It is possible. We can make simple changes in our habits that will have huge consequences on our health and quality of life. These changes are often best brought about by first determining what needs changing and then developing new habits.
But what if some of those habits could be changed by just shopping differently in the grocery store? Rather than waiting to think about food choices until you want that snack or begin cooking a meal at home, what if you made those choices at the shops, farmers markets, while online shopping or even in your kitchen garden. I am a big believer in the habit of shopping healthy. Maybe you are like Jill and I, if we don’t have it in the house, we don’t eat it… That simple.
I don’t change my habits easily. If you are like me, you need to understand that there are good reasons to make a change before putting in the work required to change a personal behavior. In my case, after six decades spinning around the sun, I have developed habits that are so deeply embedded into my daily life that it takes some pretty powerful forces to get me to change. Often data or logic is not enough, and it takes some crisis or new fear to persuade that change is necessary.
Jill and I are trying to bring a focus on wellness into both our daily lives and our daily essays. But many very capable colleagues already write or speak on wellness. What we strive to do is to continue our focus on bringing data-based analyses to our readers, but at least once a week to turn from the COVIDcrisis to more general wellness topics. So, while reading new research that has just been published, we came across an article on processed foods that blew us away. Then we dug deeper into the issue of ultra-processed food on “Pubmed.”
The more we researched, the more we became convinced that we can all easily make some very small changes to our diet which will make huge differences to our longterm health and that of our children. So in this essay we bring a focus on some recently published studies which have convinced us to shop a little differently, to eat a little differently. I certainly think I am going to pay a little more attention to what we buy. At our house, what gets bought, ends up being what gets put on the table.
Rather than nagging – let’s look to the science, new science, new data to help guide us in making smart food choices.
Eating More Ultra-Processed Foods Associated With Increased Risk of Dementia
Date:July 27, 2022 Source:American Academy of Neurology
Summary: People who eat the highest amounts of ultra-processed foods like soft drinks, chips and cookies may have a higher risk of developing dementia than those who eat the lowest amounts, according to a new study. Researchers also found that replacing ultra-processed foods in a person’s diet with unprocessed or minimally processed foods was associated with a lower risk.
On average, ultra-processed foods made up 9% of the daily diet of people in the lowest group, an average of 225 grams per day, compared to 28% for people in the highest group, or an average of 814 grams per day. One serving of items like pizza or fish sticks was equivalent to 150 grams. The main food group contributing to high ultra-processed food intake was beverages, followed by sugary products and ultra-processed dairy.
In the lowest group, 105 of the 18,021 people developed dementia, compared to 150 of the 18,021 people in the highest group.
After adjusting for age, gender, family history of dementia and heart disease and other factors that could affect risk of dementia, researchers found that for every 10% increase in daily intake of ultra-processed foods, people had a 25% higher risk of dementia.
Researchers also used study data to estimate what would happen if a person substituted 10% of ultra-processed foods with unprocessed or minimally processed foods, like fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, milk and meat. They found that such a substitution was associated with a 19% lower risk of dementia.
“Our results also show increasing unprocessed or minimally processed foods by only 50 grams a day, which is equivalent to half an apple, a serving of corn, or a bowl of bran cereal, and simultaneously decreasing ultra-processed foods by 50 grams a day, equivalent to a chocolate bar or a serving of fish sticks, is associated with 3% decreased risk of dementia,” said Li.
“It’s encouraging to know that small and manageable changes in diet may make a difference in a person’s risk of dementia.”
An editorial accompanying the study, written by Maura E. Walker, PhD, of Boston University in Massachusetts said:
“While nutrition research has started to focus on food processing, the challenge is categorizing such foods as unprocessed, minimally processed, processed and ultra-processed. For example, foods like soup would be classified differently if canned versus homemade. Plus, the level of processing is not always aligned with diet quality. Plant-based burgers that qualify as high quality may also be ultra-processed. As we aim to understand better the complexities of dietary intake, we must also consider that more high-quality dietary assessments may be required.”
What Are Ultra-Processed Foods:
