Ultra Processed Foods Proven Link to Weight Gain

The invention of such things as canned foods, quick desserts, fast foods, and grab & go snacks, changed our way of eating forever.  Grabbing a quick bite, instead of slaving over a home cooked meal sounds like a dream.  And in the beginning, we didn’t think much more of it than that.  Over the past 7 decades, eating pre-made, pre-packaged, and fast food has become a huge part of our everyday life. A whopping 59% of the average American diet consists of ultra processed foods.

Ultra Processed Foods

Ultra Processed Foods

Arguably, we need to have some processing in our foods.  We wouldn’t have cheese, butter, or most milks without processing.  But, the difference is ultra processed foods go a step further by adding sugars, fats, preservatives, or any other ingredients to enhance shelf life or flavor that changes the  chemistry of food in an unnatural way.  Did you know Twinkies have 37 ingredients?  No wonder they’ll survive a zombie apocalypse!

To clarify the difference in how food is processed, the NOVA processed food classification system was developed.  Food is broken down into 4 categories:

• Unprocessed or minimally processed- Basically anything straight from the farm
• Processed ingredients- Foods that might be ground or pressed, like cane sugar, maple syrup, or olive oil
• Processed foods- Frozen or canned food with a couple of added ingredients like salt or herbs.  Breads and cheeses are also in this category
• Ultra processed foods- Made with 5 or more ingredients, and filled with things we can’t pronounce

For more info on ultra processed foods and ways to make healthier choices, check out this article from Healthline.

Studies Show…

There have been several studies over 20 years that have all come to the conclusion that ultra processed foods do, in fact contribute to weight gain.  Most recently, there were two groups of 10 who participated in an in-patient study, where one group would eat nothing but unprocessed foods, and the other would eat only ultra processed foods for two weeks.  Then they switched.  There were no restrictions on the amount of food they ate, and they both ate three meals per day.  Macro-nutrients like  sugars, carbohydrates, protein, fats & sodium were closely matched on both diets, with the unprocessed foods having a slight edge on protein.

 Results were significant.  The average calorie intake was 500 more for ultra processed vs. unprocessed, and the average weight gain was 2 pounds.  On the other side, the average weight loss was about 2 pounds when participants were on the unprocessed food diet. 

One of the attributing factors is believed to be that ultra processed foods take longer for your brain to get the message from your stomach that it’s full.  Participants consumed an average of 17 more calories per minute!  Conclusion: Eating food as it was meant to be, doesn’t change your dietary habits.  Consuming Ultra processed foods does.

This study is only the most recent.  But it’s very clear that we have more & more evidence of why we should only eat what we can pronounce.

FYI: Just because something says it’s “plant based”, or “meatless”, doesn’t make it healthy.  Look at the ingredients in most nut milks.  Frozen food is still frozen, ultra processed.  Pre-made meals are full of filler, meatless or not.  Thankfully, we have an abundance of fresh, local and unprocessed produce to make our lives easier & our waistlines smaller.

I think I’ll take natural food, instead of “natural flavors”.