Why Ultra-Processed Foods are Bad for Your Waist Line

What are ultra-processed foods and how might these foods add to your waist line and your weight?  The obesity epidemic in the USA is blamed on many factors:  less exercise, more Fast Food, more and more screen time, more riding in a car instead of walking.  New research is focusing on how ultra-processed foods contributes to more weight on the scale and bigger waist lines.  
What are ultra-processed foods vs minimally processed foods?  Think of the foods we all love to eat that are high in fat, salt and added sugar and usually loaded with additives.  Although these foods taste good, they often are lacking in vitamins, minerals, fiber and the healthy antioxidants.  
White Bread would be an ultra-processed food
Ultra-processed Foods:
A Brazilian nutrition researcher named Carlos Monteiro defined ultra-processed foods to include foods with additives like preservatives, colors, added sweeteners but not whole foods like fruits or vegetables.  According to NIH, Americans consume about 58% of their calories from ultra-processed foods.   
Some examples of Ultra-Processed Foods:            
  • Sodas
  • Chips
  • Chocolate
  • Candy
  • Ice-Cream
  • Sugar sweetened breakfast cereals
  • Packaged soups
  • Chicken nuggets
  • Hotdogs and other processed meats
  • Fries
  • White bread
  • Sugary yogurt
 
      Chicken Nuggets are an Ultra-Processed Food   
Minimally Processed Foods would include whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, meats, seafood, eggs and dairy foods like real milk.  
How do ultra-processed foods lead to weight gain?

New research in the journal of Cell Metabolism found that those who ate more calories on the ultra-processed foods diet, not only gained more weight, they gained it faster.  The researchers studied 20 adults and for two weeks and gave them either ultra-processed foods or unprocessed foods.  Yet, the diets presented were the same number of calories, the same amount of sugar, fat, fiber and the same macronutrients of protein, carbs and fat.  The adults were instructed “to consume as much or as little as” they wished.  
Interesting, those adults fed the ultra-processed diets chose to eat 500 calories more than the adults on the unprocessed diet.  Those on the ultra-processed diet gained about 2 pounds in just 14 days.  Surprisingly, those on the unprocessed diet not only did not gain weight, they lost about 2 pounds in the 14 days.  The increase in weight in the ultra-processed was due to some water retention but also to increases in body fat.  
Why did those eating the ultra-processed foods gain weight?  The authors speculate that the ultra-processed foods are often high in calories, salt, fat and added sugar and seem to stimulate one eating more than they usually would.  One of my relatives used to love eating Pringles – he always has some Pringles in the canister.  One day, I asked him where the Pringles were and he said had had given them up.  Why?  Because he couldn’t stop with just a few and ate all of them, the entire canister at one time.  How often do you see people start with a few chips and then continue to eat the entire bag?  Yet, the researchers note more research needs to be done to demonstrate a link between eating ultra-processed food and weight gain.
The authors note that people wanting to lose weight may wish to focus on cutting back on the ultra-processed food they eat.  Not really a surprise.  A student I had in one of my classes indicated they wanted to lose about 15 pounds.  Hearing in one of my lectures that we all should eat 5 A Day, five fruits and vegetables every day, he started to do so.  Towards the end of the semester he reported he had lost 15 pounds.  Not by really dieting but by eating 5 A Day, he found he had less room for all the junk food he had been eating.
 How can you cut back on ultra-processed foods?
  1. Cook at home more.  Skip the prepared, pop in the microwave meals and eat some real food.
  2. Dine out – but choose real, unprocessed food.  The baked potato instead of fries, order the salad, the sides of veggies, real meat instead of chicken nuggets.
  3. Choose real milk with your meals instead of soda.
  4. Choose real food, the closer to nature the better.  
  • A fresh apple instead of apple juice
  • Whole grain bread instead of white bread
  • Grilled chicken breast instead of chicken nuggets
  • Real milk instead of soda or lemonade or sweetened tea
  • Corn on the cob instead of canned corn
How can you cut back on the processed food you eat?  What real foods can you add to your day?
Apples are a healthy choice
Sources:  research, Monteiro, NIH, examples, Ultra, Foods, Cell Metabolism   Image sources:  Chicken Nuggets, White bread , Apples 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How does coffee and tea affect blood sugar?

Image
Who doesn’t love some morning coffee?   Or, on cold days, a nice hot cup of tea.   Does drinking coffee or tea affect one’s blood glucose levels?    Should healthy adults be concerned about coffee or tea and blood glucose levels?   The Mayo Clinic says that for healthy adults, caffeine will probably have no noticeable effects on their blood sugar or blood glucose levels.   Studies have found that up to 400 milligrams of caffeine is safe for most of us.   A cup of coffee has about 120-180 milligrams of caffeine and most adults drink about 2 cups of coffee a day.   FDA says healthy adults can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day which equates to about 4-5 cups of coffee a day, or 10 cans of soda , or 2 “energy shot” drinks.   (See:   Caffeine – good or bad for your health? )     Can drinking coffee or tea reduce chances of getting type 2 diabetes? Some studies have found that coffee, tea, and other drinks with caffei...
Read more

Are there drinks that will help lower your blood pressure?

Image
According to the University of Southern California , almost half of Americans over the age of 20 have high blood pressure.   This means an astounding 122 million Americans.   Unfortunately, as you get older it is more likely to have blood pressure increase.   Many people don’t even know they have high blood pressure or hypertension.   The American Heart Association notes at first there are “no obvious symptoms to indicate something is wrong, but HBP can lead to heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.”    A relative was asking what they could do diet wise to help lower their blood pressure.   We had already discussed the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).   (See:   Best Diets for Healthy Eating in 2024 .) and physical activity.    Diet wise, they were cutting back on sodium and increasing potassium foods but were wondering if there were anything else like any drinks that could help lower blood pressure?  ...
Read more

How to eat for better sleep

Image
Having trouble sleeping?   Are there foods you can eat that would help you sleep?   My husband sent me an interesting article, 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep . According to CDC , “about 1 in 3 adults in the United States reported not getting enough rest or sleep every day.”   A lot of Americans have problems sleeping, about 50-70 million Americans.   You probably heard that drinking warm milk before bed helps one sleep?   Is this true?   What eating habits really do help you get to sleep and stay asleep? Sleep and hunger Did you know that getting a good night’s sleep affects hunger hormones in your body?   A good night’s sleep can lead to less snacking the next day as it keeps hunger at bay.   A professor of nutrition at Columbia University, Marie-Pierre St-Onge, says, “If you eat better, you sleep better and be more refreshed.   And that helps you make better decision for your diet.”      Some tips to ea...
Read more