Why Ultra Processed Foods Are Harming Us and The Environment.
In this blog you will learn how to spot an Ultra Processed Food and begin to understand the impact these foods are having on your health and the environment around us.
SO WHAT IS AN ULTRA PROCESSED FOOD?
Firstly it's important here to understand the difference between unprocessed, processed and ultra processed foods.
Unprocessed or minimally processed foods are whole foods where the vitamins and nutrients are still intact. The food is in its natural (or nearly natural) state. These foods may be minimally altered by removal of inedible parts, drying, crushing, roasting, boiling, freezing, or pasteurisation, to make them suitable to store and safe to consume. Unprocessed or minimally processed foods would include foods such as raw fruit and veg, milk, raw meat, unsalted nuts or seeds.
Processing changes a food from its natural state. Normally by adding salt, sugar, oils or other substances. Examples include canned fish or canned vegetables, fruits in syrup, and freshly made breads. Most processed foods have two or three ingredients.
Where we need to be careful is that some foods are highly processed or ultra-processed. They are most likelyto have many added ingredients such as sugar, salt, fat, artificial colours or preservatives.
Ultra-processed foods are made mostly from substances extracted from foods, such as fats, starches, added sugars, and hydrogenated fats. They may also contain additives like artificial colours and flavours or stabilisers. Examples of these foods are frozen meals, soft drinks, sliced bread, cold cuts, fast food, packaged biscuits, margarine, cakes, and salty snacks.
WHAT IMPACT ARE THESE FOODS HAVING ON OUR HEALTH?
Now you might look at the key macros (proteins, calories, etc) of UPF's and think, those look ok I can eat that.
But new evidence has linked UPFs to adverse health and environmental outcomes.
The evidence was already compelling. A 2020 review found 37 of 43 published papers had established a clear association between UPFs and poor health, while the first randomised control trial (RCT) in 2019 found a causal relationship with weight gain. (1)
This research show that UPFs are harmful in ways which extends beyond their nutrient profile.
Research published has found a clear association between increased UPF consumption and: obesity, poor liver health, poor mental health, cardiovascular diseases (linked to increased sweetener intake); and cardiovascular mortality, increased risk of COVID-19 infection, dementia, hypertension chronic kidney disease, kidney function decline, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, colorectal cancer, binge eating, and other eating disorders; and subclinical thyroid dysfunction. You can read the full report here.
The BBC Panarama investigation took twins, one (Aimee) spent two weeks on an ultra- processed diet whilst the other (Nancy) was also on a diet containing exactly the same amount of calories, nutrients, fat, sugar and fibre - but she was consuming low- processed foods..
Aimee gained nearly a kilo in weight - Nancy lost weight. Aimee's blood sugar levels worsened and her blood fat levels - lipids - went up. (2)
This was a short-term study on just one set of twins, but the results highlight growing fears about the possible impact of ultra-processed foods on our health.
Some academics think the link is not coincidental. You can watch the full program here.
A note on the environment
UPF production relies on cheap, mass-produced ingredients, intensive processing technologies and plastic packaging, which don't degrade in landfill or the natural environment if thrown away as litter.
UPF production also contributes to land degradation, the use of pesticides and packaging and “eutrophication”, an excess of nutrient run-off from agricultural land into water bodies, killing lake and river life.
So what now?
Whilst this may all seem scary it's also a really exciting time. A time where we can take action. Not only for our planet but for our health.
The science is backing up what we instinctively knew to be true. UPF's are damaging to our health and the environment.
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References
https://www.soilassociation.org/media/25419/evidence-review-nov21-to-oct22-summary-for-website.pdf
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001mp67