Processed foods are a much bigger health problem than we thought

[Bernardo de La Paz]

26. Been doing for 30 yrs. I think I know how it works with Obesity & article obliquely confirms

I'm pretty sure that the key is that the body is getting a lack of nutrients in highly processed food or (as article indicates & new angle to me) that any nutrients are poorly absorbed. Probably some of both.

So then the body signals to the brain "We need more food" to get the missing nutrients so we eat more food than strictly necessary and we gain weight.

By avoiding processed foods, we break that cycle in multiple ways.

1) There are more nutrients and cooperating nutrients left in the food. Not taken out and then a very limited number put back in without co-nutrients (my terminology). We know that certain minerals like zinc and selenium in small or trace amounts promote absorption of some other nutrients. There are many complex interactions. Raw & natural sourcing preserves those interactions.

2) Less disruptive to the gut biome. We know that over consumption of some food-like substances disrupts the gut. These are added to processed foods to promote sales.

3) Processed foods are often said to have "great taste" by the lumpenproletariat by which I mean the average consumer who as a group are not very skilled or experienced in varieties or paying careful attention to taste.

This "great taste" and mouth appeal (crunchiness for example) are like blunt instruments: they clobber the taste buds to send a jolt to the brain, but there is no nuance or complexity. It's like hearing two minutes of Rancid versus two minutes of Mozart.

So, avoiding processed foods includes training the mind to resense and reperceive the multitude of complexities of taste available. Rancid may provide a thrill, but Mozart is deeper and more beneficial even if it might take a little getting used to.

4) Processed foods encourage snacking. Real foods require user-preparation so they take time to prepare and thus meals are more like meals.