Dining in, taking out, hitting fast food drive-throughs…
Each year, Americans eat more and more food prepared outside of the home—and less home-cooked meals.
And when they do eat at home, the typical American diet includes large portions of ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
You know, foods that have undergone biological, chemical, or physical alterations to look and taste better—and last longer on the shelves.
In fact, UPFs—like hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and sugar-sweetened beverages—make up anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of all food and drink consumed in the U.S. (Yikes!)
But these “tasty” foods contribute to a long list of chronic diseases.
And now, new research is revealing how they are quite literally DESTROYING us from the inside… out.
Junk food wreaks havoc
According to researchers, the many additives in UPFs may lead to the development, or exacerbation, of irritable bowel disease (IBD).
More specifically, results from both animal and human studies link some of the most commonly used additives—carboxymethycellulose (CMC), polysorbate 80, and carrageenan—to inflammation within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
This made the front page in medical news… but how does this come as any surprise?
These chemicals wreak havoc on our endocrine system, the bacteria that live in our gut, and who knows what else.
Yet, the medical community continues to be naïve. They don’t discuss dietary habits with their patients, so they MUST believe these chemicals are harmless, right? (Oh, that’s right—doctors are the biggest drug deals in the world, how could I forget?)
I mean, an analysis from 2013 suggested that emulsifiers—used to help stabilize processed foods—contribute to Crohn’s disease, a type of IBD.
Where were the front-page headlines back then?
As usual, just like with trans fats, we let this research sit for decades… all while more people got sick (or stayed sick).
Even the Nurses Health Study linked a higher consumption of UPFs to a 70 percent heightened risk of Crohn’s!
I could go on and on here, but let me end with this…
Throw out those fake foods
While I’m not here to say that everyone is sensitive to food additives, it’s important to understand they are foreign substances that have no place in our bodies.
Indeed, UPFs (and most food prepared in restaurants) contain some sort of chemical—whether it’s a preservative, an additive, or anything in between, the threat is there and exposure is ubiquitous.
But allow me to share with you my personal clinical experience, particularly with patients suffering from any type of IBD…
There are very few people I can’t treat by eliminating the junk food in their diets and turning them to REAL FOOD.
As always, I recommend high-fat, low-carb options like grass-fed and -finished meat, organic poultry, wild-caught fish and seafood, fresh veggies, seasonal fruit, and nuts.
It’s also important to stay properly hydrated, to help expel any ingested toxins.
Source:
“Food additives may exacerbate IBD.” MDedge, 01/26/2023. (mdedge.com/internalmedicine/article/260842/gastroenterology/food-additives-may-exacerbate-ibd)