Health conditions linked to ultra-processed foods

Doctors have been warning about the consequences of eating too much ultra-processed food. So those are sodas, sweetened cereal, frozen meals, chips, and other packaged snacks. We know they're linked to increased heart attack risk and diabetes, but now researchers are learning the health problems go even beyond that. Let's talk about it. Joining us to break it all down, all the health connections, are Nine News medical expert Dr. Paul Coley here with the details. So we just named some of like the most ultra-processed foods, but how are they, I guess, specifically different from the good stuff that you want to consume? Yeah, it's really interesting. We kind of label everything as processed, and most of our foods out there, if you think about it, are to some degree processed, right? But we have to think of the degree of how much they're processed when you think about their health risks. So there's actually a grading system, a grouping system. So group one, for example, would be tomatoes or eggs. So they're processed a little bit because they're put in a carton or they're put in a plastic bag, like a bag of spinach. You might buy it, but it's food that you recognize in nature. And on the other end of the spectrum is group four, which is some of the types of foods that you mentioned, like the sodas, high-fructose corn syrup, protein isolates, dyes, things that we wouldn't ever cook with in our kitchen. So a great way to tell how processed it is, how many ingredients, two to three for minimally processed, like a canned fish, for example. Minimally processed, that's probably OK. On the other hand, if it's got a lot of ingredients and you don't recognize them, stay away from that. That's ultra processed. That's an easy rule of thumb to like turn over, look on the back, see how many ingredients are involved. What are some of the health problems that come with the concerns? Well, we have identified so many. And this report now reports 12 different chronic health diseases. So obesity and weight gain, we think, is largely due to these ultra processed foods because the way that they're formulated, they're addictive. So not only are they calorie dense, they trigger a reward system in your brain that makes you want to eat more calorie dense, nutrient poor food. So obesity, weight gain, diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, Alzheimer's, even conditions like dying early. So the amount of processed food you eat is directly related to your risk, essentially, of dying early. And of course, we've talked about cancer and processed foods as well before. I just feel like it's everywhere you go, down every aisle of the grocery store. It's so hard to avoid altogether. Like, are there some that are better than others? And we talked about looking for the fewer ingredients. But any other tips you can give us? Because we're going to consume some of it. It's going to happen. Right. And what this report tells us is that our consumption has gone up. So my tip is you want to limit the consumption, because as you said, it's impossible to completely avoid. So they say less than about 20 percent of your calories should come from processed food. Now, the average American adult, 55 to 60 percent, and the average adolescent, 70 percent. And I think our kids are sort of in that same category as well with the birthday cake and the chips and the, you know, the snacks that we give them for school. These are all highly processed things. So if you can count what percentage of your calories are coming from these processed foods and whenever possible, try to pick ones that, again, have those ingredients that, you know, you recognize, that's much better. Another thing I like to tell people to do if you want to try to cut down the amount of processed foods in your diet is don't necessarily subtract, but add. Because it's easier for us from a psychological perspective to add something than it is to take it away if we're used to doing something. So I would say add a fruit snack every day, because then that triggers your satiety from some healthy food and it kind of crowds out some of that negative food. The other thing you can do is add at least one or two home cooked meals every week. So if you normally go out to dinner, you know, three times on the weekend, maybe you cut it down to twice on the weekend because you know that you're more likely to eat better if you eat at home. And then some of those healthy swaps that we've talked about. So when you're reaching for those chips or the candy, instead you get some trail mix or you get some banana chips or veggie chips or something that's a little less processed. And what about, I'm thinking about like just convenience food, right? And I know that there's, I think it's unfortunate that at the end of the day, legislation wise, there's going to be people in food deserts or people with less resources who are going to be more attracted to these foods because of the price point. But when it comes to like, I think about myself during the day when I put something in the microwave, even though it might say it's healthy, if the ingredients are okay, you're shaking your head because I eat a lot of these. That happens all the time. So you go to Costco, you're like, oh, it's, it's clean. It's a piece of salmon, which is healthy Mediterranean diet. But then you flip it over and you see all of this. So these pre-prepared meals are the kiss of death. I mean, they change the gut microbiome, the bacteria in your gut in a negative way. They create inflammation. And so even though they're very convenient and it's easy for us to put something in the microwave and even if it says organic, right on it, that's all I eat whenever I'm here at my desk, I've got a few in the freezer in our break room. But if you actually flip it over, you'll see hydrogenated bean oils and all these other ingredients you don't recognize, not to mention all the sodium, all the fat and all the other preservatives that go into it. All right, Dr. Coley, it's good to know. No, I learned a lot. I appreciate it. Thank you.