When it comes to issues of diet and health, the term “processed food” is sure to come up. Defining processed food is somewhat challenging. Perhaps it would be helpful to first define non-processed or whole food. This is food that you can kill, catch or find in nature. Processed food is any food that is made from a combination of ingredients. If you add heat we call this “cooking”. Thus humans have been consuming simple processed foods for thousands of years.
I find it useful to break down processed foods into two categories—minimally processed foods (MPF) and highly processed foods (HPF). From a health standpoint this is a critical distinction because it is highly processed food that is driving many of our common chronic diseases like obesity, type II diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and many cancers. HPF is also the primary trigger of many common brain disorders including Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. This web site is dedicated to educating the public about this common form of food-induced brain dysfunction.
Minimally Processed Food—We Could Do Worse
First let’s look at minimally processed food. This is the type of food that humans have been consuming for up to 30,000 years. For much of this time hunter-gatherers simply gathered various grains, crudely milled them and combined them with water. This mush was then cooked over open fires to make various types of unleavened flat bread. Agriculture was first developed about 14,000 years ago and this domestication and milling of various grains such as wheat, barley and rice became more formalized. Later yeast was added to the mix to produce leavened bread. Today you can still find this type of MPF for sale but in my experience it’s as rare as hen’s teeth. The best way to find this relatively benign form of processed food is to make it yourself because it’s unlikely you will find it at your local grocery store.
A good example of the tug of war between MPF and HPF is one of my favorite treats—baklava. We spend a lot of time in Greece and it’s hard to resist this ancient treat. Baklava was first developed thousands of years ago by various cultures in the Middle East. It contained thin layers of filo dough, various nuts, honey and spices. When you bit into this ancient treat, sweet was not the first thing to hit your brain. It had the proper balance of ingredients to make it the treat of kings with each ingredient complimenting the others. Today most baklava has been prostituted by adding sugar, HFCS and other such nonsense. This baklava tastes inappropriately sweet but it resonates well with the typical American taste buds.
Highly Processed Food—The Devil is in the Details
Thus most of the food in your local grocery store is what I call highly processed food (HPF). Although there may not be any universally accepted definition of HPF, this type of food usually shares some or all of these characteristics:
- They contain a long list of ingredients, many of which an average consumer wouldn’t recognize or be able to pronounce.
- They virtually always contain added refined sugars often under pseudo names. For more information I recommend reading Robert Lustig’s excellent book “Sugar Has 56 Names”.
- They usually come in a box, bag or package.
- They always contain one or more chemical preservatives because they travel long distances from where they are made to where they are consumed. In other words they tend to have a long “shelf life”.
- They often contain refined grains, especially corn, rice and wheat. Our government heavily subsidizes these grains so they are relatively cheap.
- They often contain the statement “Made with whole Grains” on the package. This statement is virtually meaningless. By definition a whole grain must contain 100% of the original kernel–all of the bran, germ, and endosperm must be present to qualify as a whole grain. Of course this is the definition given to us by the Whole Grains Council, a non-profit organization that promotes the use of unprocessed grains. The FDA has yet to define “whole grains” so it’s really the Wild West out there when it comes to using this term. Most companies will throw some whole grains into their products that are also loaded with refined grains and tons of added sugar. This allows them to plaster the term “Made with Whole Grains” on their products. Some of us don’t find even 100% whole grains to be a particularly healthy form of food. A little Paleo anyone? By the way, K. Dun Gifford who started the Whole Grains Council died of a heart attack at the age of 71—sad and a bit ironic.
- Most processed foods contain ample amounts of omega 6 fatty acids from vegetable oils. Although omega 6 fatty acids are essential for health, they must be carefully balanced with omega 3 fatty acids for optimal health. Omega 3 fatty acids primarily come from seafood and fish. Throughout most of our evolutionary history we consumed equal amounts of omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. With our modern diet of HPF we now consume up to 20 times more omega 6 fatty acids than omega 3 fatty acids. This unnatural ratio promotes inflammation, chronic disease and weight gain.
- HPF often contains artificial flavors and colors. Minimally processed or whole foods have naturally pleasing flavors and colors. As I am writing this, my wife Irene is making “aginares a la polita”—lemony Greek artichoke stew. This dish is made with simple whole plants, spices, olive oil and lemon juice. The flavor of each ingredient compliments the others to produce a savory and delicious meal. On the other hand the modern food industry has brought us “flavor science” where various chemicals are mixed and matched to produce highly palatable processed food. Twinkies anyone?
- HPF tends to be less expensive than whole foods. The reason for this unfortunate state of affairs is obvious—our government heavily subsidizes corn, wheat, soybeans, rice and sugar, the main ingredients in HPF. When you look at the healthcare costs associated with consuming this type of food, it becomes obvious that we should be taxing these food elements as we do with other harmful substances like alcohol and tobacco rather than subsidizing them. I find it ironic that New York Mayer Bloomberg failed in his attempt to restrict soda sales to less than 16 ounces. My friends in Mexico have managed to one-up us. They now have a tax on soda and consumption is falling. I guess money does talk.
- HPF tends not to spoil and often has a shelf life that puts whole foods to shame. This is clearly an advantage in this hustle-bustle world that most of us inhabit. It does take time and planning to have unspoiled whole foods available 24/7. All I can say is that it pays to focus on what is important and food is very important if you value your health and brain function.
If we are going to turn this ship around we will need access to whole, real, fresh and inexpensive food for the majority of our citizens. People will need to shop frequently and have a refrigerator in their home. They must have a basic understanding of food preservation that doesn’t involve 20 chemicals.
I must admit that many forms of HPF taste pretty good, especially if you eat them morning, noon and night. I used to love my White Castle hamburgers and fries but I haven’t eaten one in years. The longer you stay away, the attraction naturally wanes and you start gravitating to whole, health food.
I am not the first person to demonize the health dangers of eating HPF. Gary Taubes, Richard Johnson and Robert Lustig have been going so for years. It’s good to see that their views are finally gaining some real momentum.
Crush the Cravings
I suspect by now you can easily spot highly processed food (HPF). It’s not hard to find—simply look around you and you will see that’s it’s everywhere. The key is not to eat it! The problem is, many people—especially females, tend to crave sweet and starchy food (with a bit of fat thrown it). We now believe that this is the cardinal symptom of a form of food induced brain dysfunction called Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. Unless you effectively deal with these cravings, your diet will be toast—or I should say you will be eating mostly toast!
One of the most effective ways to deal with these intense cravings is to take the amino acid L-glutamine as a supplement. It is available as a powder or capsules and I recommend taking 1,000 3x daily between meals to knock down those cravings. I also like a concentrated form of cinnamon called Cinsulin. Take a capsule before every meal containing carbohydrates and it will help your body deal with glucose spikes. Cinsulin is available at Health Food Stores, the Internet or at Costco. You also might consider taking CARB-22, a supplement that I sell on my web site. This product is geared to restoring brain neurotransmitters to normal levels and all folks with CARB syndrome have low levels of these neurotransmitters.
There is some good news on the horizon. This week the Wall Street Journal published an article titled “Indigestion Hits Top U.S. Food Firms”. It seems that the large food companies that have thrived on producing and selling HPF for decades are seeing their sales plummet as Americans start to search for healthier choices. As they say, what goes around comes around.