Bob

I like it all, lol. But my favorite is probably beef, given that it is readily available over here. I have steaks several days a week as well as ground beef which is pretty diverse in the number of things you can do with it. For breakfast, I am an eggs and pork sausage kinda guy. Bacon is good, but I don't prepare it often. I've had lamb, chicken, duck, and a variety of fish and seafood. There's a place nearby that makes a fantastic seafood boil, and I will get mussels, shrimp, snow crab legs, lobster tails, and giant sea scallops. I can eat scallops with no end in sight, but they are actually quite carby so I have to moderate myself, lol.

Yes, that is my real name. I'm 48 and live in Northeast Ohio near Akron. I'm a tile setter and bathroom remodeler by trade, and do some web design, hosting and dog training on the side as a hobby. I've always been a believer in low carb and keto, just didn't consistently practice what I knew to be good for me. I stumbled upon the carnivore diet this year and have had the most amazing results ever, from weight loss to other health improvements. I still have a few issues to tackle, but it could be worse in that I could still be a a very big man eating the standard American diet watching my health suffer. I much more prefer the new me. This was the Cliff's notes version. I've previously spoke in more detail in this Topic and in other places here in the community.

Eating beef staves off cancer, scientists discover Story by Isobel Williams A fatty acid in red meat and dairy helps destroy cancer cells (Picture: Getty/Science Photo Libra)© Provided by Metro Eating red meat and dairy could help to fight cancer, a new study suggests. Scientists have discovered that a specific fatty acid found in beef, lamb and dairy products improves the body’s ability to attack and kill tumours. The study, published in the journal Nature, also shows that patients with higher levels of the fatty acid – known as trans-vaccenic acid (TVA) – in their blood responded better to immunotherapy, suggesting that it could work as a nutritional supplement to complement clinical cancer treatments. ‘There are many studies trying to decipher the link between diet and human health, and it’s very difficult to understand the underlying mechanisms because of the wide variety of foods people eat,’ said co-author Professor Jing Chen, of the University of Chicago. ‘But if we focus on just the nutrients and metabolites derived from food, we begin to see how they influence physiology and pathology. ‘By focusing on nutrients that can activate T cell [immune] responses, we found one that actually enhances anti-tumour immunity by activating an important immune pathway.’ Could steak help cure cancer? (Picture: Getty/iStockphoto)© Provided by Metro For the study, the team started with a database of around 700 known metabolites, small molecules that come from food, and assembled a ‘blood nutrient’ library. They then screened the compounds in this new library for their ability to influence anti-tumour immunity. After the scientists evaluated the top six candidates in both human and mouse cells, they saw that TVA performed the best. ‘After millions of years of evolution, there are only a couple hundred metabolites derived from food that end up circulating in the blood, so that means they could have some importance in our biology,’ said Professor Chen. ‘To see that a single nutrient like TVA has a very targeted mechanism on a targeted immune cell type, with a very profound physiological response at the whole organism level – I find that really amazing and intriguing.’ The team found that feeding mice a diet enriched with TVA significantly reduced the tumour growth potential of melanoma and colon cancer cells, as well as enhancing the body’s ability to infiltrate tumours. Dairy products also contain a ‘good’ fatty acid that appears to help fight cancer (Picture: Getty)© Provided by Metro They then analysed blood samples from hospital patients undergoing immunotherapy treatment for lymphoma and discovered that patients with higher levels of TVA tended to respond better to treatment than those with lower levels. Finally, the study discovered that TVA enhanced the ability of an immunotherapy drug to kill leukaemia cells in patients. However, the authors do not believe eating excessive red meat is the solution and hope to find similar results in plants. Professor Chen added: ‘There is a growing body of evidence about the detrimental health effects of consuming too much red meat and dairy, so this study shouldn’t be taken as an excuse to eat more cheeseburgers and pizza. ‘There is early data showing that other fatty acids from plants signal through a similar receptor, so we believe there is a high possibility that nutrients from plants can do the same thing by activating the CREB pathway as well.’ ----- Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/eating-beef-staves-off-cancer-scientists-discover/ar-AA1kmI9g

@Geezy is absolutely right. Ruminant meat, especially beef, is the most nutrient dense food on the planet for humans. The "red meat will give you heart disease" myth stems from the myth that saturated fat is bad for you. Saturated fat can elevate LDL cholesterol levels, which is often referred to as "bad cholesterol" which is yet another myth. So, it's a myth built on a myth built on a myth. Every year, you see a headline about a new "study" that links red meat to an increase in heart disease. The problem though is there never is a new "study". It's just another group crunching data gathered from an old study from the mid 80's. This old study was based on food frequency questionnaires that people were asked to fill out every 4 years, where they had to remember and guess what they ate over that span of time. See the problem here? The crunched numbers show that red meat is associated with a higher outcome for heart disease. But this risk factor is minimal, and barely worth mentioning. It also doesn't take into account other factors for heart disease. For example, many of these people were sedentary, ate the junk american diet, were smokers, etc. But magically, it's the red meat that gets the blame, lol.

Okay, so this is a little scarier. The prospect of blending lab meat and real meat together. It better be clearly marked. ------------------------------ What Is Hybrid Meat And How Does It Differ From Plant-Based Varieties? BY CORIN MJ BAE/OCT. 7, 2023 9:00 PM EST Nevodka/Getty Images Despite studies showing that eating meat increases greenhouse gas emissions — and that just a 50% plant-based substitution could cut emissions by a third — projections for global meat consumption are going up. With the plant-based meat industry facing substantial financial hurdles due to a lack of demand, it seems like the human appetite for a real cut of beef isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Thankfully, there's a strong candidate for a long-term solution to the problem: hybrid meat, an alt-meat that combines lab-cultivated animal meat and plant-based substitutes for the most authentic taste possible at a much more sustainable footprint. You might be asking, why not just pivot to cultivated meat entirely? The lab meat industry has been making major breakthroughs in science and legislation, with 2023 seeing the first FDA approval of cultivated meat. However, despite the fact that the U.S. will most definitely be seeing more cultivated meat products in the future, the harsh truth is that lab-grown meat production is still too expensive to be viable from a consumer perspective. Combining it with plant-based alternatives not only helps lower the price but adds a healthier element via the vegetables included in the plant-based portion: The newly growing hybrid meat industry is looking to tackle the issue by innovating the perfect ratio between taste and affordability to offer an alt-meat that's the best of every world. The growing industry of hybrid meat Studiocasper/Getty Images Currently, the biggest names in the hybrid meat industry are Meatable and Love Handle, two sustainability-focused companies collaborating on the world's first hybrid meat development facility in Singapore. Announced in late 2022, the Future of Meat Innovation Center currently hosts Meatable and Love Handle's projects as well as inviting those of other alt-meat startups and ventures with the ultimate goal of fostering the industry as a whole. So far, the center has seen some incredible progress: According to Meatable, the company now has a means of producing real meat tissue from cells in as little as eight days and will be launching its hybrid meat products in Singapore as early as 2024. Currently, Meatable has every intention of expanding its operations to the U.S. market. However, with the sharp drop in revenue, setbacks, and loss of consumer faith the alt-meat industry has been battling in the U.S., it's unclear if hybrid meat will be able to make a solid landing and establish itself in the current market. There's also the looming fact that, despite the plant-based element making hybrid meat much cheaper than 100% cultivated meat, it remains a premium-priced product in comparison to conventional meat. Hopefully, we'll be seeing further innovations that'll help bring hybrid meat — as well as completely plant-based alternatives — closer to price parity and onto our tables. ----- Article Source: https://www.tastingtable.com/1409364/what-is-hybrid-meat-difference-meatless-varieties/ ^ compliance with terms ("You are not permitted to reproduce Static Media Content in any online website or distribution method if for any reason you do not provide a link back to the specific URL of the Static Media Content.")

I've recently discovered another site that looks like a very nice option. It's called Ulta Lab Tests. It would appear that they offer Cystatin C also for $40 plus an $8 specimen collection fee ($48 in total). They also operate through Quest Diagnostics. All three of these sites are worth checking out. All three provide a myriad of tests for you and are very affordable. https://www.ultalabtests.com/

My starting advice would depend on your answer to where are you coming from? What is your current diet? If you are vegetarian interested in the benefits of carnivore, or currently eating the standard American junk diet, I would recommend a gradual transition to carnivore. Something like this.... Week 1: Cut your carbs to 100g or less per day. Remove all sugars, grains, and seed oils. Week 2: Cut your carbs to 50g or less. Start eating 3 meals a day with NO snacking in between. Week 3: Cut your carbs to 20g or less. Start focusing on filling half your plate with fatty meat, and the other half low carb veggies. Week 4: Cut your carbs to 10g or less. Now 3/4th of your plate is fatty meat and 1/4 is veggies. Week 5 and beyond, only eat animal products. It will basically be zerocarb or trace carbs. The reason for this is because if you switch suddenly, you might experience what is called the "keto flu" which is a run down groggy feeling that lasts a few days to a few weeks. Also, your bowel habits will change, and this slower transition will help you understand these changes are fine (you will go sit down just a couple times a week instead of multiple times a day). Now others prefer to jump right in. I think that's what @Geezy says he did. And that is okay to. You just have to power through the transition phase. But once you are fat adapted, you should feel great and energized most of the time.

Welcome @Eric G! I would love to see you get to the bottom of this. Your diet description sounds on point. They are basically the same things I would eat. Although if I eat chicken, I usually add bacon or cheese or both because the chicken is lean and I want a higher fat content. I use Carb Manager app to track my macros. But I think your diet is fine as it is. How is the pain and inflammation in the rest of your body? Has that improved? Have you ever had a back injury? Have you ever been in an accident? There could be some condition that is aggravating the back that diet alone isn't going to address. For example, my wife was in a car accident in 2007. Years later, she developed a chronic pain condition where nobody could even touch her. By late 2015 she spent most the time in bed and didn't want to live. We were seeing a specialist per day and she was on like 15 different medications. Then, a friend referred us to this non-traditional chiropractor who practiced an alternative method. He x-rayed her neck and there were some cervical vertebrae misaligned and pinching her major nerve chord and causing the brain to be lifted up from it's natural resting posting. He made adjustments to her neck over the course of several visits, and her pain went away and she got her life back, and I got my wife back, lol. Diet wise, I would keep doing what you are doing. I would try to run this by Dr. Berry. I could even ask in your behalf.

So from an observational standpoint, yes, the weather seems to be different form when I was a child. I can remember it snowing, guaranteed, by my birthday in early November. I can also remember "Spring Break" being the last week of March and it was often warm enough to wear shorts - at least us crazy kids thought so. Today, we really don't see snow until January. And then, sometimes that snow lasts into April, and we've even had a freak snow in the middle of May. It's almost like we need a "leap month" to reset everything. Everything seems to be off by 30 days or so from when I was a kid. Am I worried? No. I don't fret about things out of my control.

So my wife uses sugar free french vanilla Coffee Mate. Here's the ingredients.... WATER, CORN SYRUP**, VEGETABLE OIL (HIGH OLEIC SOYBEAN AND/OR HIGH OLEIC CANOLA), AND LESS THAN 2% OF MICELLAR CASEIN (A MILK DERIVATIVE)***, MALTODEXTRIN**, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CARRAGEENAN, SUCRALOSE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER). **Adds a trivial amount of sugar. ***Not a source of lactose. Ingredient(s) derived from a bioengineered source It's like 1 carb per serving. You are having 2 servings per day. It's may not harm you any, but it definitely isn't clean. This is basically a blend of corn syrup and seed oils. The rest of the ingredients make up less than 2% of the ingredients. If you hit a weight loss plateau that lasts for more than a month, this would be the first thing I cut out. I do think a better choice would be to try some heavy cream and some stevia if you want a little sweetness. If the heavy cream bothers you, then learn to drink it without. Black coffee, with or without a touch of sweetener, is an acquired taste. You may not dig it at first, but if you keep drinking it that way it will become the way you love it. Eventually, adding cream to your coffee suddenly ruins it for you, once you've made your taste buds over.

Estimates of the contribution by cattle to global warming that may occur in the next 50 to 100 years is a little less than 2%. In short, cows and eating meat are a non-issue.

Welcome aboard Christina! Can you give an example of what you eat in a typical day? And how much coffee are you drinking? I know you said a tablespoon but if you drink cup after cup all day long then this is important to know, lol. If you are only having one cup of coffee and a single tablespoon of zero sugar coffee creamer, you are probably going to be fine. Much of it depends on your "why" for doing carnivore. If it's to lose weight, I probably wouldn't worry about it. If it's to reverse or heal a condition, then you might want to, because in this case the point of carnivore is to be a clean, pure elimination diet, and then later you add back in things and see if you are sensitive to it or not. I still drink some artificially sweetened beverages myself, and I'm fine and still reaping the benefits of a carnivore diet. Read your labels and make sure you're comfortable with small quantities of whatever those ingredients are. Many carnivores will use heavy cream, and others will use butter. Both of these are usually lacking in lactose, which is why many people have issues with regular dairy, like milk.

Yes, this is true. Animal protein sources are more complete, have better absorption and muscle-building effects, have more additional nutrients, and contain fewer calories and carbohydrates. However, plant proteins are considered “incomplete” because they lack sufficient amounts of one or more essential amino acids. There's 2 ways around this problem. One would be to eat a variety of plant proteins at once, increasing your odds of getting all the essential amino acids to form a "complete" protein. Or, just eat soy, as soy protein is complete just like animal protein. However, soy is known to cause other issues when eaten in excess. Then there is the problem of fiber and antinutrients found in plants that also block your bodies absorption of some of these proteins and nutrients. In short, the protein and nutrient composition of meat is more "bioavailable" than those in plants. When you eat meat, you absorb ALL of it. When you eat plants, much of the nutrition just ends up in the toilet.

So I would answer real meat, fresh meat, and even meat from the local rancher/butcher. There's a bit of a "grey area" when it comes to processed meats. Some meats are called "processed foods" when they really aren't. For example, bacon, throughout history, has been cured, but wasn't a processed food, at least not until modern times. It's always important to read your labels and see what's in the product. It's similar with certain sausages and certain deli meats, like salami. Are these processed or cured? Well, depends on the supplier and what's in it. I would not consider canned tuna or canned salmon processed. It's just the animals flesh, put in a can. But then there's hot dogs, bologna, vienna sausages, etc. I worked at a hot dog factory, and that is definitely processed. It a mishmash of meat, organ, and fat scraps liquified, with maybe some dextrose or cornstarch added, and then solidified in a casing that may often be synthetic. Even then, if all you could afford was these cheap processed meats, it would still be healthier than cookies, cakes, pies, cheetos, snacks, and much more junk that makes up the standard American diet.

And that is my primary concern. To date, putting all kinds of man-made processed foods into our bodies has a lot of consequences, even if it takes years for those consequences to become manifest. I would suspect lab grown meat would be the same. I'll let others be the guniea pigs for this. 😄

This would basically be Keto, which we do approve of here. Before I went mostly carnivore, I ate a lot of salads and always had a low carb side vegetable with my meat. I'm not a dogmatic carnivore so I'm personally not averse to vegetables, or even certain fruits for that matter, depending on one's current metabolic health. As Dr. Berry would say, a Proper Human Diet is a spectrum, from low carb, to keto, to ketovore, to carnivore. You just have to find out where on the spectrum you fit. And sometimes, your DNA, genetics, and heritage will play a role in this too.

That's an impressive list of improvements, Geoff. I'm really happy for you. Yes indeed. I have lost 50 pounds, lost all my skin tags, lowered my blood pressure, possibly cured ulcerative colitis, and have more energy and overall feel better than I have in decades. I used to have an issue with falling asleep behind the wheel on my way home from work. I routinely would make it almost home, and have to pull into a parking lot, lock the door, and pass out for 30 minutes, and then resume my drive. That never happens anymore, thank God!

I'm kinda on the fence about this too for the same reasons. I can think of all kinds of foods that should be illegal because they are basically slow-acting poisons that harm you over the course of years and decades. I'm not putting lab grown meat in my mouth, so I hope there is clear labeling and they don't try to wrap this up and present it the same way real meat is wrapped, weighed, and presented. I would expect it will be in a shrink-wrapped package inside a box that boasts how it's lab grown, so it should be clear. If it's presented deceptively, I will probably have to start buying everything from my local rancher.

No need to hold back. Let it all out. It's okay

The steaks are high: Florida Republican wants to ban lab-grown meat A lawmaker wants to make it a second-degree misdemeanor to sell or distribute it. By BRUCE RITCHIE 11/15/2023 06:25 PM EST TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida Republican has a beef with lab-grown meat. State Rep. Tyler Sirois has proposed legislation that would make it a criminal offense to sell ”cultivated” meat in Florida, claiming that it’s an “affront to nature and creation” and the latest front in the “ESG agenda” — referring to environmental, social and corporate governance, which has been target of Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican state leaders. “Farming and cattle are incredibly important industries to Florida,” Sirois said in an interview on Wednesday. “So I think this is a very relevant discussion for our state to have.” Sirois, a developer who said he doesn’t have ties to agriculture, said he hopes Florida will become the first state to ban cultured meat. He also has a powerful ally supporting him: Wilton Simpson, the state’s agriculture commissioner and former Senate president, who is “100%” behind the effort. “Without this legislation, untested, potentially unsafe, and nearly unregulated laboratory produced meat could be made available in Florida,” Simpson, an industrial egg farmer, said in a statement. Proponents argue lab-grown meat, like the product pictured, can reduce the environmental effects of grazing, growing feed for animals and animal waste. | Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images The U. S. Department of Agriculture last June approved two companies, Upside Foods and Good Meat Inc., to sell cultivated meat, though it’s not yet readily available in grocery stores. The faux meat is grown from animal cells and can be formed into nuggets, cutlets or other shapes and proponents argue it can reduce the environmental effects of grazing, growing feed for animals and animal waste. “Instead of all of that land and all of that water that’s used to feed all of these animals that are slaughtered, we can do it in a different way,” Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just Inc., which operates Good Meat, told The Associated Press. There was no immediate response to requests for comment from the Association for Meat, Poultry and Seafood Innovation, which represents the emerging cultivated meat industry and has promoted its sale in restaurants. The association says on its website that cultured meat “will be a critical and sustainable component, in partnership with the overall agriculture sector, to meeting increased demand for meat as the world’s population continues to grow.” Sirois said he finds the process of growing meat in a laboratory, using chemicals and enzymes, to be “deeply troubling.” His legislation would make it a second-degree misdemeanor to sell or distribute it. “I think it raises important ethical concerns about the limitations and boundaries we should place on this type of science,” he said. “I think you could see a very slippery slope here leading to things like cloning, which are very troubling to me.” Sirois also said the USDA and the federal Food and Drug Administration are part of the ESG push behind lab-grown meat. He noted that the Legislature earlier this year had targeted environmental, social and governance scoring factors in state investments. “That’s the message that is being sent here is that the laboratory-produced product is superior to conventional farming and cattle ranching,” Sirois said. “But to me my focus is on making sure No. 1 that we are not acting here without understanding the consequences of manipulating this material in a laboratory — manipulating cells that are harvested from animals — and also making sure Floridians have a clear understanding of what is going on here.” The nonprofit advocacy group Organic Consumers Association and the trade and lobbying organization National Cattlemen’s Beef Association also have raised concerns at the national level about the production and labeling of cultivated meat. Sam Ard, director of governmental affairs for the Florida Cattlemen’s Association, told POLITICO his group hasn’t taken a position on the bill but opposes calling the lab-grown product “meat.” “It’s not meat,” Ard said. “Meat comes from a cow. Meat comes from a live animal.” Article Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/15/florida-republican-lab-grown-meat-ban-00127447

Well that's good, lol.

I'll have to give that recipe a try. Thanks Geoff @Geezy! There's a popular waffle like creation in the keto-carnivore world called a Chaffle. Cheese + Waffle = Chaffle. It's basically eggs and cheese and cooked in a waffle maker, and then used as a "bun" for any type of sandwich. Nutrient dense and only trace carbs, all animal products.

I've been mostly carnivore since May 12th, 2023. I did it because in 2021 I was slowly improving my kidney labs (I have stage 4 CKD) by doing keto. But in 2022 I backslid and gained all my weight back and in December of 2022 my numbers started going in the wrong direction, so I wanted to get my act together and return to keto. It took a couple months to make my mind over, but I finally eased into low carb/dirty keto in March. I was watching keto diet influencers on YouTube and came across Dr. Ken Berry. His style of keto was very reminiscent of the Atkins Diet that was successful for me back in the 90's and 2000's, which is basically clean, just meat, cheese, and veggies. This was before "keto" became bastardized by big food companies with their fake "keto" bars, cookies, tortillas, and breads - which are not really keto at all. So I went clean keto in April. Throughout April I would keep binging his videos and he kept talking about a carnivore diet. It made sense, being that it would be zero to minimal carbs, but I wasn't sure if that was something I could commit to. Then on May 12 I broke my ankle, and with the prospect of not being able to exercise for several weeks or months, I decided I would go carnivore and intermittently fast. I lost 10 more pounds while I was laid up and healed quicker than expected. Since then, I have taken off 50 pounds. I am fairly faithful to carnivore. Occasionally I will revert back to keto for a meal depending on who I am in company with.

How Ultra-Processed Foods Differ From Other Processed Foods Story by Erica Sweeney FROZEN PIZZA, PRE-PACKAGED meal, fast food, and canned soup may pop into your diet from time to time. These foods are tasty and convenient. But, they’re also ultra-processed, and eating too many isn’t great for your health. “There are several definitions for ultra-processed food,” says Gina Granich, R.D., an instructor at the University of South Florida College of Public Health. “Simply put, an ultra-processed food is a food item, typically packaged, that has numerous manufactured ingredients that are added to it. Think salt, sugar, fats, enzymes, and more.” Three-quarters of Americans say they consider whether foods are processed, and more than 60 percent try to avoid them, according to the International Food Information Council’s 2023 Food and Health Survey. But, not all processed foods are created equal. Most foods are processed to some extent to make them safe to eat. For instance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture counts foods that have been canned, frozen, chopped, pasteurized, or dehydrated as processed. Minimally processed foods, like frozen vegetables, canned beans, or pre-cut fruit, can be healthy additions to your diet, Granich says. But, if you notice that a food label has a long list of ingredients that you’ve never heard of and can’t pronounce, it’s most likely an ultra-processed food. And, dietitians say it’s best to limit them. “The closer a food is to its natural state, the better,” Granich explains. “Ultra-processed foods are not very similar to the original food item due to all the additives. Some of the added ingredients are not typically things that you would eat but are added to modify taste or texture.” Here’s what you should know about ultra-processed foods, how they affect your health, and how many of these foods you should incorporate into your diet. What Exactly Are Ultra-Processed Foods? Foods that have been through several processing steps and include many additives, preservatives, and artificial components are considered ultra-processed, explains Leah Silberman, R.D., a registered dietitian with Medical Offices of Manhattan. Frozen or ready-to-eat meals, chips, cookies, hot dogs, soft drinks, sugary cereal, fast food burgers and fries—they're all examples of ultra-processed foods. gettyimages-200494066-001© Rob Melnychuk - Getty Images “You might think of ultra-processed foods as highly designed items in which the natural ingredients have been substituted with synthetic ones. They are intended to be highly addictive, easy to use, and long-lasting," Silberman says. Ultra-processed foods are appealing because they’re tasty, convenient, and usually inexpensive. “But, they do not contribute to our health,” Silberman says. How to Understand Different Levels of Food Processing Ultra-processed foods aren’t the only type of processed food. To understand the different kinds, the NOVA food classification system, developed by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, can help. “The classification is best used when looking at the zoomed-out view of your diet,” says Stephanie Nelson, R.D., a registered dietitian at MyFitnessPal. “How much of your diet fits into each of those categories, generally? If most of your meals come from the ultra-processed category, it’s probably time to make some changes based on preferences, access, and affordability.” The system categorizes processed foods into four groups: Group 1: Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Foods This group includes fresh fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, or eggs that are in their original state or have had inedible or unwanted parts, like stems or fat, removed by product manufacturers. To preserve the foods, make them suitable for storage, and safe to eat, manufacturers may freeze, dry, or pasteurize the product. gettyimages-1153761410© F.J. Jimenez - Getty Images Pre-cut fruits and vegetables that have just been peeled, washed, and packaged fall into this category, Silberman says. Generally, these foods retain their original vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other health benefits. Group 2: Processed culinary ingredients Oils, butter, sugar, salt, and flour fall into this category. They’ve been milled or pressed to create items that are used to prepare the foods in Group 1. They’re rarely eaten on their own. Group 3: Processed Foods Cheese, canned vegetables and fish, fruits in syrup, and packaged bread are examples of processed foods. They are recognized as modified versions of Group 1 and may contain added ingredients, like sugar, salt, and preservatives. Group 4: Ultra-Processed Food and Drink Products These are formulations derived from foods, additives, preservatives, and stabilizers. They’re typically created by industrial processes. Ultra-processed foods include prepared or packaged pizza, meat, or pasta, as well as soft drinks, fast food, cookies, and packaged bread. They contain multiple, usually unrecognizable ingredients. Are Ultra-Processed Foods Bad For Your Health? Generally, people eat too many ultra-processed foods—they make up almost 60 percent of the calories eaten in the U.S., according to a study published in BMJ Open. These foods lack vital nutrients and are loaded with harmful ingredients, Silberman says. gettyimages-1316520316© milan2099 - Getty Images “Too much sugar, bad fats, salt, and artificial ingredients are often found in these foods,” she says. “Nutrient shortages and other health issues, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, may result from a diet consisting mostly of these items.” They may be linked to cognitive decline, too. A recent study found that people who ate more than 20 percent of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods had a 28 percent faster decline in cognition and 25 percent faster decline in executive functioning. Ultra-processed foods, which often contain artificial flavorings and sweeteners, are designed to be highly palatable, and Silberman says they can be addictive. Research shows that eating more ultra-processed foods leads to an overall increased calorie intake and weight gain. Research has also shown that people who consume more ultra-processed foods may have higher risks for cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease. “When ultra-processed foods make up the majority of your diet, it’s probably a good indicator that your diet quality is low,” Nelson says. Should You Eat Ultra-Processed Foods? It’s best to limit ultra-processed foods and focus on consuming unprocessed or minimally processed items, Granich says. Check the ingredients list, and the smaller the list, the better. “Bonus points if there isn’t an ingredient list because you’re purchasing whole fruits and vegetables in their most natural form,” she adds. If unprocessed foods aren’t accessible to you, canned or frozen items are your next best bet. When most of your diet consists of nutrient-dense unprocessed or minimally processed foods, with plenty of fruits and vegetables, eating an ultra-processed food occasionally isn’t the end of the world, Silberman says. Just try to keep the portions small. There’s usually no need to eliminate ultra-processed foods entirely or scrutinize every food in your diet, Nelson says. “Overall, focus on eating enough fruits, veggies, and whole grains, hitting your protein, fiber, vitamin, and mineral goals, and staying under your added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat goals,” she explains. “Sprinkle in your favorite ultra-processed foods, and make compromises when ultra-processed foods become the centerpiece of your meal.” Try 200+ at home workout videos from Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Prevention, and more on All Out Studio free for 14 days! Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/how-ultra-processed-foods-differ-from-other-processed-foods/ar-AA1dPfFc