Eye-opening study into ultra-processed foods and your risk of heart problemsMichelle Basch | *****@*****.tld March 28, 2026, 5:39 AM A report from the American College of Cardiology found people who eat more than nine servings of ultra-processed food a day are an average of 67% more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, or die from heart disease than people who eat one serving a day. The study also found that with each daily serving, the risk of such an event goes up by more than 5%. Among Black Americans, each additional serving leads to an increase in risk of more than 6%. Dr. Michele Arthurs, a lifestyle medicine physician with Kaiser Permanente, told WTOP that if you’re not sure what you’re eating is ultra-processed, just look at the label. “You can see a long list of ingredients, many of which you may not be able to pronounce because they are additives or chemicals that are used for food preservation to increase shelf life,” she said. These kinds of foods also tend to be loaded with sugar, salt and saturated fat. “Our body, essentially, has to fight with them in order to kind of process them and get them through our system. And this leads to inflammation in the body,” Arthurs said. She recognized that many people may find it tough to stop eating ultra-processed foods altogether. Instead, she recommends limiting how much you eat. “It doesn’t mean you can’t have that ballpark hot dog,” Arthurs said, adding that cutting it in half and sharing it with someone was also an option. Other strategies Arthurs recommends to reduce the consumption of ultra-processed foods include: Eat a healthy meal before you head to an event, like a baseball game, where you know you’ll be exposed to a lot of ultra-processed foods. If you like sugary drinks, try alternating with ones that have little or no sugar. If you love snacking on chips, bring along an orange too, and eat the fruit before diving into the bag of chips. The findings, based on data from more than 6,800 U.S. adults, is being presented at the ACC’s Annual Scientific Session on March 28-30 in New Orleans. They’re also published in the journal JACC Advances. Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here. © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. ARTICLE SOURCE: https://wtop.com/health-fitness/2026/03/eye-opening-study-into-ultra-processed-foods-and-your-risk-of-heart-problems/
15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. (1 Peter 3:15, NASB)
In my devotional this morning I came across this parallel of our journey with Christ and our journey with carnivore.
We often have people post about family, friends, doctors and strangers who suddenly become leading authority’s on health, nutrition and diet as soon as we mention how we eat. We’ve all experienced this. They come against us telling us how wrong we are and how we are killing ourselves. Take heart my friends. You can defend yourself with confidence with you have the knowledge.
I would encourage you to become educated in the how and why’s of this lifestyle so that you can answer with confidence.
“sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts”. Know in your heart that what you are doing is right. Knowledge is strength.
“always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account”.
With your knowledge you will have the confidence to stand boldly and defend your position against all naysayers especially your doctors.
“yet with gentleness and reverence; “
That confidence born of knowledge should give you a gentleness of heart wanting to help others to understand and a humility to let it go if they don’t.
“keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.”
As long as you have the knowledge that you are right then you have the confidence of conscience that can endure any ridicule and they will all be put to shame when they see the results.
You are the proof of concept.
So continue to learn about this way of eating so that you can defend yourself.