In this article, we will again explore the dangers of processed foods—something I talk about often! However, here I address some new concerns you may not have heard of and provide even more compelling reasons to feed yourself and your family nourishing, whole foods for long-lasting health.

Processed “foods” (chicken nuggets, sugary cereals, packaged soup mixes, sodas, junk food, cookies, pizza and all fast foods, for example) are such a big part of our American culture, most people cannot accept that they are behind some of our most chronic and deadly diseases seen today, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity (though not necessarily a disease, obesity is a condition that guarantees a diminished quality of life and contributes greatly to the comorbidities that affect a large portion of our population). Make no mistake—weight gain and obesity are inextricably linked to the unhealthy Standard American Diet (often abbreviated as “SAD”, and for good reason). Medical costs related to the obesity epidemic have reached 142 billion dollars a year. Think about the real cost of the unhealthy processed foods consumed in America. They are cheap to buy, but the ramifications are very expensive.

There are many ways our addiction to easy, processed foods affects our health. We see it often in our kids, in just how problematic or slow our children are to recover from injury and sicknesses. It seems to me that kids today are often more fraught with broken bones, head injuries, depression, anxiety, gut issues and other health concerns than kids from the past. I see these trends in my practice.

I have been doing some research regarding traumatic brain injuries. This injury was in the public eye when the movie Concussion was released in theaters. We are seeing more brain injuries in kids today than ever before (1). Some would say that kids are simply more active today, participating in sports more often than in the past, but I really do not think that is true. Kids in decades past were just as active and maybe even more so, as they certainly spent a lot more time outdoors playing than kids today (2). And when it came to sports, they didn’t have the same quality helmets, knee pads and other protective pieces of equipment our kids are required to wear today. Our children who suffer head injuries while playing sports in high school struggle to heal from these injuries. Often, they are left with chronic problems like eyes that are sensitive to light, chronic headaches, brain fog, inability to concentrate, and the fear that one more bump to the head can be life-threatening.

One nutrient that is well-known to help with healthy brain function is fish oil. How many kids are getting grass-fed beef or wild salmon regularly in their diet, or are taking a high-quality fish supplement (all omega-3)? Not many. EPA and DHA are specific fats that protect the brain even before a head injury occurs, and both are fantastic for helping to heal the brain after injury. Making sure our kids get enough of these protective fatty acids should be a no-brainer, but unfortunately, most kids are deficient in these nutrients.

Increase in stress fractures?

A few years back, I read a personal account of a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who stated that over her 30-year career working with kids treated for broken bones, she was seeing more and more kids with breaks that she felt should not have happened, and more kids breaking bones compared to three decades before. She wondered if it was due to the huge push for kids to wear sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. We didn’t use sunscreen 40 years ago, just put our hats and shirts on when we’d had enough sun. Unfortunately, sunscreen blocks your body’s ability to make essential Vitamin D3 (See my article Sunshine on my Shoulders), and low D3 levels are linked to softer bones. But is the SAD diet to blame also? I think it is.

I am old enough now to remember a different scene when I was growing up. People did bump their heads, but they recovered much more quickly and most of the time a bump didn’t cause the problems it causes today. I have kids in high school and they are always telling me about friends who have broken bones. It seems to be very common nowadays to get a stress fracture. Kids seemed to be more resilient 30-40 years ago, and when they were injured they healed more quickly in all areas. True, this is just my empirical personal observation, but do my observations hold up scientifically? I have researched this and though I have found some studies, I cannot find all the studies I need to support my observations. But, I believe there really is something to this. After all, I work with people every day who are struggling with serious health issues that are affecting their quality of life. They are eating the Standard American Diet, mostly because they don’t know what else they should be eating. After all, it is sold as “food,” right? It tastes good, it’s easy, and it’s cheap.

Should we blame the food we consume today?

We are seeing unprecedented levels of heart disease (52% of us will die of a heart-related event), diabetes is epidemic and climbing (50% of American adults are diabetic or prediabetic) (3), 76% of our population in overweight and 36% of those who are overweight are obese. High blood pressure is quite common, and the war on cancer has never been won. Though we use new ways to stack the statistics on cancer to make it look like we are gaining ground, the reality is that we are not. If we cannot prevent these diseases from spiraling out of control, we will bankrupt our health care system. And, all of these diseases are increasing.

It all goes back to our diet—our cheap, American processed food. A study done in Paris (4, 5) looked at cancer risk and the consumption of processed foods. It showed that for every 10% you increase your consumption of processed foods, your risk of cancer increases by 12%! The authors admit the study does not explain why processed foods increase cancer risk, but speculate this is due to the chemical additives (hydrogenated fats, artificial colors, emulsifiers, sweeteners and modified starches) in our food. Processing also increases the levels of carcinogenic compounds like acrylamide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Even the packaging is problematic, as chemicals in the plastic easily leach into food.

Processed foods offer no nutritional benefit. And this is where the problem lies. Nutrients are essential for the health of the human body and eating processed junk foods strips the body of nutrient stores, as these nutrients are needed to move toxic food out of the body. Regular consumption leaves the body bereft of nutrients that eventually manifest as sickness and disease. In addition, there are correlations between increased cancer risk and lower intake of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids), and we all know high levels of these nutrients are protective against cancer. A diet high in processed foods will necessarily be low in micronutrients.

What do we, our children, teens and young adults eat the most of? Processed foods. Some eat three meals, or graze all day, on junk. Most have no idea how to cook or how to prepare wholesome meals. This is creating teens and young adults that move into their adult life deficient, causing the epidemic of disease that is killing (and bankrupting) us. Bringing your family back to the dining room table for a nourishing, home-cooked meal and teaching our youth how to reclaim the lost art of cooking is an important part of creating long-lasting healing that will benefit generations to come.

Also see my articles: Food Additives – At What Cost? and Dangerous Food Additives List.

Cited References:

USA Today. USA Today Web Site. Available here. Published September 29, 2012. Accessed March 2018.
Henley J. Why our children need to get outside and engage with nature. The Guardian Web Site. Available here. Published August 16, 2010. Accessed March 2018.
Glatter, R. Half of adults in the U.S. have diabetes or prediabetes, study finds. Forbes. Available here. Published September 8, 2015. Accessed March 2018.
Fox, M. Highly processed foods linked to cancer risk, study finds. NBC News Web Site. Available here. Published February 15, 2018. Accessed March 2018.
Press Trust of India. Highly processed foods may increase cancer risk. Deccan Herald Web Site. Available here. Published February 15, 2018. Accessed March 2018.