Ultra-processed foods vs. real food

7 years ago

https://www.nutritionaction.com/daily/how-to-diet/do-ultra-processed-foods-make-you-gain-weight/

I came across this study and thought the results were worth sharing. Researchers found people consumed 500 calories a day more on ultra-processed foods (hot dogs, tater tots, french fries, chips, cookies, etc.) vs. unprocessed foods (fresh fruits and vegetables, unsweetened yogurt, beans, nuts, etc.) when allowed to eat as much as they wanted. That 500 calories extra a day can translate into 50 lbs over the course of a year.

I mean I know that 'junk' food is bad for you, but I still found this finding pretty amazing. I also found this interesting:

The outcome didn’t depend on the amount of sugar, fat, carbs, protein, sodium, or fiber in the ultra-processed meals because the unprocessed meals had similar levels of each.

“I didn’t expect to see such a huge effect,” says Hall, “because we matched the meals for for [sic] carbs, fat, protein, sugar, sodium, and fiber—the usual suspects that people have talked about for many years as driving the obesity epidemic.”

Featured Answer

Rosie

7 years ago

Real food is also much more satisfying and stays with us long after we eat. Junk foods such as chips, cookies, candy, etc., only satisfy us for the short term and then we are hungry again. There is a reason junk food is called empty calories.

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Comments (12)

Fun2BHere
7 years ago
Interesting.
Rosie
7 years ago
I saw that article too, Annie.

My teen and young adult years were spent eating a lot of junk, but as I've gotten older, I pass up the junk for real food most of the time. I still have a weakness for Taco Bell and potato chips, but rarely indulge. Reading that made me glad to have ditched the junk food habit.
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User
7 years ago
real food here for the most part (well, I DO buy ketchup, mayo and mustard) AND I sometimes fix recipes that DO have them so I'm not 100% real food but probably at least 80%! My grocery bill is less as well -- you have to pay someone minimum wage to process that food! With real food there is less middlemen!
Elmer J Fudd
7 years ago
I agree, interesting.

The results of one study suggest possibilities but don't prove anything. But it's easy to understand that grabbing an extra serving of green beans or more lightly dressed salad won't have the same calorie density as several extra cookies or a handful or two of chips.
OklaMoni
7 years ago
I don't have ketchup, or mayo in my house... I also don't use margarine, I use butter. I love to eat, and I love to cook.

Hardly anything in a package comes in to my house. But that is soo much easier now, that I am on my own, without husband or kids.

Moni

PS, my weakness is chocolate!
eld6161
7 years ago
It doesn't surprise me at all.
OutsidePlaying
7 years ago
It makes perfect sense and is why some popular diets, as mentioned, such as Keto and Paleo are popular for weight loss. And intuitively processed foods are a terrible choice in general. We have become a nation of convenience.
ldstarr
7 years ago
Very little processed food comes into our home. DH has to have his breakfast cereal, and I purchase ketchup & spicy mustard. Mayo etc we make when we want it and meals are made from the basic ingredients. My pet peeve is a recipe that takes "cream of something" soup. Just no pre-made soups...ever.
Chi
7 years ago
That makes sense. I've never eaten too many vegetables but I have certainly eaten too much ice cream. It's hard to overeat healthy food.
roxanna7
7 years ago
Well, of course it does make sense -- rarely is one apt to pig out on broccoli, right?! Chips, etc., on the other hand... hmmmm. =)
Annie Deighnaugh
Original Author
7 years ago
Another thing they noticed was eating real foods is a lot slower process vs. eating processed foods. And they do say the slower you eat, the better for you.

Ultra-processed foods vs. real food

Rosie

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Fun2BHere

Rosie

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Annie Deighnaugh
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Ultra-processed foods vs. real food

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