Are you healthy?
But most of the time I don't realize it and end up going to Tesco for a chicken and stuffed sandwich and a pack of crisps.
In other words, packaged salads aren't great, and they can't compete with the salty, crunchy texture of chicken-filled, mayonnaise-laden processed bread sandwiches or potato chips.
In 2023, the Irish Heart Foundation published a compelling report titled 'Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: Best Practice and Lessons for Ireland'. A position paper compiled by former UCC School of Public Health professor Ivan Perry recommends radical action.
“Without bold policy initiatives, we can expect continued increases in mortality and poor health due to risk factors,” Professor Perry warned.
Diet is a major risk factor because it affects weight, diabetes, and blood pressure. Evidence shows that poor diet is the greatest risk factor for chronic disease, surpassing the combined effects of tobacco, alcohol, and physical inactivity.
But as soon as we walk into our local supermarket or convenience store, all the latest news flashes through our heads as we sample pizza, biscuits, chocolate, soda, and baked goods.
Dr Neil Srinivasan, a consultant cardiologist in the UK, recognizes this challenge. “At the heart of it all is the ready availability of highly processed foods.”
To help us, Dr. Srinivasan recommends five foods to avoid. Breakfast cereal is his biggest no-no.
He told Britain's Daily Telegraph that “these foods go through multiple steps when they are made” and that people who eat the most ultra-processed foods (UPF) are at risk of developing serious heart disease and stroke. explained that it was 24% higher.
“We found that for every 10% increase in daily UPF intake, the risk of heart disease increased by a total of 6%.
“Unfortunately, fresh patisserie sweets, takeaway cereal bars and biscuits all fall into the UPF-rich category.”
Other top four ultra-processed foods to avoid include salami (soaked in saturated fat), potato chips (high in saturated fat, high in calories, and full of additives), and ice cream (also full of additives). ), carbonated beverages (including highly concentrated ones). sugar and additives).
“Avoid sugary drinks completely,” says Dr. Srinivasan. “Excess sugar intake from sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.”
Chris Van Turkan, a physician and author of Ultra-processed People, says Coca-Cola is the best example of how UPF can hijack its flavor interactions to encourage you to eat and drink more. explains.
Coca-Cola has a bitter taste due to caffeine and a sour taste due to the added phosphoric acid. Van Tullekan says that together they allow for the smuggling of large amounts of sugar through the tongue.
“But they're not doing it alone. The fizziness of the drink also plays a role, as does the suggestion to chill it with ice. Although it's not entirely clear why. You can reduce the sweetness by making it cold and fluffy.
Think of a warm, flat cola. Despite being bitter, it is very sweet and disgusting.
Whether we develop a desire for a particular taste appears to depend on changes in blood sugar levels when we ingest it. The more sugar you have, the more you want.
Like all additives, emulsifiers, preservatives, modified starches, and other additives can damage the microbiome, enable the growth of inflammatory bacteria, and cause leaky gut tracts. There is growing evidence to suggest that.
The gut is lined with a mucus layer filled with antibodies and immune cells that interact with the microbiome, one of the body's largest immune organs. Microbes live in warm, moist mucus, which nourishes them and limits their ability to exit the intestines.
To make a long story very short, bacteria in the colon ferment fiber to make their own energy, which in turn produces other molecules called short-chain fatty acids, which the body uses to “reduce inflammation, regulate immunity,” etc. used for various purposes. As a system and as fuel as a heart and brain specialist,” says Dr. Van Turekan.
A review in Nature (2015) published a series of animal studies on the effects of dietary emulsifiers on the microbiome, which highlighted the “increasing incidence of inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic syndrome, and intestinal disease since the mid-20th century. It may have contributed to this.” Possibly another chronic inflammatory disease. ”
With accumulating evidence and health services overwhelmed by chronic diseases directly related to poor diets, is it time to reconsider the dominance of ultra-processed foods in our daily diets? ?
If you have too many tasks, you can start by eliminating five major culprits: breakfast cereals, salami (including pepperoni), potato chips, ice cream, and soda.
First step – stop eating potato chips at lunchtime.
Dr. Catherine Conlon is a public health physician and former Director of Human Health and Safe Foods.