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7 Ways to Reduce Processed Foods And Cut Your Food Budget
Processed foods are more expensive, and can be harmful
Last week we watched a fascinating show on TV that examined the effects of eating large amounts of ultra-processed foods. You can find it on ABC Iview “What are we feeding our kids?” — and it featured Dr Chris Van Tulleken.
The show examined whether increased consumption of ultra-processed foods was a cause of childhood obesity problems and if eating these foods becomes addictive. Not too many studies have previously looked at the effect of eating these new foods.
In the show, Dr Chris increased his ultra-processed food intake for 4 weeks from 20% to 80% of his diet. This is to mimic the diet of a portion of the UK population. Over the four weeks, he put on about 6kg and but more concerningly MRI scans showed changes in the neuron connections in his brain.
After returning to his normal diet for a month these new brain connections remained.
The foods falling into the ultra-processed group included :
- Fast foods such as Burger King (Hungry Jacks to Australians) and McDonalds
- Frozen pizzas and chicken nuggets
- Boxed breakfast cereals
- Pre-prepared meals
