Bob

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

I go hiking and walk the dog every other day or so. These are usually 2-3 mile trips when I do. I sometimes mess around with free weights and do some push ups and sit ups. I should be motivated more. I plan on getting a treadmill and better weight lifting equipment as winter sets in and going outside becomes less desirable. I'm having an issue with high triglycerides (a personal medical issue that is not diet related), so 30 minutes a day on the treadmill should help burn some of them up.

Interesting thought, in that I don't think much about it, lol. I feel that if I am focused on something, my mental well-being will be in a good place. Currently, I am focused on health and nutrition through the use of a keto-carnivore diet. So not only am I eating right and exercising, I am also consuming an incredible amount of information through medical journals and keto-carnivore influencers. I have one particular medical issue that I haven't been able to reverse, and if I over analyze that I will get stressed and burned out, so I have to take steps back and just trust that I am doing the best I can do with what I have.

Well, since I am mostly carnivore, it's pretty easy to cook up some ground beef, ground lamb, or ground elk, and enjoy it with some salt, and if your variation of the carnivore diet allows for cheese or seasonings, you can add in those too. I also like to scramble in some eggs. Beef and eggs are 2 of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet, so it's already healthy and nutritious. If you follow the What's fer Supper topic, you'll see I default to this quick dinner fix quite often, lol.

I never heard of milk fluoridation until recently. I didn't even know it was a thing.

Nice rack on that one. Do you ever have them mounted and hang them on your wall? Growing up, my dad would deer hunt. He had 3 that he kept on the wall.

Me too, particularly yo-yo dieting and keto being the only thing that worked well.... until modern "keto" came along with it's obsession to create a "keto" counterpart for all the foods that you were trying to learn not to eat again. When Keto was just meat and vegetables, it worked. When keto became "Oh look I made a keto pecan pie" then it didn't work anymore, lol.

Sounds like you're a lean fella. I was a big fat fella, and have lost 50 pounds in 7-8 months. It's very visible 😄 Now I need to build some muscle.

Thanks for the image. I can understand the ranges and have no need to translate them. Everything seems to be where you want them. Cholesterol is a hot topic. Mainstream medicine says you want this very low, almost unnaturally low. Keto-carnivore doctors do not think cholesterol, LDL, or ApoB is a significant factor ALONE, that is, if all your other health markers have improved, and only LDL has gone up, it's not a problem. ApoB will rise and fall almost in sync with LDL. However, if you were eating the standard Western junk diet and had a high A1C, high fasting insuling, etc, etc, AND high cholesterol, THEN it would be a potential issue. The thinking here, in simple terms, is that if there is no inflammation and you're not causing damage via high insulin and high sugar levels, the high LDL in your system is going to be harmless. Damage to the artery wall is caused by sugars and inflammation, and LDL is there to attempt to repair it. Get rid of the inflammation and sugars, and the LDL will have not be used as a patching compound (plaque).

Good morning. Your cholesterol, triglycerides, and ApoB numbers look fine to me. They are well within acceptable ranges according to our most well-known keto carnivore doctors. I'll have to comment on the second set of stats when I get home from work later today. I have to convert the measurements to what we're used to seeing on our labs here in the United States.

I used to drink fairly often. I started off as a "social" drinker, but I would take part in social occasions very frequently in my youth. Eventually, I would start stocking something at home. For a time, I would always have a beer or two with dinner, and then a shot of bourbon to help me go to sleep. This was my pattern for a while. For one anniversary, my wife even got this cute little bar looking thing that held the bottles upside down and you could press a glass against them and dispense whatever you had there. In the past, when I would do low-carb dirty keto, I would devise ways to have a low carb or zero carb drink. I would still make it work and manage to lose weight. But this spring, when I decided to really take charge of doing something about my health, I went clean keto and then carnivore, and there was no more room for a daily drink, or even a weekly drink. This is for me, of course - your mileage may vary. Since starting this WOE and losing 50 lbs, I have only had a shot of bourbon (my favorite drink) in the first Tuesday of every month, when we go out to support my cousin's Open Mic Night. Outside of that, nothing. I have several bottles on top of my fridge of things I haven't touched in 7-8 months. My wife use to sell wine, and we have tons of that too. It's all collecting dust. What about you? Do you still drink alcohol?

I Only Eat Meat and Dairy. It Has Changed My Life Story by Courtney Luna I spent over two decades yoyo dieting. From weight loss shakes to paleo and calorie-cutting plans, any diet you can name—I probably tried it. For around seven years I tried a low-carb keto diet on and off, which was probably the better choice of its predecessors. It worked at first, I lost weight and felt good, but I was still obsessively thinking about food. As part of my keto diet, I was eating low-carb treats, like specially-made doughnuts, and I would have a hard time moderating them. I either didn't eat them at all, and was constantly thinking about eating them, or I would binge and restrict myself the next day. Courtney Luna is a former yacht chef, recipe developer and content creator. She started eating a "carnivore diet" in May 2022. Courtney Luna© Courtney Luna These sweet foods continually had a hold on me. Eventually, I discovered the concept of intuitive eating, which just means eating what feels right for your body regardless of calories or nutritional value. But I have since learned that I am a carbohydrate and sugar addict, and within four months, I gained 40 pounds. For me, there is no moderating those food groups—it's all or nothing. There was no having one croissant. I would want them all. I was at rock bottom and feeling awful. I was tired, overweight, depressed, and anxious. I had stomach issues, brain fog, and my acne was horrible. When I finally reached my highest weight, of 192 lbs, that was a wake-up call. I knew this had gotten out of hand. At the time, my husband was sending me TikTok videos from a creator called Paul Saladino, who ate a diet based mainly on meat and animal-based products. No vegetables were allowed, but he still ate fruits. My husband suggested it and I decided to try it out and see if it made me feel better. I eased myself into the diet, but was still eating lots of fruits—which my sugar-addicted brain loved. I felt a lot better, but noticed that even though I was full and satisfied with the meat, I still wanted to eat blueberries. That sugar and sweetness still had a hold on me. So, after five weeks I switched to a strict, full-carnivore diet and after a few days, the sugar craving subsided. After reaching 30 days, I started to feel great, but once I hit 90 days, that is when the magic happened and I really started to feel the health benefits. I had no more gas or bloating throughout the day and my acne totally cleared up. My depression lifted and I was able to stop taking the medication I had been on for years. I have also lost 45 pounds so far. Now, I stay away from carbs, sugar, seed oils, and processed snacks. Instead, I eat only meat and animal byproducts like dairy and eggs. Typically, I eat a lot of burger patties, steaks or roasted meat. I believe beef is best, but I do eat chicken wings, tuna, and salmon. I will eat the rainbow of animals, but I am currently doing a 30-day reset in which I only consume beef, salt, and water, because I noticed my dairy consumption was getting a little out of hand. I haven't experienced any issues with a lack of fiber. I have never needed any supplements, as the high fat content in my diet aids digestion. May marked one year of starting this diet and I feel amazing. I'm just grateful. I'm always in a good mood these days. Of course, I still have my moments—I have two little kids at home with me—but overall I feel really happy. Now, I could have a plate of donuts next to me and have zero desire to eat them, part of which I feel is because I never want to slip back into my old habits again. I believe that this diet goes against everything we've been told. I disagree with the messaging that fat and meat are bad for us, and would encourage anyone to give this diet a go for a minimum of 30 days and see how they feel. My advice would be to think of it as an elimination diet and know that you can always go back to eating how you were before, if you want to. Courtney says her acne has cleared up and her bloating has stopped since she switched to a diet of meat and animal products. Courtney Luna© Courtney Luna Since starting this diet, I have what I consider food freedom, which many people do not understand. Often, they say I need to eat everything in moderation to have a good relationship with food, but I have since realized that abstaining gives me mental freedom. When I was trying to eat everything in moderation, the mental gymnastics I would go through every day was just exhausting. I was obsessively thinking about food and where my next sugar fix would come from. Now, my mind is free from all those obsessive thoughts. I still love my food and get excited that I'm going to have a ribeye, but I'm not constantly thinking about it. Courtney Luna is a former yacht chef, recipe developer, and content creator. All views expressed in this article are the author's own. As told to Newsweek's My Turn associate editor, Monica Greep. Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/i-only-eat-meat-and-dairy-it-has-changed-my-life/ar-AA1d0hv5

The Trouble With America’s Ultra-Processed Diet Story by Andrea Petersen Should your granola bar come with a warning label? Concern is rising about the amount of ultra-processed foods in American diets, and the effect eating so many of those foods has on our health. Part of the problem, nutrition researchers say, is that lots of healthy-seeming items—many breakfast cereals, soups and yogurts as well as granola—fall into that category. Recent studies have linked diets high in ultra-processed foods to increased risks of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and depression. Yet there’s no set definition of what makes a food ultra-processed, and scientists are still figuring out exactly why eating a lot of these foods is associated with health problems. These foods are coming under a microscope as the U.S. government prepares the latest version of its dietary guidelines, which tell Americans which types of foods to eat and how much. For the first time, the government is asking its scientific advisory committee to consider how diets consisting of varying amounts of ultra-processed foods influence body composition and obesity risk. Food companies dispute the idea that their products are unhealthy and say that packaged food gives people a convenient, affordable way to get nutrients. “Attempting to classify processed foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed misleads consumers,” says David Chavern, CEO of Consumer Brands Association, a trade group representing the consumer products industry, including food manufacturers. Ultra-processed foods now make up a majority of Americans’ diets. About 58% of the calories that U.S. adults and children ages 1 and older consume in a day come from ultra-processed foods, according to an analysis of federal data collected from 2001 to 2018. Among children, the number is higher—and is growing. In 2018, children ages 2 to 19 received 67% of their daily calories from such foods, up from 61.4% in 1999, according to another analysis of federal data. However, frozen pizza, chicken nuggets and protein bars—the bulk of them ultra-processed according to some experts—are popular for a reason: They’re cheap, tasty and convenient. What is ultra-processed food? Nutrition researchers generally consider foods ultra-processed if they include ingredients that you wouldn’t find in a home kitchen, such as high-fructose corn syrup and emulsifiers, said Christina A. Roberto, director of the Psychology of Eating and Consumer Health Lab at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. Many researchers define foods’ level of processing using a classification system published by scientists in Brazil. Unprocessed or minimally processed foods are pretty close to their natural state—fruits, vegetables, plain meat. They may be altered via processes such as drying, roasting or pasteurizing and can include some preservatives, but lack added salt, sugar or other food substances, said Carlos A. Monteiro, a professor in the department of nutrition at the School of Public Health at the University of São Paulo and a co-creator of the system. Processed foods may be preserved by canning, bottling or some fermentation, and may contain ingredients such as butter or salt: think canned beans, cheese or fresh bread you’d find at a local bakery. Most ultra-processed foods have some engineering involved. To make them, companies generally break down whole foods and chemically modify them to create ingredients like soy protein isolate, derived from soybeans, and maltodextrin, a sweetener derived from corn, rice or other grains. Ultra-processed foods also often include ingredients that enhance a food’s flavor, color or texture. What’s healthy? Not all ultra-processed foods are equal, some scientists say, and some may be good for you. Plenty of foods that tout health benefits with labels like “organic,” a “good source of whole grains” or “low in sugar” are ultra-processed, said Lindsey Smith Taillie, associate professor in the nutrition department at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. “The more of those you see on a product, the more likely it is to be ultra-processed,” she says. “Eggs or milk or plain fruit and vegetables don’t carry claims.” Among foods considered ultra-processed by the classification system are supermarket staples like Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain 100% Whole Wheat bread, Yoplait strawberry yogurt, Nature Valley Oats & Honey Protein Granola, Beyond Burger, Clif Builders Protein bar, Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Campbell’s Chunky soup, beef with country vegetables. General Mills, which markets Yoplait yogurt and Nature Valley granola, noted that there’s no single definition of ultra-processed food. A nutrition adviser for Beyond Meat said their products provide health benefits and shouldn’t be put into a category with unhealthy food. Hormel Foods, which makes Skippy, referred questions to an industry association, which disputed the suggestion that processed foods are unhealthy. Campbell’s, which markets Pepperidge Farm as well as its soup, said both products have significant nutritional benefits and “should not be labeled subjectively.” Clif Bar said its Builders brand is designed “to help fuel muscle recovery after physical activity.” The health risks In nature, most foods are either high in fat, like meat, or high in carbohydrates (which turn into sugar in the body), like fruit. Ultra-processed foods are often high in both fat and carbs, which causes them to act more potently on the reward systems in our brains and can make them addictive, said Ashley Gearhardt, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan who studies food addiction. Foods such as ultra-processed ice cream, french fries, pizza and chips “are beyond anything our brain evolved to handle,” she said. Diets high in fat, sugar and sodium are associated with cardiovascular disease and other health issues. An influential study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that people who ate a diet high in ultra-processed foods consumed more calories and gained weight compared with people who ate a minimally processed diet—even though the diets contained roughly the same amounts of calories, fat, sugar, sodium and fiber. Scientists created two diets, one with most calories coming from foods like packaged muffins and deli turkey and the other with most calories coming from minimally processed foods, including scrambled eggs and salads with chicken. When people ate the majority-ultra-processed diet, they ended up consuming about 500 calories more a day than they did on the less-processed diet. After two weeks, they gained about 2 pounds. Participants lost about 2 pounds after two weeks on the unprocessed diet. People eating the ultra-processed foods had to consume more calories to attain the same level of satisfaction and fullness as they did on the other diet, said Kevin D. Hall, the lead author of the study and a scientist at the NIH. Hall believes that one way ultra-processed foods may contribute to weight gain is that they often contain more calories per gram compared with less-processed foods. This is because when companies make ultra-processed products, they break down the cellular structure of the raw ingredients and remove the water, Hall said. Highly processing foods makes them more rapidly digestible, so that few calories and nutrients make it to your large intestine, which can change the microbiome in the gut, said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of nutrition and medicine at Tufts University. Because the microbiome digests calories, this means that even if two people are eating the same number of calories, the one consuming lots of ultra-processed foods will have more calories available to be turned into fat compared with someone eating a largely minimally processed diet. “You can imagine how hard it is for the first person to keep the weight off,” he said. What to do To reduce the amount of ultra-processed foods in your diet, choose whole foods as much as you can. Frozen vegetables, canned beans, canned tuna and roasted nuts can be convenient and quick. With packaged foods, health claims like “low in sugar” or “heart healthy” are often a giveaway that they’re ultra-processed, says Taillie, the nutrition researcher. When looking at product labels, choose items with fewer ingredients overall and try to avoid those with ingredients you don’t recognize. You can add unprocessed foods to ultra-processed meals to make them healthier: Toss fresh broccoli into boxed mac and cheese; add plain vegetables to a frozen meal. Write to Andrea Petersen at *****@*****.tld Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/the-trouble-with-america-s-ultra-processed-diet/ar-AA1jU36m

You bring up a good point. Maybe she was supposed to be taking one or the other but not both at the same time. Perhaps she overdosed. According to this article on AustraliaWeightLoss.com ...