Ultra-Processed Foods Dominate American Diet

I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I am most definitely a person who believes that some companies do what is best for their bottom line at the expense of the consumers they claim to be serving.

Many food companies fall into that category, and here is some discouraging news: New federal data reveals that ultra-processed foods comprise more than half of Americans’ daily caloric intake, accounting for roughly 55% of total calories consumed.

Ultra-processed foods are industrially manufactured products made primarily from substances extracted from other foods or synthesized in laboratories (a fancy way of saying chemicals). They typically contain numerous additives, including sugar, sodium, emulsifiers, and preservatives. The top sources include sandwiches (including burgers), sweet baked goods, savory snacks, and sweetened beverages.

Studies increasingly link ultra-processed foods to various health problems and shortened lifespans. The obesity crisis underscores these concerns: roughly 20% of U.S. children are now obese, nearly four times the rate from the 1970s before ultra-processed foods became widespread.

One reason that ultra-processed foods create problems is their caloric density. Let’s take an orange as an example. An orange contains just 45 calories along with lots of fiber and other nutrients. But as soon as you begin processing that orange, things change for the worse. Just a cup of orange juice has almost 3X that many calories while doing very little to satiate the appetite.

Or, we could consider corn. An ear of corn contains perhaps 80 calories along with fiber that provides feelings of fullness. But, when you process that corn into corn chips, you suddenly have enormous calorie counts from just a few chips, which do absolutely nothing for you nutritionally.

There is nothing magical about eating better, and this is one of those little areas where just a few simple changes make a big difference. At least some of the time, eat fruit rather than drinking fruit juice. Skip the bread sometimes. Learn to love water and vegetables.

Simple replacements will make a big difference.

Foto de Fernando Andrade en Unsplash