Discovering the truth about the impact of ultra-processed foods on our brains can be like navigating a maze of conflicting information. In a recent article published by The Wall Street Journal, the spotlight was once again cast on this controversial topic.
ultra-processed foods
Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of the topics I have covered this past year.
[apologies to Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II]
This past week, Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health hosted a webinar on the putative dangers of ultra-processed foods (UPF). Let me share my recap.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer's (IARC) conclusion that the sweetener aspartame "possibly" causes cancer is ... definitely stupid. Meanwhile, you can eat a diet consisting of 91 percent "ultra-processed" food and be healthy. So says a new study. Let's take a closer look.
According to the common narrative, ultra-processed foods are evil, unhealthy, and unnatural. But a new contrarian study in the Journal of Nutrition demonstrates that a diet containing 91% ultra-processed foods was far healthier than the typical American diet and, get this, well aligned with Dietary Guidelines for Americans. When it comes to shaming and blaming UPFs, the emperor has no clothes.
As plant-based diets gain more traction, the vegan population, especially in high-income countries, is rising. Is veganism – avoiding products produced by, or from, animals – a healthy lifestyle? (Spoiler Alert: you already know the answer. Vegans, like the rest of us, have varying lifestyles, some of which are not as good as others.)
Let’s continue our countdown of the top articles written by ACSH this year.
The Conversation returns with another awful story about the dangers of "ultra-processed" food. Here's a look at the science they ignored—again.
A recent Newsweek report on the toxicity of ultra-processed foods was based on a carefully performed study comparing the responses of 20 individuals to both unprocessed and ultra-processed foods. It is worthwhile, as citizen-scientists, to look at the study for ourselves. We cannot argue the dots but may disagree with how they connect.
One of our loyal readers brought a recent Newsweek cover story to our attention. It is titled, Americans Are Addicted to 'Ultra-Processed' Foods, and It's Killing Us. In addition to cherry-picking words to favor “natural” over “ultra-processed,” whatever that means, the article raises but does not resolve or necessarily clarify some crucial issues. Are our foods addictive, like fentanyl? What does processed and ultra-processed really mean to our health? What does “the science” reveal or not fully comprehend? It is time to take a deeper dive.
Processed food has changed our world, providing nutritious, tasty food to growing populations. Questions are being raised regarding the “healthfulness” of processed foods, with more and more studies searching for an answer. But first, can anyone tell you what "processed" means?
A small, but intriguing study suggests that ultra-processed designer foods are both calorie dense and eaten more quickly. That's a perfect combination for gaining weight.