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Ultra-processed foods linked to 32 health problems: What to know.

Glad I don't eat that crap. I have been cooking from scratch since age 33. This morning for breakfast I ate homemade chicken-vegetables soup with homemade broth. And toast from homemade whole wheat oatmeal bread.

My dad died of colon cancer at age 51. I was 24. Immediately I stopped eating preserved and processed meats (salami, bacon, ham, etc.) fast food, hamburger, deep fried food, beef and all the junk Americans love.

Photos: Except the first photo, this is food I cooked. It's a healthy habit.

A review of research involving almost 10 million people has found a direct association between eating too many ultra-processed foods — those breads, cereals, snacks and frozen meals that have been industrially manufactured with flavors and additives to make them more palatable — and more than 30 health conditions, including heart disease, anxiety and early death.

The Facts

In recent years, dozens of studies have found that people who consume a lot of ultra-processed foods have higher rates of weight gain, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Now, a team of international researchers has undertaken a comprehensive review of the evidence on adverse health outcomes to date — examining 45 “pooled meta-analyses” from 14 review articles involving nearly 10 million people. All were published in the past three years, and none was funded by companies making ultra-processed food.

The researchers’ findings, published in the British medical journal BMJ, “show that diets high in ultra-processed food may be harmful to many body systems.”

They found “convincing evidence” that higher ultra-processed food intake was associated with about a 50 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, a 48 to 53 percent higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders, and a 12 percent greater risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Highly suggestive evidence also indicated that diets high in ultra-processed foods were associated with a 21 percent greater risk of death from any cause, a 40 percent to 66 percent higher risk of heart disease-related death, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and sleep problems, and a 22 percent increased risk of depression.

[washingtonpost.com]

LiterateHiker 9 Mar 3
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13 comments

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1

Netflix has a brand new video out based on a Stanford Univ. study of 21 sets of twins. 4 sets are used throughout and these 4 give the video a more entertaining side. It's a must see and I know of one family that drastically changed their diet due to this study. It is said the Standard American Diet is a SAD diet. The program even studied female libido (that part was verry interesting and funny)!

5

Truth. Why must cigarettes have health warnings on the package, but all these processed foods, scientifically proven to have a negative effect on health, do not?

5

Yes, ultra-processed food causes health problems. A simple rule for most is avoid anything with added sugar, and never consume industrial oils. My genetics are such that carbs are particularly bad for me. The big area where you and I differ is red meat, but we certainly agree on the foundations of a healthful diet.

7

Far too many carbs in your pix...I am a diet-controlled Type II, now off insulin (diagnosed Type II in 1992, on insulin since 2010) and every other diabetes drug except Metformin, and your sugar/starch-laden items are deadly and scary to me..the only item in your pix I would consider eating are the green beans!!!!
Do you know a Granny Smith apple can have almost as many sugars as a full-sized Snickers Bar? And none of the peanut protein, either.

@annewimsey500

Sorry you have health issues. That sounds frustrating.

I never had to limit certain foods. I have low blood pressure and low cholesterol. At 5'5" tall I weigh 105 to 110 lbs. - my fighting weight.

Apart from genetic osteoporosis, I have no health problems. Four months ago, I had a full round of blood tests. All were normal.

@LiterateHiker my bloodwork 3 weeks ago was all sterling, even my lipids although I am also off statins for the first time in almost 40 years. Both sides of my family have been heavily diabetic so it is clear my lifestyle choices are Key for me.

8

I bought the paperback, "New Hope For The Arthritic" in the early 80's, and it was a diet with no red meat or dairy, or artificial ingredients. Just whole food. It took 6 weeks, but after that 90% of my pain disappeared, and I lost 20 lbs, and never put it back on. And I love real food !! Lots of veggies, fish, etc.

8

The average person and/or family cannot afford to eat organically. Within the general population, this is a growing and growing issue. A few weeks ago, some one posted an article about how one food corporation had figured out how to artificially digest a certain food, for it to then be somehow regurgitated to accomplish some higher appealing taste. This is what society is up against. They are literally killing people intentionally. Watch for the day Heinz, or Monsanto, Tyson or Sysco begin buying up medical corporations so that they can make money at the other end of the consumer chain.

7

Eating out for me has been a long time disappointment. I still eat red meat but it is grass fed and finished with organically grown grain. It's local and expensive so I do not eat it very often.
When I had my 10 acres in upper Kittitas County I/we grew a lot of our own food. We had chickens so there were fresh eggs and the hens were fed organically grown feed as well as bugs, slugs, garden weeds and kitchen scraps. When the hens got old we'd let one brood a batch of eggs, we'd kept a rooster around just because my SO liked the crowing but he older girls would go into the stew pot.
I have to say though 2 of my trips driving cross country were fueled by McDonald's cheeseburgers but that was back in late 1978 and 1982 when they used a better grade of beef.
I have not eaten junk food in many years. Real food tastes SO much better!!

9

I usually eat "real" foods, I try to avoid additives and ultra processed foods. I eat less meat, which essentially means I usually don't eat meat unless my kids are coming over to dinner or I'm at their house for dinner, or I'm picking up fast food lunch. In fall/winter I cook a batch of soup every week, and freeze it in pint jars, and thaw a jar for lunch every day. In spring/summer I make salads with quinoa and lots of veggies for lunches. My downfall is sugar/chocolate. I was avoiding all sugar/chocolate and lost some weight. Then sh1t happened, and I need to kick the sugar addiction again.

Sugar is heroin, I cannot go long without the feeling I need something sweet. Trying to kick the habit but it is hard, and it is not as satisfying as it used to be.

6

Processed foods are disease. Disease is very profitable. Thanks for spreading the truth.

6

Are a family’s problems with processed food related to their DNA?

No one else in my extended family reached their eighty sixth year. I avoid some processed food and I’ve reached my ninety fourth year. My doctor likes my saying I will walk until my legs refuse to cooperate.

Do what your DNA allows, or requires.

@yvilletom

Of course DNA affects your health.

So does diet, sunscreen use, exercise, environment, smoking, alcohol, drug use and other factors.

is a person's DNA altered by the processed food they have eaten ?

@Switchcraft

"Put simply, what you eat won’t change the sequence of your DNA, but your diet has a profound effect on how you “express” the possibilities encoded in your DNA. The foods you consume can turn on or off certain genetic markers which play a major – and even life or death – role in your health outcomes."

[thegoodkitchen.com].

7

I have Type 2 diabetes, and can't eat most of the stuff in the supermarket.

@davknight

I can't eat at most restaurants. Democrats met to watch the 2020 presidential election at Bob's Burgers and Beer restaurant. I don't eat burgers or drink beer.

I asked the waitress if I could have a green salad with grilled chicken breast on top. They served me Iceberg lettuce that has no nutrition. On top was processed mystery meat with grill marks.

The only thing I could eat was two pieces of fresh cucumber. Cost: $36 plus tip. If Democrats meet there again, I'll eat before I go.

Go into a small supermarket with say six lanes, the first will be cakes a pastry, the second fizzy drinks and the third sweets, the fourth cereals with sugar coatings then frozen ready meals with sugar based sauces plus bottles of sauce etc.. In other words, more than half the store sells only one product, sugar, with a few different colours and flavourings.

@LiterateHiker
When my father was on Hospice (Alzheimer's) it set up some slightly odd 'situations'. My wife and I lived with him for 4 years (even before he signed up) and mostly took care of him and his house -- with help from the rest of my family. We've never been rich but money has never been a problem for us or him.

I deeply appreciate my wife's contribution. Her biological family was never 'traditional' and she was a relative stranger to my father. The rest of us had spent years becoming part of his world and with his increasingly paranoid mental state he never did automatically trust her. Her patience was amazing.

We went out and took him to dinner as often as we could.
She and I were and are long-time vegetarians and it set up mild issues with the Hospice people. They were great but they had trouble understanding how vegetarians could go to public restaurants.
I don't know how many times we explained that most places have accommodations. (Five Guys was one of his favorites and even they have a veggie sandwich.) Some care and foresight were required (Cracker Barrel was noticeably avoided for example.)

Even now we know pretty much exactly what we're going to order no matter where we go. We live in a charmed society that does a very good job meeting our preferences -- again patience and care are required and should be automatic.
I suppose having engineers' pedantic points-of-view probably helps.

@Fernapple

I can find healthy and organic food in most supermarkets. Whole vegetables and fruit, whole grain oatmeal, whole wheat flour, etc.

Kroger stopped carrying Bob's Red Mill organic whole wheat pastry flour that I frequently use. Bob's Red Mill stopped shipping to customers. They referred me to Amazon where I found it.

@LiterateHiker a lot of Trader Joe's and Aldi's produce is organic at very reasonable prices, and Aldi's has no GMO foods as they are based in Germany where GMO's are outlawed.

@annewimsey500

I live in sunny Wenatchee, WA snuggled up against the east side of the Cascade Mountains called the Cascades.

The closest Trader Joe's is 150 miles away. Over the Cascades to Seattle where traffic congestion and slowdowns are horrendous. It's not worth it.

@LiterateHiker Ocean State Job Lot stores carry the full line of Bob's Red Mill items.

@annewimsey500

Thanks for the tip.

Unfortunately there are no Ocean State Job lot stores in my area. Never heard of it. If Amazon quits carrying Bob's Red Mill items, I will try ordering from them.

8

I love hamburgers, onion rings, chocolate shakes, chips, cookies, pie, cake, doughnuts, brownies, etc., but I don't eat much of that stuff. As I have gotten older, I notice more and more that my body doesn't tolerate it very well. I definitely detect a difference in how I feel if I eat it. One of the first effects of junk food on me is constipation. And I hate that feeling, so I'm getting better at avoiding it. So instead of eating pizza, which I pretty much stopped eating 20 years ago, my go-to meal is a green salad. But it's not just any green salad. This one starts with a whole avocado, diced up and spread out on the bottom of a big bowl. Then I add a handful of chopped green onions. Then some sliced and steamed mushrooms. Then half a sweet potato that has been cooked in the microwave for about 5 minutes (4 if it's a smaller spud). Then a large handful of steamed kale. Then 3 or 4 leaves of Romaine lettuce, chopped. Then a handful of blueberries if they're in season; if not, then few pitted Deglet dates, which I chop into about 4 pieces each. The the coup de gras is a can of Moroccan sardines, packed in olive oil. I drizzle the oil on the salad first, then break up the little fish with a fork before dumping them on top of the greens. Then I add some red wine vinegar and some balsamic vinegar, and toss the salad until all the ingredients are well mixed. I eat one of these salads almost every day. It might be for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For desert I'll have a Honeycrisp apple and a Navel orange. Or if they're in season, a large mango. For a snack I might have a handful of walnut pieces and some organic dried Turkish apricots or figs. If I want something salty, instead of buying a bag of chips, I'll pop some popcorn using avocado oil (it's much healthier than rape seed oil [aka canola oil] or palm oil, and it stands up to the heat well). I also do intermittent fasting. For me that means going about 16 hours without food, then doing all my eating within an 8 hour period. That's a daily routine. I consciously push myself to drink water. It's very easy to get dehydrated as we get older (I'm 64 now). I never drink soda pop, and beer or wine only socially. I find that the more healthy food like this I eat, the less I crave the bad stuff. I still eat a little junk (yes, I am a sinner!), but only a little. I feel pretty good. In fact, I'm in better shape today at 64 than I was at 44. 🙂

10

Another great argument why you should cook at home!

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