How To Holistically Heal Eating Highly Processed Foods

In today's fast-paced world, the consumption of highly processed foods has become a norm, contributing significantly to various health issues that plague modern society. As a naturopath with over 30 years of experience and author of "I am Food - Eating Your Way to Health," I've observed firsthand the detrimental effects of such dietary choices. This blog serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding, identifying, and transitioning away from highly processed foods, toward a path of holistic healing.

Defining Highly Processed Foods

The terms "processed foods" and "highly processed" or "ultra-processed foods" refer to different categories within the spectrum of food processing. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for making informed dietary choices.

Here's a breakdown of the differences:

Processed foods are those that have undergone any changes to their natural state to ensure their safety, extend shelf life, or improve taste or convenience. The processing can be as simple as freezing, canning, baking, or drying. This category is broad and can include both relatively healthy options and less healthy ones, depending on the type and extent of processing involved. Examples include:

• Canned vegetables with added salt

• Fruit preserved in syrup

• Milk pasteurised to eliminate bacteria

Highly Processed or Ultra-Processed Foods take processing a step further by not only preserving the food but also transforming it through the addition of numerous ingredients, including sugar, oil, fats, salt, preservatives, artificial flavours, and colours. These foods are often ready-to-eat or require minimal preparation. The NOVA classification system, a recognised tool in food research, categorises these foods based on the extent and purpose of their processing. Ultra-processed foods are typically characterised by low nutritional value, high caloric density, and the inclusion of additives designed to enhance flavour, texture, or shelf life. Examples include:

• Soft drinks and sugary beverages

• Packaged snacks like chips and cookies

• Frozen meals and fast food

• Processed meats such as hot dogs and bacon

• Instant noodles and soups

Key Differences

• Nutritional Value: Processed foods can retain much of their nutritional value, especially if they're minimally processed, like frozen vegetables or canned beans. Ultra-processed foods often lack essential nutrients and are high in unhealthy fats, added sugars, and sodium.

• Purpose of Processing : While processed foods are primarily preserved for safety and convenience, ultra-processed foods are engineered for taste, addictiveness, and extended shelf life, with less emphasis on nutritional integrity.

The Health Problems with Highly Processed Foods

A comprehensive review published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) in 2024 has critically evaluated the connections between consuming ultra-processed foods—categorised by the Nova food classification system—and various negative health outcomes. The study scrutinised numerous meta-analyses of epidemiological data, uncovering that a significant majority of health metrics related to mortality, cancer, and a wide array of diseases across mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic health were adversely affected by the intake of ultra-processed foods.

The findings highlighted that increased consumption of ultra-processed foods is convincingly linked to elevated risks of cardiovascular disease mortality and type 2 diabetes, along with a higher prevalence of anxiety and common mental disorders. Evidence of a strong correlation was also observed with all-cause mortality, heart disease mortality, further incidents of type 2 diabetes, depression, adverse sleep conditions, wheezing, and obesity. Despite some analyses showing weaker evidence, the overarching conclusion drawn from the review points to a substantial risk associated with ultra-processed food consumption, particularly concerning cardiometabolic diseases, mental health issues, and increased mortality rates.

This review underscores the urgent need for public health strategies aimed at reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods to safeguard against a range of serious health problems. It also emphasises the importance of further research to understand the mechanisms behind these associations better.

The following lists provide a quick reference of the top ten highly processed foods, the 10 processed food ingredients to avoid, and the ten food additives to avoid.

Ten Highly Processed Foods

i. Soft Drinks, Sodas and Sweetened Beverages: These drinks are high in sugar, artificial flavours, and colours, contributing significantly to sugar intake and associated health issues like obesity and diabetes.

ii. Packaged Snacks: Chips, cookies, and candy bars are loaded with refined sugars, salts, artificial flavours, and preservatives.

iii. Processed Meats: Items like hot dogs, sausages, and deli meats often contain preservatives, colourings, and fillers, with strong links to increased cancer risk.

iv. Frozen Ready Meals: These convenient meals are typically high in sodium and preservatives, with low nutritional quality.

v. Instant Noodles: They are often high in sodium, fats, and preservatives, offering little nutritional value.

vi. Boxed Cereals: Many are highly processed and include a lot of added sugar and artificial ingredients, despite being marketed as healthy breakfast options.

vii. Fast Food : Burgers, fries, and other fast-food items are usually made with processed ingredients, including trans fats, and are high in calories.

viii. Packaged Breads and Baked Goods: Often contain added sugars, preservatives, and unhealthy fats to extend shelf life and enhance flavour.

ix. Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts : Typically high in sugar, artificial flavours, and colours, along with preservatives to maintain texture and consistency.

x. Packaged Sauces, Dressings, and Condiments : High in sugar, salt, artificial flavours, and preservatives, these can turn even healthy meals into highly processed ones.

Ten Processed Food Ingredients to Avoid

i. Yeast: This ingredient can trigger symptoms in individuals who are sensitive to yeast, and it may lead to an overgrowth of harmful yeast in the gut. It can be found in baked goods, bread, and other products that contain yeast.

ii. High Fructose Corn Syrup: This artificial sweetener is commonly used in processed foods and drinks. It has been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems, and it can be found in sweetened beverages, desserts, and other processed foods.

iii. Sugar: Refined sugar is high in calories and contains no essential nutrients. It is a common ingredient in many processed foods and can contribute to weight gain, elevated blood sugar levels, and chronic diseases such as diabetes.

iv. Milk Solids: Milk solids are a by-product of cheese-making and are often added to processed foods to enhance flavour. However, they also contain artificial hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides. Milk solids can be found in a variety of processed foods, including snacks, baked goods, and some dairy products.

v. Soy or White Flour: Both soy and white flour are highly processed and contain limited nutritional value. They are high in carbohydrates and can contribute to weight gain and other health problems. These ingredients can be found in a variety of processed foods, including baked goods, pasta, and some snacks.

vi. Soy Lecithin: This ingredient is added to processed foods to improve texture and extend shelf life. It is often genetically modified and has been linked to digestive problems and allergies. Soy lecithin can be found in a variety of processed foods, including baked goods, snacks, and chocolate.

vii. Starch: Refined starch is used to improve the texture of processed foods, but it can contribute to weight gain and elevated blood sugar levels. It can be found in many processed foods, including baked goods, snack foods, and processed meat products.

viii. Salt or Refined Salt: Salt is a staple ingredient in many processed foods, but refined salt is stripped of its essential minerals and can contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, and other health problems. Refined salt can be found in processed foods, including snacks, canned foods, and condiments.

ix. Vegetable Oil: Many processed foods contain vegetable oils, which are high in unhealthy fats and contribute to chronic diseases like heart disease and stroke. Some common types of vegetable oils include Canola oil, Soybean oil, Corn oil, Sunflower oil, Peanut oil, Cottonseed oil, and Safflower oil. These oils can be found in a variety of processed foods, including fried foods, baked goods, and snack foods. They are also found in spreadable butters and margarines.

x. Egg Powder: Egg powder is often added to processed foods as a binder or thickener. It may contain harmful additives, preservatives, and artificial colours, and it can be found in processed foods such as cakes, baked goods, and some meat products.

Ten Food Additives to Avoid

Food additives are chemical ingredients added to food to give flavour, colour and aroma and to preserve, hold together, emulsify, thicken or fortify. They are usually artificially made.

i. Agents: A food agent is a type of food additive used to improve the texture, appearance, or shelf life of food products. Common food agents include emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners, and preservatives.

ii. Emulsifiers: A substance that is added to food to help stabiliSe mixtures of two or more immiscible liquids, such as oil and water. Emulsifiers work by coating the droplets of one liquid in the other, preventing them from separating. Common food emulsifiers include lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, and polysorbates.

iii. Food acids: An organic compound that is added to food to give it a sour or tart flavour. Common food acids include citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, and acetic acid. Food acids are also used to help preserve food and to adjust the pH of food products.

iv. Food colours: A type of food additive used to enhance the appearance of food. Food colourings are available in both natural and artificial forms, and are used to give food a desired colour. Common food colourings include carmine, annatto, turmeric, and beta-carotene.

v. Food flavours or Natural flavours: A food flavour is a type of food additive used to enhance the taste and aroma of food products. Food flavours can be either natural or artificial, and are available in a variety of forms such as liquid, powder, and paste. Natural flavours are created from processed natural ingredients. Natural food flavours are created by extracting the desired flavour compounds from natural ingredients such as herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, and other plant materials. The extracted flavour compounds are then concentrated and blended to create the desired flavour.

vi. Food enhancers : A type of food additive used to enhance the flavour, texture, or appearance of food products. Common food enhancers include monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolysed vegetable protein (HVP), and autolysed yeast extract (AYE).

vii. Sweeteners: A type of food additive used to sweeten food products. Common food sweeteners include sugar, honey, corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose.

viii. Functional ingredients: Synthetic vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

ix. Preservatives: A food preservative is a type of food additive used to extend the shelf life of food products. Common food preservatives include sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and calcium propionate.

x. Thickeners: A type of food additive used to increase the viscosity of a food product. Common thickeners include starches, gums, and pectin.

Simplicity

The paradox of plenty, particularly in the context of food and information, has become a prevalent challenge in our contemporary society. Despite the abundance of resources, the deluge of dietary advice, diverse food options from around the globe, and the constant bombardment of information from various media platforms—ranging from social media, the internet, television, print magazines, newspapers, to emails—has indeed led to a significant state of confusion regarding optimal dietary choices. This saturation, instead of clarifying, often exacerbates the dilemma of what we should eat, particularly when faced with specific health goals or outcomes, such as fat loss, improved gut health, or cholesterol management.

The profusion of research studies and diet-related narratives trickling through the media further saturates everyone's minds, making it increasingly difficult to discern the most beneficial dietary path. The situation is compounded by the fact that individuals are navigating through life's complexities—tiredness, pain, overwhelming responsibilities including household management, child-rearing, caregiving, dealing with illness, working long hours, and for many, just making ends meet. This backdrop makes it nearly impossible for most to sift through the overwhelming amount of information to find what is truly beneficial for their health and well-being.

The Implications of Overwhelm on Dietary Choices

This overwhelming state can have several implications on how individuals make dietary choices:

• Decision Fatigue: The constant need to make decisions, compounded by the plethora of dietary information, can lead to poor food choices or reliance on convenience foods, which are often highly processed.

• Information Paralysis: With so much conflicting information, many people feel paralysed and unable to make any decision, potentially leading to inaction or a default to less healthy eating habits.

• Stress & Anxiety: Trying to navigate through a maze of dietary information can contribute to stress and anxiety, which are counterproductive to overall health and can lead to emotional eating or other unhealthy eating patterns.

Strategies for Navigating Dietary Decisions Amidst Overwhelm

In facing these challenges, it's essential to adopt strategies that can help simplify dietary decisions and reduce the overwhelm:

1. Back to Basics: Focus on the fundamental principles of nutrition—consuming a variety of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats that are well-sourced and well-prepared. These basics are less likely to be controversial or confusing. I wrote a book called "I am Food - Eating Your Way To Health" which cuts through "diet culture." The source and processing of our food have a significant impact on its nutritional value. Despite having access to an abundance of food, fortified foods, and supplements, malnutrition remains prevalent in modern society. A modern hunter-gatherer, which is what we are, is meant to eat a diet rich in fresh, whole foods: vegetables, both fresh and cultured; whole fats and proteins from healthy, pastured animals; non-farmed seafood; some well-prepared nuts and seeds; small amounts of seasonal fruit; and whole, unprocessed, cultured dairy and well prepared grains and pseudocereals. The lost art of food preparation has occurred because we live in a fast-paced society with convenience as a preference. Preparing food well, preserves it, increases nutritional density, and ensures food is better digested and assimilated.

2. Personalised Nutrition: Acknowledging that one size does not fit all is crucial when it comes to diet. Listening to one's body and noting how different foods affect energy levels, mood, and overall health can guide more personalised and effective dietary choices. We all have unique needs—whether it be nutritional deficiencies, inflammatory disorders, or diagnosed gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance)—that may necessitate a specialised diet. Additionally, our dietary needs can change depending on our stress levels. There are periods when life feels in flow, and we're not in a state of stress. During these times, our digestive system can process food with ease, operating at full capacity as we're in a "rest & digest" state of our nervous system. This state is the counterbalance to "fight, flight & freeze" responses, during which digestive processes take a back seat to deal with perceived danger.

3. Limit Information Sources: Choose a few trusted sources of dietary information to reduce the noise. This could be healthcare professionals, reputable scientific publications, or evidence-based books and articles. When my social media starts showing me advertisements for diet regimes or food products, I block the content. I also don't endlessly scroll—I go to the platform of the specific people or organizations I want to source information from, rather than being mindlessly fed from any source. You choose what you see.

4. Mindfulness & Intuitive Eating: Practicing mindfulness and intuitive eating can help individuals become more attuned to their body's needs, helping to navigate the complex food environment with more ease and less stress. To tune in, we need to slow down when it comes to meal times—30 minutes before and 30 minutes during. By the time many of us eat, we are so wound up in stress, whether it's getting kids out the door or making sure we make an early morning meeting, that we're not ready to eat. The way the digestive system works is through our senses—the smell of food, the sight of food, the touch of food, the sound of food being prepared. Before food is put in our mouth to taste it, the digestive process begins—stimulating digestive juices, readying us to eat and process food. But when we're rushing, eating on the run, fitting a meal in, we miss out on the full digestive process of eating, which is to extract all the nutrients and absorb them, and be mindful of appetite and satisfaction. In a stress state, we miss the cues of hunger as well as the cues of fullness. So, the 30 minutes to prepare, slow down, and ready to eat—preparing a meal, and 30 minutes sitting down to savour a meal and digest and absorb correctly, is the most optimal thing you can do. You are not just what you eat; you are also how you process food. In addition, we don't only end up eating the wrong foods—convenient, quick, and easy processed foods—we end up nutritionally deficient and with sore guts. Do we really not have enough time to prepare and eat a meal?

5. Community & Support: Engaging with supportive communities, whether online or in real life, that share a focus on holistic and balanced approaches to health can provide encouragement, reduce feelings of isolation, and offer practical advice that cuts through the confusion. Community starts with who you live with and who you eat with. We've lost the art of eating at the dinner table or eating together. This is when our nervous system, as well as our digestive systems, can attune to each other along with us. Now, many of us live alone or live with people that we don't feel comfortable or safe with to eat. So, eating on one's own is the only option—in this case, value this self-care. Self-care here is even more of the utmost importance. Listen to some soothing music, read something comforting, eat with a friend online, or go out and meet a friend or eat at someone's house. Make this a habit during your week.

6. Prioritise Self-Care: Recognising that diet is just one component of health and healing. Adequate sleep, stress management, physical activity, and emotional well-being are equally important and can support better dietary choices by reducing overwhelm and improving overall health. Self-care has become a trendy word in the realm of social media—some people see it as a fixation on oneself above all others, while others don't have time to look after themselves as they have a family or are caregivers to unwell family members, and yet others think it's selfish. Whereas I see it as putting the oxygen mask on first before you put it on others. It is fundamental that we care for ourselves first. There is less burden on society and our loved ones when we self-care, and we model self-care to others. If we all practiced self-care, we would rely less on systems that prop us up and provide quick fixes and solutions to make us feel instantly better rather than addressing the reason why we feel the way we do in the first place.

The saturation of food options and dietary information is a double-edged sword, offering both the potential for improved health and the risk of significant confusion and overwhelm. By adopting a more simplified, personalised, and mindful approach to dietary decisions, individuals can navigate this complex landscape more effectively, leading to healthier and more satisfying outcomes.

Book a Personal Holistic Nutrition or Naturopathic Consultation

If you’re experiencing persistent symptoms or suspect that food may be contributing to your dis-ease, we invite you to book a personal holistic nutrition consultation with us. Together, we will explore the deeper connection between your diet, your symptoms, and your overall wellbeing. Through a bespoke and evidence-informed approach, we’ll uncover whether certain foods are aggravating your condition and how food as medicine can be used to support your healing. Click here  to book your consultation and begin your personalised path to nourishment and restoration.