Just How Bad Are Ultra-processed Foods?
New Title
Health News Update: Just How Bad Are Ultra-processed Foods? 1.12.2026
Hello again: First of all, it is important to know that food is the leading cause of death in our country. And next, just how bad are ultra-processed foods is a reasonable question because recent statistics reveal that between 60 to 70% of our caloric intake is from ultra-processed foods. Take a look at high quality evidence and you be the judge:
“This first paper in a three-part Lancet Series combines narrative and systematic reviews with original analyses and meta-analyses to assess three hypotheses concerning a dietary pattern based on ultra-processed foods. The first hypothesis—that this pattern is globally displacing long-established diets centered on whole foods and their culinary preparation as dishes and meals—is supported by decades of national food intake and purchase surveys, and recent global sales data. The second—that this pattern results in deterioration of diet quality, especially in relation to chronic disease prevention—is confirmed by national food intake surveys, large cohorts, and interventional studies showing gross nutrient imbalances; overeating driven by high energy density, hyper-palatability, soft texture, and disrupted food matrices; reduced intake of health-protective phytochemicals; and increased intake of toxic compounds, endocrine disruptors, and potentially harmful classes and mixtures of food additives. The third and final hypothesis—that this pattern increases the risk of multiple diet-related chronic diseases through various mechanisms—is substantiated by more than 100 prospective studies, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, and mechanistic studies, covering adverse outcomes across nearly all organ systems. The totality of the evidence supports the thesis that displacement of long-established dietary patterns by ultra-processed foods is a key driver of the escalating global burden of multiple diet-related chronic diseases.”
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01565-X/fulltext ultra-processed foods cause diseases.
Bottom Line: If you knew that ultra-processed foods cause serious deterioration of your health and leads to disease creation, suffering, and death…would you continue to eat any of that so called ‘food’? Would you really put that super inflammatory and damaging stuff into your only Temple?
So, what do you do now if you want to upgrade your food plan? It may not be readily apparent from the media, but the research consensus is showing that the best food plan is called the Green Mediterranean diet (this is a lifestyle, not a diet). You can look at some of my more recent blog posts for more detailed information about this way of healthy eating…but whatever you do, the sooner the better would be best. We all need to honor our Temple.
