This is exactly what happens to your body when you eat processed food

What is processed food?

According to Dr Shivdasani, processed food is “anything that comes out of a tin, can, or bottle and has a shelf life”. Adding, Dr Nikhil Kulkarni, Consultant-Internal Medicine, SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim – A Fortis Associate told indianexpress.com that any food that has changed from its natural state (the state in which it was born) is called processed food.

“To be precise, even those food items that are simply cut, heated, cooked and have seasonings added to them can be called processed foods. However, they are not necessarily harmful. It is the highly and ultra-processed foods that are bad for health. As such, while lightly processed foods can be a part of a healthy diet, highly processed ones can lead to various health risks, as they contain lots of salt, fat, or sugar.”

How does processed food consumption affect the body?

Dr Shivdasani breaks down what happens to the body after consuming processed food.

• When we eat processed food, we get a surge of insulin, which is a fat storing hormone, leading to weight gain. If you are trying to lose weight and have high insulin levels, forget it, it is not happening.
•  When you gain weight, you also have more fat cells — called adipose cells — that can create a state of inflammation in the body. We know inflammation is the root cause of all metabolic diseases that predisposes you to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and even strokes.
• Processed food increases bad bacteria in the gut. This can cause leaky gut syndrome, auto-immune conditions, and can also change your physiology and create addictions.

Processed food increases bad bacteria in the gut which can cause leaky gut syndrome. (Source: Pixabay)

Dr Kulkarni added that such foods are easily digested than those in their natural state and have half the calories burnt by the body during their digestion process. “Hence, you have more stored calories and lack of control over overeating as they are easily digested and may add to the epidemic of diabetes and obesity. This, further, contributes to the spread of chronic diseases like hypertension, lipid disorder, heart disease, and even cancer”.

But why is highly processed food so addictive?

Apart from being easy to digest and savoury due to added flavours, highly processed food is addictive because of the way it affects our brain. Dr Smriti Jhunjhunwala, BHMS nutritionist and dietitian shared, “Whenever we feed our body with ‘junk’, it prompts a dopamine response in the brain that makes a person feel happier and reduces any negativity. This, then, becomes a motivation for us to consume such so-called ‘satisfying food’ in no time and fill ourselves. The pathological side of it is that refined carbohydrates is very easy to digest and, therefore, the body immediately converts the carbs into glucose and stores it, which makes you feel that you haven’t eaten anything yet and makes you want to keep eating till you feel full, only to realise later that your body has been actually fed with nothing but ‘junk’,” she elucidated.

When we eat processed food, we get a surge of insulin hormone. (Source: Pixabay)

So, should you never eat processed food?

Dr Shivdasani said that all this does not mean you can never eat highly processed or junk foods. Suggesting one to maintain a balance of 80 percent healthy and 20 percent junk, she added: “If the ratio of good, and the consumption of unprocessed food is higher than the junk food you consume, your body will thank you for it,” she concluded.

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