Our addiction to ultra-processed and fast foods has, sadly, become the norm. When we think of something good to eat, what immediately comes to mind are those two unnatural food groups. Processed foods come in three categories – ultra, less and minimally processed.
If you must eat processed foods, try to buy only minimally processed foods. But, metaphorically speaking, finding the needle (minimally processed foods) in the haystack (supermarkets) won’t be easy – it’s time-consuming. That said, minimally processed foods are always very close to the natural food’s form and also retain their natural nutrients, so it’s worth the effort.
Minimally processed foods, in my opinion (IMO), contain a natural food(s) and at times one of the 3 key ingredients (refined salt, sugar and fat). Less processed foods, IMO, contain a natural food(s), one of the 3 key ingredients and about two additives. Okay, now we’ve come to the worst of the worst – ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
IMO, they contain – at times, a natural food, high levels of all three key ingredients and at least five to as much as 50 additives. Ultra-processed foods are also used in some way in almost all fast foods. As for fast food, aka Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) food, once or twice a month isn’t bad. Not all QSR foods are junk, exceptions do exist – some salads, for example.
Ultra-processed and QSR foods are designed to disrupt our endocrine system (ES), altering our natural hormone levels. A disrupted ES causes significant, sometimes permanent, physical and neurological changes that negatively affect our health. Fluoride is an additive in our drinking water and toothpaste, it is also an endocrine system disrupter.
Fluoride can be found in almost all ultra-processed and QSR foods. This is primarily because fluoridated water is used in the manufacturing process of these two unnatural food groups. So, it doesn’t need to be added directly as an ingredient, it’s there from the get-go.
Your endocrine system is a network of glands (organs), which are responsible for producing and releasing hormones (chemical messengers) directly into the bloodstream to regulate vital bodily functions. Hormones act like keys, fitting into specific receptors on target cells to trigger actions. This system plays a key role in regulating weight, hair follicle cycling, and bone remodeling (bone breakdown), to name a few.
Through the release of insulin, leptin, and thyroid hormones, it manages to prevent obesity by regulating appetite, metabolism, and fat storage. The endocrine system influences hair pigment (melanin) production to maintain your natural hair color. The release of specific hormones is crucial for maintaining the balance between bone formation and bone breakdown (remodeling).
While the endocrine system is vital to maintaining balance in your body, it is vulnerable to disruption. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can interfere with hormone action, causing the system to fail in protecting against obesity, graying, and bone loss.
Change will never come from the Processed Food Industry (PFI) and Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Industry willingly. UPFs are their legal money-making drug of choice for consumers/users. If the public at large can break their addiction to UPFs, they will see a marked improvement in their overall health.
What’s in a Good Diet?
● Protein – each meal should contain at least one complete protein food (meat, fish, poultry, eggs) or a variety of partial protein foods (legumes, peas, nuts, seeds). Including a variety of these plant foods in your daily diet, will provide your body with all the complete protein it needs. This is a very fortunate thing if you’re vegetarian.
Okay, so you’re probably wondering, what’s so special about complete protein foods? Well, in a nutshell, they provide all the essential amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of all the protein in us (hormones, antibodies, bones, organs etc.).
Essential amino acids cannot be manufactured in the body (unlike the nonessential), they must be obtained from dietary proteins. There are about 28 known amino acids that combine in various ways to make a multitude of different types of protein. This process creates tailored proteins that are specific to the needs of your body.