Have you had your dose of manufactured edible substances, also referred to as ultra-processed food (UPF), today? If not, head on over to the grocery store, and load up on handsomely packaged prepared foods. Before you buy them, though, have a peek at the list of ingredients. Yeah, it’s long, isn’t it? Not only are many of those ingredients added to enhance food addiction but hey, put weight on you and possibly contribute to brain and memory disorders among cancer, obesity diseases diabetes. Warning: if the list of chemical and preservative components is longer than half an inch, it may be smart to run the other way (just make sure you bone up on names of fortifying additives, which are used to enhance nutrition and are generally okay to consume).
I don’t mean to sound self-righteous, and I’m not a crusader. I indulge in the occasional snack food and fizzy drink. With the current prediction, though, 150 million people worldwide will contract dementia by 2050, I’m scared. The cost to our country, family caregivers, medication, and workplace productivity will be exorbitant. Alarming, also, is that researchers are now observing a correlation between developing dementia and earlier intake of UPFs.
The author of an online article Healthline.com explains that cooking at home goes a long way toward reducing the consumption of UPFs. Dining in restaurants, especially those serving fast foods are notorious for tinkering with their recipes to achieve a certain flavor. This could involve using less-than-nutrient-dense ingredients. The article goes on to note that there are processed foods, and there are processed foods. On one end fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs are unprocessed or minimally processed… On the other end UPF or “industrial formulations” are processed with five or more ingredients.
The Cleveland Clinic offers an interesting fact and that’s that it is advisable to buy most of your groceries from the outer aisles of the store, instead of stocking up on foods from the inner aisles. That’s because the outer aisles are packed full of whole and minimally processed foods — the healthy ones, such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and fish.
I’m a stakeholder in staying healthy through eating wholesome food and being fit. But, I’m also ever-mindful of the role that the food industry plays in affecting our health, and it’s often not good. My husband has Alzheimer’s Disease and vascular dementia. These disorders show evidence of being triggered by lifestyle choices, including diet and alcohol consumption, and they may be implicated in brain disease.
We can’t completely avoid processed food. When we dine out we often don’t know what goes into the dishes. But we can make wiser menu decisions on what we order; if you’re not sure about a dish, ask the waiter if he or she could check with the kitchen.
We want to hear from you, so feel free to share tips, ideas, and resources for seniors with Grannybooster. Email me, Maris Somerville, at info@grannybooster.com
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