#169 - EASE UP ON PROCESSED FOOD: Health Tips for Weight Loss
Weight loss tip number 73 is for dieters who are just getting started. Coach Tadris Parker has personally tested this recommendation and a hundred other health tips commonly shared in the running and fitness world. Listen to the audio clip below to hear his take on consuming processed foods…Learn all about this at Keep Calm and Run To The Best You!
“Avoid ultra processed foods as much as possible. If you’re cooking for a family, especially young kids, it’s tempting to choose frozen dinners or boxed macaroni but regularly eating this way takes a toll on your health. Cut down on processed foods when you’re meal planning and invest in whole foods for your kitchen.” – Rhapsody Hahn-Chaney, wife, mom, and writer for Run To The Best You
Tip 73. Ease Up On Processed Food (weight loss)
When I think of processed foods, those greasy fast food chains come to mind. Of course, eating at home is better (and cheaper!) than dining at a restaurant or grabbing something quick from a convenience store. But homecooking doesn't mean you're avoiding ultra processed foods. Let's be honest: if your home cooked dinner is boxed mac-and-cheese and frozen chicken nuggets, it's probably on the same level as a value meal. Most people would agree that homemade is healthier but that is not necessarily true.
Depending on your personal cooking ability, your daily schedule, and your shopping list, the amount of processed foods in your diet will vary. It takes commitment to plan ahead. If you wait until everyone is hungry to start planning dinner, you'll likely order takeout or opt for a bowl of cereal. Easing up on ultra processed foods isn’t easy, especially if you have a family of picky eaters, but it is feasible and well worth your trouble.
What are processed foods?
Practically all modern food is processed. The term ‘processing’ is very general and not helpful. By definition, it’s any food that is modified in some way. This would include a minor process like peeling and cutting regular carrots to make “baby carrots” but also includes chemical processing, unnatural ingredients, adding sugar for taste or sodium for freshness, etc.
Almost 25 years ago, the United Nations established the NOVA System to classify processed foods. Ultra processed foods (UPF) are defined as “formulations of ingredients, mostly for exclusive industrial use, that result from a series of industrial processes.” That sounds yucky. Picture reconstituted meat products, packaged snacks, margarine, instant soups, noodles, and desserts, baby formula, and soft drinks. These are examples of ultra processed foods. When you start reading labels, you'll quickly find how “fake” and even “inedible” some manufactured foods are. There is a list of food products that are even banned in certain countries.
Processed food consumption in America vs Europe
It’s no secret that obesity and low quality foods are linked to the Standard American Diet (aka SAD). The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study in 2016 about processed foods. The findings revealed that the average American kitchen is stocked with 77% highly processed foods. Eating at home means that we’re still consuming over 1,000 calories of processed foods every day. Home cooked meals may sound better for you than fast food but it’s only better if your table is prepared with whole foods.
Recently, the same organization did a similar study in Italy, the Moli-sani Study, to research ultra processed food consumption. The Moli-Sani study claims to be “the first to investigate the nutrition-related pathways linking ultra processed food to mortality.” Data was gathered from a small Southern Italian region where the average adult’s diet consisted of 10% ultra processed foods. Of that percent, the biggest offenders on the menu were processed meats, pizza, and cakes/pies, in that order. Adults who followed the typical Mediterranean diet ate a lower percentage of processed foods than the rest.
Why are processed foods bad for us?
According to the study in Italy, ultra processed foods are directly linked to many afflictions:
Obesity
Cancer
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease
Death
To drive this point home, we are comparing the Italians’ diet as 10% ultra processed to Americans’ as 77% ultra processed foods. That is literally gut wrenching when you stop to think about it. If you want to hear more on the Mediterranean diet, here’s an article we published last year. This is one of four whole food diets that Coach Tadris Parker recommends if you want to lose weight and adopt a clean eating lifestyle. No matter how much you run and work out, you’ll never outrun the SAD diet. If the ingredients list is hard to pronounce, it’s probably ultra processed food. We have to be intentional about grocery shopping, meal planning and prep. Our health depends on it.
At Keep Calm and Run To The Best You, we are actively helping people from all walks of life to get healthier and happier in the body they’ve got! We’ve collected advice from professionals, combed through archives, and gathered insights from our group members. Click here to see the rest of our 101 health tips about running, intermittent fasting, and weight loss.
Find support and accountability at Run/Walk Club
Coach Tadris Parker educates and motivates people at all levels of intermittent fasting and mindful eating. Email coachtadris@gmail.com with questions about our Run/Walk Club, running events, or health programs. Get support and accountability on your journey to better health in a casual and fun setting:
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