Ultra processed foods - a major health hazard

A major part of the modern diet now comes from ultra-processed foods. Foods are generally divided into three groups: unprocessed, processed, and ultra-processed.

Ultra-processed foods often contain a long list of ingredients and bear little resemblance to their original food source. For example, cornflakes look nothing like corn, and a ready-made pasta sauce looks nothing like fresh tomatoes. These products usually contain added ingredients to enhance flavour, texture, and shelf life, and as a result they tend to be cheaper and frequently promoted. They seem to have become a major part of our diet as part of the convenience lifestyle!

However, many of the additional ingredients—such as emulsifiers, stabilisers, and modified proteins—can disrupt the gut barrier and alter the microbiome. This disruption may contribute to increased intestinal permeability ("leaky gut") and has been linked to metabolic syndrome and other chronic disease processes. Majority of us did not realise the damage that these ultra-processed foods have been causing to us at a microscopic level and to our physical health overall. They are contributing to inflammation in our body. Inflammation is considered to be the root cause of a lot of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and even cancer...now that should be a red flag for us all. 

For more information, read my sections on micronutrients and macronutrients, and on ultra-processed foods.