Health Your Self: Ultra processed, ultra bad

Yum, that's me crunching on a food substance that arrived in my mouth by way of industrial engineering. Food scientists manufactured it to hit bliss points - a perfect balance of salt, sugar and, for a flawless mouth feel, just the right amount of fat. It all adds up to sublime sensory satisfaction to ensure that we gulp it down and then, crave more. Why, I think I'll have another bite
 
Welcome to the world of ultra processed foods - also known as UPF’s. A growing body of research suggests that UPF’s are pretty bad for you. A British Medical Journal review of 15 years worth of studies, found that UPF's may be associated with more than 30 health problems, among them, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease - and, surprising to me, anxiety and depression. The evidence is so striking that just earlier this month California became the first state in the nation to pass legislation phasing out ultra processed foods from kids’ school meals.
 
What exactly are UPFs? They are food made from ingredients you don’t normally find in your home, such as protein isolates, hydrogenated oils, emulsifiers – and they account for 53% of calories adults consume daily. They are everywhere: from processed meats, sweets and snacks, to breakfast cereal, and flavored yogurt. 
 
It’s not surprising that foods high in sugar, salt, and fat might harm health. But there may be something more going on here. The Washington Post followed a kernel of corn as it transmuted from a garden variety food, into a salty-something to keep you company in front of the TV. 
 
First, the corn is boiled, then pounded into dough by high-speed steel drums. That’s before it enters an extrusion machine, where it’s subject to extreme pressure and heat, and then it’s pushed out in molded sheets that are cut into snack-sized shapes. Then, baked, fried and finally treated to a powdery shower of flavoring such as cheese, sugar, salt, or MSG. 
 
This intense manipulation is not just a giant yuck, it’s thought to destroy what’s called the food matrix - that’s what holds the food together, and is an essential part of helping the body properly absorb nutrients. When the matrix is busted up, among other things, it strips food of fiber, which is needed to digest slowly and avoid spikes in blood sugar. The altered food matrix is also thought to disrupt healthy bacteria in the gut. It’s as if we’re eating predigested food and once we swallow it, we don’t even feel full. So we eat more.
 
Sounds like we should steer clear of this stuff.  Given that UPF’s are everywhere, it’s not easy. One trick is to do most of your food shopping along the perimeter of the supermarket - that’s where the produce and other fresh items tend to be. When you do stroll down the aisles, start reading food labels. If you see ingredients you would never use in your kitchen, then maybe you don’t want to bring them home.