Many of us dream of finding ways to eat the foods we love and still be healthy. But the current nightmare is that some of the most popular foods are linked to health concerns.
Recent research found that the more you eat ultra-processed foods, the more likely you are to report feelings of depression or anxiety.
If you’re not aware, ultra-processing is a broad category that includes foods that are engineered to make them more desirable by adding salt, sugar, and fat. They consist of ingredients like hydrogenated oils, chemical additives, artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, and preservatives. In other words, it’s more than 60 percent of the food found in grocery stores.
A more recent study of 11,000 people found that those who consumed more than 20 percent of their calories from ultra-processed food experienced an additional 28 percent decline in cognition.
However, you can’t assume causation from these studies, so other factors could be at play. And it’s possible that people who are more anxious or depressed happen to eat more ultra-processed foods. More importantly, you can outsmart these foods to reduce or completely remove the likelihood of downsides.
Researchers found that people who ate ultra-processed foods but also had a balance of healthy foods like whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, and other nutritious options showed no link with anxiety and cognitive decline.
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