Processed foods are everwhere. They are easy, fast, and ubiquitous. And by the numbers, some of it might not seem too bad. Calories are calories, right? As a general rule, yes. But there are clear signals that calories are not the whole story.
In an interesting study released on May 16, 20 adults were tested to determine the differences in receiving unprocessed versus processed foods. Over two weeks, they were presented with uniform calorie and nutrient alternatives, the only difference was whether is was processed food.
The patients were instructed to eat as they chose, or "ad libitum" and they were monitored for weight changes. I think most of us would expect processed foods to be worse, but do we know why?
This study points to a possible direction. Let's look at the highlights:
This means 20 adults, in a controlled setting, were given diets of unprocessed and processed meals for two weeks. What exactly is an unprocessed diet? These foods would be typically what we would consider to be prepared from scratch. The processed foods are items that are pre-prepared and ready to eat after heating or similar preparation.
This means the foods that patients saw generally had the same nutrition level. So if you were looking at a nutrition label on the plate, the numbers would be very close to the same.
The patients could still eat as they chose, eating more or less as they felt satisfied or not. But what they saw to choose from was matched in terms of nutrients and energy content.
This is the critical point of the study. The patients eating processed foods chose to eat more of their food. Given the same inputs on paper, the real-life result was a significantly higher calorie input every day.
As a general rule, 500 calories a day will get you a solid pound of extra fat every week. 500 calories extra a day is 50 pounds extra a year. For the same types of people, the same types of nutrition statistics, this is a monumental difference in outcomes.
This is in essence what we've always been told. The group eating a higher number of calories gained more weight. No real mystery here.
This chart from the study is a very clear explanation of the study, and is worth reprinting and rememebering here.
The mystery is, why did the processed food lead to a higher calorie intake? This is something that will probably not be resolved anytime soon.
Unprocessed foods in general will be higher in fiber and likely take more energy to digest. This is one piece of the puzzle. And it is a good thing for your body regardless of outcome.
But what really stood out in the full study text is something that wasn't studied directly but is perhaps suggested by the results. Processed foods "have been suggested to be engineered to have supernormal appetitive properties that may result in pathological eating behavior."
Pathological eating behavior... Sound familiar? And can you envision a system where food manufacturers would have incentives to create such a food? A product that makes you want more of the same product. Like cigarettes and other even less savory products have been found to change human behaviors.
Further adding to the difficulties for the vast majority of consumers is that the processed foods are significantly cheaper and easier to prepare. The study showed a difference of roughly 30% less being spent for the same calorie count of processed foods.
Whether you believe the food companies purposely cause this situation and these behaviors in us or not, the results of this study are clear. Not only are unprocessed foods better for you, but unprocessed foods help you to eat less than processed foods do.
If a product label said "MAKES YOU EAT LESS" and "HEALTHIER IN EVERY WAY" you'd likely take a second look. And in the case of unprocessed foods, it is actually true. But most unprocessed food doesn't come in a multi-color printed box or bag with hyperbole sprayed across it.
Unfortunately, eating right is a lot like taking the stairs. There will always be an easier, usually faster alternative right next to it. So we have to continuously, consciously, avoid the easy way, if we want to get the benefit from healthier habits.