just substances through which other problems are realized. Big problems for our health. There are reasons why we eat and sometimes they are the same reasons why we struggle with addiction to other substances. This is why it is so hard to give them up. Think about this, when was the last time you binged on apples? That’s right, never. It’s not you, it’s the food or correctly stated industrially produced edible substances.
If our food isn’t real food then what’s in it?
Remember, UPF are made from the cheapest possible versions (refined) of the three essential molecules – fats, protein and carbohydrates. Unfortunately, our bodies like the unprocessed version and let me tell you why. Our bodies are made up of a lot of different muscle groups that support our skeleton. When you workout you build muscle which makes you stronger, move faster and feel better. Well, your entire gut is a big muscle. Your esophagus to your stomach and onto your small and large intestines has muscles that help to move food along your digestive tract as nutrients are extracted from the food. The ultra processed foods then take all the “work” out of the food impacting nutrient absorption, cell function, hormone production and more. This “workout” builds a healthy gut and in turn makes you healthy. However, a diet of UPF never gives us the good “workout” our gut really needs. Did I tell you our health begins in the gut?
In addition to the cheap substrates of carbohydrates, protein and fats there is the little issue of all those chemicals in our food.
Some of the hallmark ingredients of UPF – stabilizers, synthetic emulsifiers, low calorie sweeteners, stabilizing gums, humectants, flavor compounds, dyes, color stabilizers, carbonating agents, firming agents, bulking agents, anti-bulking agents, lecithin, glucose, a number of different (seed) oils, modified starches, invert sugars, hydrolysed protein isolates that have been refined, bleached, deodorized, hydrogenated and interesterified. Whoa! None of these things are nutrients our body needs. They are in our foods to manipulate the substrates (carbohydrates, protein, fat) into being whatever form/texture/taste is desired. But they are so delicious! Yes they are, that is the only point. When food is too delicious we don’t want to stop eating it.
Here are some examples of how these additives manipulate our food:
- Stabilizers – these are used in our food to hold everything together through the freezing process so ice crystals don’t form. This makes it more shelf stable and enhances the texture.
- Synthetic emulsifiers – are used to prevent ice cream from melting too quickly, keep yeast from drying out and improve texture and shelf life of gluten free baked goods.
- Low calorie sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame-K, xylitol, saccharine, sucralose (there are many more) are used to add a sweet taste to food and drinks to replace the sugar in a product.
- Dyes are used to make the product look more palatable and appealing to the eye.
- Flavor compounds are used to enhance the flavor and aroma of the food.
We are sold on these qualities. The wonderful textures that make a product slide over our tongue, the beautiful colors that appeal to the eye, sweetness without calories, and most of all the intense flavor that makes us want more even when we are full.
What are the effects on the body of a diet high in UPF?
But what about what they are doing to our health? Chemical additives remain controversial. Research has shown that these additives/chemicals have a negative impact on our gut microbiome, our appetite hormones, and our health in general. These foods can contain dozens of additional chemicals that are not listed on the label. They are designed to addict us to the food but we should really be proceeding with caution.
A recent study on the effects of ultra processed foods should be an eye opener for all of us. It very clearly shows that it is not our lack of will, it’s the food that is driving increased consumption. This study was well designed and allowed participants of both groups access to the same amount of calories, they were just to eat what they wanted from their choice of food (one group was assigned to eat only processed foods and the other a whole foods diet). The outcome was this, the UPF group ate on average 500 calories more per day and gained weight, when the groups were switched the same result happened. A calorie isn’t just a calorie when it comes to ultra processed foods.
It has been established that a diet that is too high in calories, salt, saturated fat and sugar has a negative impact on our health but ultra processed foods with all of its additives is yet another layer to the story.
In summary there is plenty of evidence telling us that ultra processed foods are strongly associated with an increased risk of:
- Death
- Obesity, weight gain
- Cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke)
- Cancers (all cancers overall, breast cancer specifically)
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Fatty liver disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Depression
- Hyperlipidemia
- Frailty
- Irritable bowel syndrome and indigestion
- Dementia
That’s a long list!! The effects of these foods are stressing our bodies but we often feel powerless to change. Remember that is what they are designed to do but if you aren’t eating them they can’t have that effect on you.
What can we do?
As much as a diet that is high in processed foods deteriorates our health, a diet of whole foods can actually improve our health. We are what we eat, every cell in our body is made up of the nutrients we get from food, so by replenishing our system with proper nourishment our bodies (cells) can function as they are designed to do. Give it a try!
First, get an understanding of what is in the food you are eating. Utilize apps such as YUKA to help you understand how the foods you eat are impacting your health. Second, figure out what whole foods you like (there will be plenty) and get creative in the kitchen by adding more color and more nutrients to your plate, your health depends on you!
If you need expert guidance, add a registered dietitian nutritionist to your team and begin to experience what achieving your health goals really feels like. A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) has the experience and education to help address unhealthy relationships with food and put a nutrition and lifestyle plan together that is healthy for your mind and your body. Working with an RDN to improve your health through nutrition is typically a covered benefit on your health insurance plan.
- “Ultra Processed People: The Science Behind Food that isn’t Food”, by Chris Van Tulleken, MD, PhD, 2023
- https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/pdf/S1550-4131(19)30248-7.pdf
- https://yuka.io/en/
Written by: Stephanie Espinoza, MA, RDN, LDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Soal Wellness | www.soalwellness.com
Phone: 602-400-5419