A recent study found that folks eating ultra-processed foods consumed significantly more calories and gained more weight. Ultra processed foods are similar to high octane gasoline. In the NIH study, 20 healthy young adults (10 men, 10 women) agreed to live in a clinic for 28 consecutive days and only eat foods that were provided. For half of the stay, they were fed an ultra-processed and for the remainder, a minimally processed diet. They could eat as much or as little as they wanted. The results were logical. Folks that ate the ultra-processed diet consumed an additional 500 calories a day, gaining about a pound a week. At the same time, folks that ate a whole plant based diet lost about a pound a week. The diets were similar in carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fiber, sugars, sodium and nutrients. And, the ultra processed diet was actually not as ultra processed as it could have been, avoiding some of the most ultraprocessed foods, like chips, cookies, candies and sodas.
When you eat foods that are no longer intact, you basically open a super highway between your small intestine and your blood. In the study, folks consumed calories 50% faster (processed foods melt in your mouth and are much more energy dense) and the researchers were able to show that by the time the gut released hormones to signal fullness to the brain, calorie consumption had already exceeded what was required. Also, a raw plant based diet includes more insoluble fiber than an ultra-processed diet and insoluble fibers are minimally digested in the small intestine and instead serve as excellent nourishment for our good bacteria population that occupies our large intestine. Consistent with this finding, two British population based studies recently found that adults that consumed mostly whole plants had a lower risk of heart disease and greater longevity. What are you waiting for?
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