About sixty percent of the calories Americans consume come from highly processed foods. These foods lead to weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, and even cancer. New scientific findings over the last ten years show that the more of these foods we eat, the greater the risk of dementia. These foods contain ingredients that are rarely used in the recipes we use at home including high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, protein concentrates and additives like colors, artificial flavors, sweeteners, emulsifiers, and preservatives.
These processed foods combine fat, salt, sugar, and carbs in combinations that are so delicious that they are addictive. Some of us will just keep eating them. “The problem is that in order to make the products taste better and better, manufacturers make them less and less like real food.” Individuals who get 60% of their calories from this type of food are more likely to be anxious and depressed.
A 2022 study that followed nearly 11,000 adults over ten years found a that people eating processed foods had a decreased ability to learn, remember, reason and solve problems. “While we have a natural decline in these abilities with age, we saw that this decline accelerated by 28 percent in people who consume more than 20 percent of their calories from ultra processed foods.” On the other hand, a diet of real, whole food—lean meat, eggs, low fat dairy, seafood, olive oil, fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, and nuts greatly reduced the risk of dementia.
High fructose corn syrup, table sugar, carbs, and saturated fat make us resistant to the hormone that tells us we have had enough to eat. That sets us up to gain weight. Belly fat makes hormones and enzymes that increase oxidant formation and inflammation. These processed foods contain very little in the way of vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients. Fast foods and processed foods make us age faster and get sick more rapidly. They increase the risk of anxiety, depression, and dementia. It is possible to be overweight and malnourished at the same time. Protect yourself and your family by eating real food.
Yup! Thank you, Bill!