WHAT ARE ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS?
Ultra-processed foods are mass packaged food that is deficient of nutrients and fibre whilst being high in sugar, starch, unhealthy oils, additives, and preservative. Processed foods are the biggest issue of our time, responsible for more disease and death globally, than physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol combined.
PROCESSED FOODS LEAVING US OVERFED & UNDER-NOURISHED
Ultra-processed food, mostly from commodity crops – wheat, corn, and soy are turned into hundreds of thousands of food-like products that bear little resemblance to our evolutionary diet. These addictive, nutrient-depleted foods not only make us obese and sick but drive us to consume more and more “food-like substances” to look for the missing nutrients. This increases cravings as our bodies continue to search, leaving us overfed but under-nourished.
These processed foods containing artificial flavourings have been designed in a way to hijack our taste buds making us think we are getting the right nutrients. These industrial chemicals, starch and sugars have caused disconnect with our nutritional wisdom. When we eat nutrient depleted food… we want more food. We are always looking for nutrients. Animals will seek the nutrients they need – A lion will go for the liver of their prey first as it is rich in minerals. Desire for real food is a fundamental part of our basic biological blueprint. Our bodies, if given the chance, can crave the correct foods for our unique make up. Our taste receptors will naturally gravitate toward the inherent goodness found in real, whole foods – If we can stop confusing it. Processed food encourages over consumption and are biologically addictive and are linked to chronic metabolic disease, heart disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
WHAT ARE YOU LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU CLEAN UP YOUR DIET?
- Clearer skin
- Easier to maintain a healthy weight
- Energy levels rise
- Achieve better metabolic, hormonal and brain function
- Able to do activities with friends, family, and children
- Better concentration and focus on work/school
Not only will it make you be able to function in all aspects of your life, but you will also stop craving these non-nutritious foods. This means you won’t be battling your cravings for life, making this new change an easy and more achievable lifelong goal.
BUT THE ARE EASY, FAST AND I DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEM GOING OFF!
Let us explore this statement a little and see if in just one document we can change your perception with processed foods. Processed foods are man-made. They are loaded with chemicals to make them have a long shelf life. A loaf of bread nowhere days can last up to a week on the counter. A fresh loaf of bread won’t make it till that evening before it starts going stale. Without the added preservatives it will not last longer than it needs to. Real food breaks down, that’s how our bodies can digest it, it has components that are designed to break apart.
Processed foods have been chemically modified, our bodies can’t’ digest them. They may seem like food, but that is because manufacturers add enormous amounts of sugar to counteract the chemicals and make it taste better. Without the sugar they would be unpalatable. Any food that can last 3 days without changing should leave us questioning “is this actually food?
DOUBT WILL ALWAYS REER IT’S UGLY HEAD
I would not be surprised if you’re thinking “No-way, I cannot see a situation where I will want to turn down these types of foods”. Let’s see if we can help you visualise a little better. Think of a beautiful cake – now consider a cake/desert that you really don’t like. For me it’s a walnut and coffee cake. It doesn’t matter how beautiful the cake looks I have no desire to even take a bite – I’m disinterested. This is what your new life would look like when you are faced with that muffin, or the croissant. You can be that person that says no, freely, and willingly. Your pattern matching system will right itself. It no longer becomes a willpower thing anymore. Once you rewire your brain chemistry and hormones your body will want the right stuff and like it.
WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT? WHERE WOULD I EVEN START?
This problem doesn’t just lay with the processed foods we are surrounded by, but our mineral deficient soils. To further complicate the situation – Sugar is addictive!!! Some studies have suggested that sugar is as addictive as Cocaine. It really is stacked up against us. So don’t be too hard on yourself and let’s tackle this issue one small step at a time.
- Nutritional insurance
Although we should always be trying to use food as medicine, even on a good diet we still miss out on essential nutrients. This is because our soils are depleted, and our gut is compromised by stress and toxins affecting absorption and efficiency. Supplementation of essential vitamins and minerals is something we like to call nutritional insurance. The supplements can help to cover the basic requirements for day-to-day bodily functions that our diet might be lacking. A lot of supplements out there I wouldn’t go near because of the artificial fillers and inactive ingredients (anything shop-brought/over the counter). Good quality products should be prescribed by a health car practitioner. Which is high quality, high absorbable, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) trailed and tested products that do what they say they do. The products you should consider supplementing:
- Magnesium
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin C
- Zinc
HOW TO MAKE THE CHANGE?
- Start in the parameters of the grocery store where you are going to find the healthiest foods with the fewest unhealthiest ingredients (fruit and veg section, followed by the fresh meat section).
- Make your Kitchen a safe zone (once you have used up the processed foods do not replace them. Avoid storing jars of sauces, packs of crisps, basically anything in a packet).
- Explore new recipes – make you own bread, pasta, sauces… whatever it may be). Eating food that is good for you is not about feeling deprived, you can finally get off the cravings roller coaster and reclaim your freedom from sugary processed foods that hold you hostage.
WHERE CAN THESE CHANGES LEAD?
I mentioned tackling this step one small step at a time. What would the other steps look like?
- Going Dairy, Gluten and Sugar free
- Committing to an elimination diet and reintroducing in foods that you think may be aggravating your gut. This can also be explored faster through food testing. – Testing to explore your gut microbiome, bacterial overgrowth and yeast infiltration which could be preventing your body from absorbing nutrients properly, causing leaky gut and driving inflammation.
- Medication re-evaluations. Some medications we take can disrupt our ability to absorb correctly and leaving us nutrient deficient. This is termed: medication induced nutrient deficiency (MIND).
