“Super” is usually a positive, upbeat adjective. Superstore. Superheroes.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
But you don’t want to see it describing what you eat – as in “super-processed foods.”
In general, super-processed foods are those that have been altered in ways that remove or diminish nutrients like fiber and vitamins, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. Then, fats, sugar and salt are added, often along with other potentially harmful chemicals, turning an otherwise healthy food into a high-calorie, low-nutrient substance that puts you at risk for hypertension, weight gain, unhealthy fats in your blood and other health conditions.
Perhaps you’ve read or heard about the gut-brain axis. It’s been in the news a lot lately.
Recent studies show that your brain affects your gut health and your gut affects your brain’s health. The communication system between your gut and brain is called the gut-brain axis.
Local nutrition counselor Barbara Truitt, MS, RD, LD/N, said what we eat has a tremendous impact on that axis. Rather than super-processed foods, she prefers the term ultra-processed food that has gone through an industrial preparation process and contains problematic additives. “What goes into your gut should be healthy and wholesome,” she says. “It’s going to affect your microbiome, which I compare to a computer hard-drive in your stomach that is constantly giving your body signals – which will be negative and cause inflammation if you’re eating ultra-processed foods.”
According to the 1907 Foundation, an endowment that funds brain health research, a microbiome is the collection of all microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and their genes, that naturally live inside us. Although microbes are so small that they require a microscope to see, they contribute in big ways to human health and wellness. So, the gut microbiome is all the genetic and bacterial components of the gut, also called the GI tract or digestive tract, as well as the liver, pancreas and gallbladder.
“A little bit of inflammation is a good thing,” says Truitt. “It helps our bodies heal cuts and do other things that keep us safe and healthy. But the amount we get from consuming ultra-processed foods is something we all need to avoid. It triggers harmful inflammation and although everyone is affected differently, the bottom line is that it you’re going to feel it somewhere. It attacks your weakest link – your heart, liver, anywhere.”
Unfortunately, “for people on the run, ultra-processed food may become their go-to diet, sacrificing nutrition for convenience,” according to the American Medical Association.
“While it may be convenient, consuming ultra-processed foods on a regular basis increases a person’s risk of health complications including cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, obesity, type 2 diabetes and depression. But it can be hard to tell when these foods are on your plate.”
Truitt says it’s easy get confused or bogged down when food shopping. “You don’t have to spend hours reading labels,” she says. “If you see something you wouldn’t add to a recipe, you probably want to avoid it.
“We don’t want to confuse ultra-processed foods with normally processed foods (like mayonnaise) that have a minimal amount of chemicals or preservatives – in amounts approved by the FDA – to make them shelf-stable. While they’re low in nutrients and fiber and high in salt and sugar, they’re not in the same category as ultra-processed food. It’s the chicken nuggets and American cheese that we should be avoiding.”
Truitt says to shop the outside aisles in the supermarket and buy the rainbow when choosing fruits and vegetables. You don’t have to buy organic produce if it’s not in the budget, she adds. “With prices so high, many people aren’t able to make that choice. But you can still have a clean diet, regardless.”
HelpGuide.org is an independent nonprofit that runs one of the world’s leading mental health websites. It states that children are never too young to learn the negatives of ultra-processed foods. Eating clean can have a profound effect on their health, helping them to maintain a healthy weight, stabilize moods and sharpen minds. It can affect a child’s sense of mental and emotional wellbeing, helping to prevent conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and ADHD.
Kids aren’t born with a craving for French fries and pizza and an aversion to broccoli and carrots. This conditioning happens over time as they’re exposed to more and more unhealthy food choices. However, it is possible to reprogram your children’s food preferences so that they crave healthier foods instead. The sooner you introduce wholesome, nutritious choices into a child’s diet, the easier it will be for them to develop a healthy relationship with food that can last them a lifetime.
Truitt cautions that another negative effect of a diet heavy in ultra-processed foods is the creation of harmful free radicals.
Free radicals are defined as unstable molecules that can damage the cells in your body, according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM). They often occur as a result of normal metabolic processes, as well as environmental stressors. As we age, the body loses its ability to combat the effects of free radicals. This results in more free radicals, cell damage, oxidative stress and inflammation.
The NLM report notes increased interest about the relationship between the consumption of highly processed foods and health. The growing incidence of chronic diseases in modern society has sounded alarm bells. Numerous studies support the claim that ultra-processed foods may partly explain the increase in chronic non-communicable diseases and an overall higher mortality risk. Other research showed that ultra-processed foods may lead to overeating and facilitate the development of obesity or type 2 diabetes.
A box of whole wheat pasta or brown rice, which keeps its natural fiber and nutrient content, would be considered natural or minimally processed food, but a box of flavored or seasoned white rice with added salt, fats, sugars and other chemicals would be categorized as ultra-processed. Homemade mashed potatoes are more processed than a plain baked potato. However, a potato chip, with large amounts of added fat from the deep fat fryer and a large portion of salt, is an ultra-processed food.
As a nutrition counselor, Truitt tries to help people learn which products benefit their health and which harm health. Her virtual, online practice helps with the learning process.
“If someone is in my office telling me what they’ve eaten that week, I have no idea what the oatmeal, bread and cheese look like. But if they walk around the kitchen with an iPad showing me the items, we’ll have much better information with which to start the journey towards a healthier diet free of ultra-processed foods.”
Barbara Truitt MS, RD, LD/N is a nutrition counselor in Port St Lucie with a 100 percent virtual practice. She has a BS and MS from Eastern Michigan University. She is a member Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Florida Dietetic Association and ASPEN (American Society for Parental and Enteral Nutrition), and is registered with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is registered in the State of Florida and is accepting new patients. Her number is 954-850-9118.