The United States has the world's highest consumption of ultra-processed foods. These consumables are not healthy and they aren't really foods.
A Series on Healthful Food
I finally jumped in and did this article in January of 2022, in a separate blog. At the time and up to that point, there was very little mainstream talk of ultra-processed food, in the United States. Yet, I knew in my heart that I needed to alert people, of the seriousness of this issue.
So here we go.
Not Healthful Food
I remember the days when I was working so much and when I was stressed out.
Healthful eating was the last thing on my mind. I basically put the most convenient foods (aka ultra-processed food) in my mouth and into my body. As a result, I ran into health issues, including chronic ones.
If there is one category of food I think everyone should restrict, it is ultra-processed foods ("UPF"s).
What is Ultra-Processed Food?
So, what is ultra-processed food ("UPF") ?
It is the most toxic category of foods and the more of these foods we invite into our bodies, the more misery and sickness will reside in our bodies.
It is the category of food that includes 'soft drinks, sweet or savory packaged snacks, reconstituted meat products and pre-prepared frozen dishes'.
These 'formulations are made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives, with little if any intact food'. It contains little or no natural foods, which are edible parts of plants or of animals and 'fungi, algae and water, after separation from nature' https://world.openfoodfacts.org/nova .
Imagine that.
Components of Ultra-Processed Food
So, if UPFs contain little or no natural foods, then what on earth do they contain? While UPFs contain sugars, oils, fats or salt, 'they also include other sources of energy and nutrients not normally used in culinary preparations'. 'Some of these are directly extracted from foods, such as casein, lactose, whey and gluten' https://world.openfoodfacts.org/nova .
Further processing food groups produces many others. Like when manufacturers hydrogenate oil or hydrolyze protein. Other examples of these products include soya protein isolate, maltodextrin and high-fructose corn syrup.
Additives
While additives are used in many less processed foods, the additives found only in ultra-processed foods are those designed 'to imitate or enhance the sensory qualities of foods or to disguise unpalatable aspects of the final product'.
'These additives include dyes and other colors, color stabilizers; flavors, flavor enhancers, non-sugar sweeteners; and processing aids such as carbonating, firming, bulking and anti-bulking, de-foaming, anti-caking and glazing agents, emulsifiers, sequestrants and humectants.'
Let that sink in.
Cooking at Home vs. the Diet of Ultra-Processed Foods
If you have ever cooked at home, you know that each of your ingredients is unique and flavorful in its own way and the final dish is really a culmination of all these delicious ingredients.
However, UPFs usually contain ingredients that we would not use, when cooking at home. In addition, the method of making a dish is what takes it from processed to ultra-processed. An example is '(b)read made from wheat flour, water, salt and yeast..,' but add emulsifiers, colorings or preservatives; https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/what_is_ultra-processed_food.
The same article states that UPF, '...could be "fresh food" but have a long shelf life, because of preservatives. Check the labels for ingredients like sodium benzoate, nitrate and sulphite, BHA and BHT.'
A diet high in ultra-processed foods leads to weight gain. In addition, 'researchers have reported associations between processed foods and health outcomes, such as an increased risk of developing obesity, cancer, autoimmune conditions, and even death'.
Yet, it makes for '57.9% of energy intake in the United States'.
A Quick Way to Recognize These Foods
So, how do we recognize UPFs once we decide to cut these foods out of our diets? The BBC article referred to earlier, provides some really useful guidelines that laypeople like us can understand and remember easily.
The signs and indications of these foods are summarized as follows https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/what_is_ultra-processed_food:
A long list of ingredients, especially if it includes things only used in factory-made food.
Unrecognizable ingredients being used as additives.
High fat, sugar and salt content in the food.
‘Fresh food’ with a long shelf life indicating the presence of preservatives, including sodium benzoate, nitrate and sulphite, BHA and BHT on the labels.
Aggressive marketing and branding.
Conclusion
Ultra-processed food is food that is a thousand times worse than rich homemade foods, in my opinion. It can literally sicken and kill us over a short period of time. There is now a correlation between the cosumption of ultra-transformed foods and an increased risk of developing cancer. A French study indicated this as early as 2019; https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k322
Which is why it is so worth reading food packaging, researching ingredients in our food, buying food wisely and preparing our own foods at home.
For healthier living and longer lives.
[And while I do share my baked goods, my hand-made foods are not ultra-processed.I am now launching recipes online to make home-made an easy, accessible part of your life. https://www.bakedbysueslife.store].