Thing's Rambles #2: Ultra-processed food (AKA, pre-digested food)
Ultra-processed food is really just pre-digested food. And not in the sense that its been digested by someone else, and we're eating poop.
(Not AS long ramble below)
There are four groups:
- Unprocessed
- Processed ingredients
- Processed
- Ultra-processed
Items in the unprocessed section includes:
Apples, milk, vegetables.
Items in the processed ingredients includes:
Salt, honey, butter, etc etc.
Items in the processed section includes:
Bread, packaged sliced fruit, wine, and canned food.
Items in the ultra-processed section includes:
Packaged cereal, spam, packaged sliced bread, potato chips, sliced cheese
In order to fit in these criteria, you need to be a natural ingredient for non-processed; slightly processed ingredients for processed ingredients(e.g, salt needs to undergo a certain process to become from water to a rock, much like honey), regularly processed food for processed section.
Do note that processed does not necessarily mean automatically bad, all processed means is that the object has undergone a certain process and is different from its natural state. For example, a homemade apple pie is processed food because its changed from its natural state (apples, flour, etc).
Where processed is taken too far though, is ultra-processed. Do you know what happens to 'pre-digested' food? By definiton ultra-processed means industrial ingredients that are made with industrial techniques. So we're not even eating natural food, its all industrial. Lemme stop yapping; what exactly does this all mean?
In a factory, the natural ingredient is taken and broken down to its very molecule, mixed together plush some chemicals, and forms a 'sludge' the manufacturer can mold into anything they can imagine — imitating the 'real' food. Can you imagine that? The food is processed so severely, its been broken down to molecules in a process similar to human digestion. Hence, why its called pre-digested.
See the problem with pre-digested food — aside from the fact a great deal of nutrients is lost from the process — is that since the food is already 'partially' digested, the intestine does less work to break it down, thus, takes less time to digest an ultra-processed meal. But the body is already expecting having to work to gain nutrients from food, so then what happens? Not enough, evidently. Even if the body has recieved the same amount of calories, nutrients, vitamins, etc. the signals sent to the brain still reads 'not full'.
So you've eaten enough, but you're still hungry. The chemicals of these ultra-processed food not only make you think you need food, but also to make you CRAVE food. It's basically hacked your dopamine production.
Foods that are easier and faster to digest, also is easier and faster to go to our brain. Thats why drugs that work quick — such as smoking — is much more addictive. They make you CRAVE it, and once your body systems get used to it, they make you NEED it.
What could make all this better, is if the public knows. Its not exactly private information, but also information thats kicked under the bed.
The worse part is, in my opinion, is that it's EVERYWHERE. 95% of those healthy things you see in grocery stores? Ultra-processed. Even those yucky healthy cereals, and grain bars. I guess I'll be doing some research later to find meals that arent ultra-processed (atleast not as much) but still taste good and isnt expensive af idk man :(
Time for the funfact section!!
Funfact: This ramble specifically was only 550 (ish) words!
Funfact: You cant escape corporate greed!
Funfact: It's in the fashion industry, the food industry, whatever you consume, corporate greed is behind it!
Funfact: Yeah I dont think there's anything fun about ultra-processed food.
Funfact: Study shows association of ultra-processed food with cancer and depression in women
I dont know why they added women, I feel like it'd be depressing for both if you're eating this garbage every day.
P.S, dont feel guilty for eating them, I do too. This is what I mean by no one can truly escape it.
We are mice born in a world where the floor is glue-trap.