2021 was such a miserable year – wasn’t it?
From January 1st this year all we have heard, read and seen is how much better 2022 will be.
Lovely, feel good comments but, the question of course is – has to be – What, if anything, can we do to make this happen.
For me, I have already decided to begin making plans for my year. Starting with re-visiting the learning regime I began last year. Which slipped from my consciousness with all the YUK that overdoed my mind and thoughts. Thankfully my butterfly brain usually flits back to where I want it, eventually. So here I am back firmly in the here and now. Indulging myself in writing and research.
Took a week or three as I am SO technically challenged – I’m a writer for goodness sake, – but I finally have somedthing I can live with and I think it’s showing promise.. The main thing I was working on was placing a small photo of myself on my home page so that people can actually see who they are dealing with.
I quite like my new front page image. It was taken while still living in Otago, in New Zealand’s South Island. One of my favourite stopping places even though it is fairly clost to Palmerston, my home village at that time. The rest stop is right on the main road between my home and the small town of Ranfurly, half way to Alexandra. Below the road is the tranquil spot on Shag River, so you drive/walk down the path the the rest area along the river. A peaceful spot as most of the traffic noise is muted by the trees lining the road at the top of the bank.
Right. On to business.
The last year wasn’t ALL bad, though not being able to see my son and his family between May and December due to them being in lockdown, was pretty rotten.
Tired of feeling down with everything that seemed to be going bad around us here – and across the globe, I decided the only way to go was UP! And to do that I needed to concentrate on what I could do.
As usual, thank goodness I had begun to feel normal again, my normal of course, and one night my attention was caught by a programme on TV. It was titled “What are we Feeding our Kids?” And to say I was hoffiried by the facts outlined there was an enormous underatatement.
Afterwas, as is usual for me, I logged onto Google and the Health websites to check out the facts as laid out by the programme.
To see how much actual truth there was apart from any specualtion, if any, in the facts as given. Being in that section of society that doesn’t have the enormous sums of ready cash to spend on food (or anything else really), the research and facts that were presented during that hour long programme certainly opened my eyes. Thankfully, as I am retired and live alone, I had already begun researching ways to ensure that I stayed as healthy as I possibly can for as long as I can.
From my own previous research some of what was revealed was familiar to me already, though I hadn’t yet followed it to it’s logical conclusion. But the illustrated visuals of the type of diet normally consumed in much of today’s world, gave me a bit of a shock. Partuicularly that of the many, many children (and adults) who live on what was illustrated as the 80%/20% diet totally threw me. This 80/20% diets turns out to be 80% convenience/UPF food, even so called HEALTHY convenience food, – 20% unprocessed or moderately processed foods.
OK – So what is UPF???
We learned that there are more than one kind of foods, – imagine that!!
There are Unproccessed or Minimally processed foods, Medium processed foods and Ultra Processed Foods.
For many people, the unprocessedor minimally processed foods are the meat and three veg that we ate as we were growing up. In a less processed world. Unless we’re still young or youngish of course. These types of foods are those like vegetables, grains/seeds, legumes, fruits, nurts, meats, seafood, herbs, spices, garlic, eggs and milk. While minimillay processed foods that have been slightly altered for the main purpose of preservation and shelf life, but which does not substantially change the nutritional content of the food.
Ultra Processed Foods on the other hand are just that ULTRA PROCESSED!!
These foods are made mostly from substances extracted from foods, i.e. fats, starches, sugars, hydrogenated fats. Many also have additives such as artificial colouring, flavours and stabilisers. Such as frozen meals, soft drinks, hot dogs, cold cuts, fast foods, packies cookies, cakes and snacks. Most include SOME real food, but unfortunately not food as we know it. Hence – UPF.
Recent studies compared adults whose weight was pretty stable, on both Ultra Processed and unprocessed diets. It found that when on the 14 day diet of UPF’s participants gained on average 0.09/0.03 kg in weight, while on the 14 days on unprocessed food diets, they actually LOST 0.09/0.03 kg, which led to the conviction of the food scientists that limiting consumption of UPF may be an effective strategy for obesity prevention and treatment on those vulnerable to gaining weight. Some of the results also indicated that UPF may disrupt gut signalling and may influence the overall food intake related to the palatability, or density of the food.
A French study involving 100,000+ adults over a five year period found that those with higher consumption of UPF had higher risks of cardio-vascular disease, coronary heart and cerebrovascular disease. This is another research study that suggests an association between mostly UPF diets and heart disease.
Just with these few facts and studies I found, it REALLY bothers me that we are giving our children such a lot of UPF dietary food, when they are young and vulnerable medically. Mostly due to lack of knowledge on behalf of the adults involved. But also, as was also shown on the first TV program I watched, because these meals are so DARN CHEAP compared to the unprocessed food that costs so much at the supermarket. As a result, it is no wonder so many of our children are already obese by the time they reach their teens.
With the need for both to work that so many parents have these days, it is understandable that those of us who spend all day working and travelling to and from work, tend to look for those meals that are quick to prepare, cook and eat when we get home.
The shaming fact against manufacturers of these foods is that they have researched to find what they call “The Bliss Point” in foods. That state encourages customers to buy and of course, eat this food. It’s pretty clear that this wasn’t the original intent that is now having such bad results. And sadly, while they are making so much money by supplying these foods, they have also admitted that unless and until the government admits these foods are not good for us in the long term, the manufacturers will keep making and selling them.
Unfortunately, for those on a low fixed budget and with a family to feed, it is inevitable that so many rely on these cheap, easy to prepare AND eat, foods. Rather than regular real food which in some cases costs so much more of our dollars and time to prepare.
In a trial conducted at the National Institutes of Health of USA, participants in the UPF diet group ate faster, plus had higher levels of a hormone that fuels hunger and lower levels of a hormone that signals fullness.
In the BBC experiment Dr Van Tulleken experienced the following :”But worst of all, my brain rewired itself just as if I had developed an addictiion to a drug of abuse.”
A brain MRI scan confirmed Dr Van Tulleken’s theory: connections between the reward sentre and areas that drive repetitive automatic behaviour significantly increased after following a 1-month UPF diet. He added: “My brain was telling me to eat ultra processed food wihtout my even wanting it.”
Saying no to ultra processed food isn’t easy as Dr Van Tulleken found. The availability of junk foods can be widespread at school and other events, day care, others family homes. You child’s consumption of them can mount quickly.
Thankfully toal elimination is unnecessary! And assigning guilt and shame to these foods is unnecessary also. Some families don’t have the means or access to whole, fresh foods, so let’s keep that in mind.
Processed foods are widespread in our food supply and offer meaningful nutrients, while Ultra Processed foods may offer little nutrition for your kids.
BE CHOOSY
Help your child navigate the wide world of food as he gets older by acknowledging the presence, the appealing taste and the occasional appearance of ultra processed food in your child’s diet.