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  

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.  

your weight?

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 is 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 yogurts

      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 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 had 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.
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 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, 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