We’ve Been Misinformed: 5 Reasons Processed Food is the Norm

You know that saying, “you are what you eat“? I think there’s a lot more that makes up who we are than just what we eat, but there’s literally some truth to it because what you eat impacts your body at a cellular level. Each of our bodies is made up of about 30 trillion cells with those cells providing us structure and functionality as the basic building blocks of life. Just like we need to eat to survive and have energy, so do our cells. The food you choose to eat is broken down into nutrients and then converted into energy to keep your body running. The nutrients in what you eat also become the material from which new cells are generated to replace old cells. So, what you eat is converted into the cells that make up your physical body. Kind of crazy to think about, right?

Especially when we consider that 73% of the food supply in the United States is ultra-processed, I’m left wondering about the reasons processed food is the norm. Why is it considered normal for people to fill their plates and stomachs with industrialized food-like substances that are designed with additives to improve or mask how the food looks, smells, and tastes, and have an addictive quality? How on earth did we get to a place where people eat out more than they cook, where we teach so little about nutrition, where 42% of the population in the United States is considered obese and the annual medical cost of obesity is estimated to be $173 billion? And on the flip side, why does mainstream culture consider it unhealthy and restrictive for people who focus on eating real food?

That’s what this post is all about- the reasons processed food is the norm. If you know me, you know I often seek to answer why. Sometimes I don’t reach an answer, and sometimes I don’t like the answer, but there’s value in asking why. That value lies in the journey- what we uncover by asking the question and what we learn about ourselves in the process. Additionally, exploring or knowing why can also give something meaning, like knowing your why for doing something. My why for eating real food is because of how it makes me feel. I love all of the science behind it, but I started prioritizing real food because I had more energy, my mood was more stable, and I could focus better when I ate more real foods. That why has given me direction and helped me remain true to myself when things grow challenging, like when I get made fun of or criticized for how I choose to eat, or when really wanted to eat something processed, or wasn’t invited a holiday meal with family because of my dietary preferences.

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What is Processed Food?

There’s a technicality here that is important to discuss, because little things can have such a big impact. When we say processed food, we generally refer to “junk food.” Technically, junk food is ultra processed food, so let’s get clear on some definitions so we’re all on the same page.

The formal definition of processed foods is foods that are natural or minimally processed food that has salt, oil, or sugar added to it through the manufacturing process. Some examples of processed foods are canned beans or vegetables preserved in salt or vinegar, tomato paste, beef jerky, canned fish, cheese, and coconut fat. Many of these foods can be okay to eat in moderation, especially if they don’t have added sugar.

Ultra processed foods and beverages are food-like substances that are “industrial formulations” made with additives that enhance or alter the flavor, color, scent, or decomposition process to make the food more palatable and more shelf-stable. Examples of ultra processed foods are cookies, ice cream, candy, cake and other baked goods, soda, energy drinks, instant foods, frozen meals, infant formula, packaged snacks, packaged bread, cereal, chips, and fast food. And that list right there makes up the majority of what the average American consumes on a daily basis. For the purposes of this post, I’ll use the terms processed food and ultra processed food interchangeably, as I reference the research and merge that with what we colloquially call processed food, but I wanted to make the distinction clear to reduce confusion should you look into any of the research I share.

Real foods are foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed. They are prepared and/or eaten in their most natural form without any additives. Think eggs, fresh produce, raw nuts, fresh herbs, raw milk, raw meat. Real foods have simple ingredients that you can read and say. In fact, a lot of these foods don’t have nutrition labels with ingredients list, because the only ingredient in a bell pepper is, well, a bell pepper.

Brief History of Processed Food

Why Processed Food Was Invented

Processed food was originally invented to support the military. Foods needed to be packaged and preserved in cans and tins so they could be carried with men during times away from home, especially during war. Combining this with the challenges of agriculture during the late 19th and early 20th century, processed foods gained traction.

In the early 20th century, America’s urban areas were booming, which meant that farmers needed to provide food for people in urban areas where people wouldn’t be growing their own food. While the demand for food was higher as the popular grew, farming acreage was shrinking and the number of farmers was declining, along with prices falling for crops. On top of that, interest rates for land were increasing. Then add in the challenge US farmers were facing with the destruction of crops due to insects, and all of this led to the number of farms shrinking 63% since 1900. Given all of these challenging factors, farmers requested support from the government.

In response, the government stepped in to provide a subsidy payments to farmers to offset the economic burden of farming. Pile some new advances in technology and mechanical developments, and then eventual developments in animal breeding and chemical supports (fertilization, pesticides, additives to stabilize food), and agriculture was changed forever.

Layer on top of that white married women joining the labor force (the marketing research excluded women of color and unmarried women who were already in the labor force) during the World Wars when there was a shortage of workers and marketing psychology seeking to “help” women bridge their obligations at home and work, and there was a new, increased, and stable demand for food to be fast, cheap, and easy. And that’s how middle class, white American women became masters of preparing meals from boxes and cans. The focus on convenience culture has only increased from there as cooking brands developed and gained traction and Big Food came to be.

Big Food is an agribusiness, which is made up of agriculture, marketing, manufacturing, technology, and agrochemicals. Big Food produces ultra processed foods, and unfortunately, Big Food has a vested interest in continuing to do so because that’s how it makes a profit. There are political action committees that lobby in favor of Big Food, donating substantial amounts of money to politicians (it is estimated that $6 million was dedicated to this cause in 2015), preventing any laws be passed to regulate processed food and support health more effectively. In addition, Big food has significant influence within the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to impact the dietary guidelines promoted by the government. In fact, in 2015, the USDA and Department of Health and Human Services rejected the recommendations from their panel of scientists to update dietary guidelines to encourage people to reduce sugar and alcohol consumption. It’s terrifying how much influence Big Food has.

Why Processed Foods are Unhealthy

Processed foods include additives to enhance the food. Some additives are salt and fat, which aren’t great, but it definitely gets worse. The real kickers are added sugar and all of its 61 different names used to hide it in foods, and artificial ingredients like flavoring, enzymes, dyes, hydrogenated vegetable oil, industrial seed oils, and emulsifiers.

Studies show that…

• Emulsifiers, like carrageenan, polysorbate-80, and carboxymethylcellulose, increase gut inflammation and the development of colitis and inflammatory bowel disease.
• Hydrogenated vegetable oils cause inflammation, particularly in relation to the heart, as well as impact blood flow regulation. It can also raise LDL cholesterol (the “bad” kind), and increase insulin resistance. Research also shows that when people consume less trans fat, which is found in hydrogenated vegetable oil, death rates go down.
• Industrial seed oils, like canola, rapeseed, soy, cottonseed, sunflower, and safflower oil, contain harmful additives themselves to be created and they’re derived from genetically modified crops. While the research we have access to isn’t definitive, we know that seed oils are higher in inflammatory fats (Omega 6), meaning they could increase inflammation. Speaking from experience, I felt an increase in energy and focus capacity and a reduction in gastrointestinal issues when I cut seed oils.
• Flavorings do not add nutritional value to food-like products and are often labeled with blanket phrases like “artificial flavors” or “natural flavors” which fails to identify actual ingredients. Flavoring can negatively impact gut health, increasing inflammation.
• Dyes certainly make food look more delectable, but they come from petroleum which is also used to make gasoline. Food dyes increase inflammation, risk of cancer, hypersensitivity in children, impact cell development, and can negatively impact the liver.
• Enzymes in ultra processed foods are considered “safe” at this time, but the principle is that these enzymes don’t occur in the foods they’re added to naturally, so we’re messing with a system that needn’t be messed with. It’s unnatural.

What you will find again and again is that none of these additives have any nutritional value; they simply make ultra processed foods easier to use or keep, or more appealing to eat.

Diseases Connected to Eating Processed Foods

• Dementia: a 2022 study found that the risk of dementia is raised by a 10% increase in consumption of ultra processed foods, and on the flip side, reducing consumption of ultra processed foods by 10% led to a 19% reduction in risk of developing dementia
• Type 2 Diabetes: a 2021 meta-analysis of multiple studies revealed that consuming 10% higher levels of ultra processed foods is connected to an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 15%.
• Cancer: Overall, ultra processed food consumption is connected with higher cancer risk. One study showed that a 10% increase in ultra processed foods led to a 12% increase in cancer overall, and a 11% increase in breast cancer. A separate study showed that a 10% increase in ultra processed food consumption is connected to a 19% increase in ovarian cancer, as well as a 30% increase in risk of dying from ovarian cancer.
• Cardiovascular disease: the American College of Cardiology shared a study that shows each daily serving of ultra processed food is connected to a 7% increase in risk of cardiovascular disease and a 9% increase in death from a cardiovascular disease
• Stroke and heart attack: One study showed that higher levels of consumption of ultra processed foods leads to a 2/3 increased risk of stroke or second heart attack, and the probability of dying from those events is increased by 40%
• Obesity
• All-cause mortality: A 2019 study in Brazil determined that out of approximately 541,000 deaths of people 30-69 years old, 57,000 of those deaths were due to consumption of ultra processed foods.
• Overall inflammation, which is a factor in many diseases and illnesses

There is notable and documented risk for each of those diseases in connection to eating ultra processed food. Sure, processed food might be quick, cheap, easy and delicious now, but at what expense later? Well, according to the research, the cost is our health, and sometimes worse, our life.

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5 Reasons Processed Food is the Norm

So, we have finally reached the question I set out to answer: What are the reasons processed food is the norm? This question is rather substantial, too, given all of the research that shows how detrimental ultra processed foods are to our health. How did we get to a place where more than 60% of what the average American consumes is processed food? As usual, there isn’t one clear ultimate answer, but multiple factors to explore that likely contribute.

1. The food pyramid is misleading

In 1916, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) established dietary guidelines for feeding young children, which transferred to the general public in 1917 with five basic food groups and recommended amounts to consume. Every few years, the guide was updated to reflect the latest understanding and needs of the time. In 1941, the Recommended Dietary Allowances were created with specific caloric recommendations. In the 1970s, “research” showed that over-consumption of fat and sodium led to chronic disease, so the guidance began to include fats, sweets, and alcohol as a new food group. This led to the develop of the food pyramid in 1988, after consumer studies revealed the typical eating patterns of adults in the US.

The first concern to highlight is that the food pyramid was designed by the Department of Agriculture. Why would experts in agriculture set the standards for nutrition? That’s a conflict of interest because executives in the argibusiness- Big Food- have a vested interest in selling what they produce. They benefit and turn a profit by having people eat more of the food they grow and processed food they manufacture. Unfortunately, the food pyramid was designed and updated over the years with Big Food interests in mind. Two other concerns to explore are that USDA used altered research to recommend low levels of fat consumption, and that the pyramid does not clarify that not all foods within a category are created equal.

2. Research has been skewed and hidden

Altered research? Really? Unfortunately, yes, really.

One of the reasons processed food is the norm is because Big Food’s interests also show up in nutritional guidelines beyond the food pyramid. The Sugar Research Foundation, an lobbying group, paid off researchers in the 1960s to downplay the risks of sugar and point the finger at fat as being unhealthy. Because this was then published in influential journals, like the New England Journal of Medicine, it began to shape scientific discussion overall about nutrition. At the time, there were no requirements in research to disclose funding sources. That led one of the scientists who was paid off to eventually took on the role of head of nutrition at USDA. There, he helped to draft the original dietary guidelines.

Not only did this buy Big Food decades to redirect the conversation away from sugar, it gave them time to get people addicted to sugar, and to create a whole new market of products that were low fat. To replace the fat in these food-like products, Big Food added- you guessed it- sugar.

Altered research has played out in other arenas within the nutrition world. Here’s another example: In the 1940s, Procter & Gamble, owner of Crisco, gave a $1.5 million dollar donation to the American Heart Association (AHA). The AHA endorsed seed oils in turn, encouraging the public to use Crisco, which is hydrogenated vegetable oil and is linked to inflammation of the heart.

What is comes down to is that the nutritional advice we’ve received about what and how to eat has been built on a skewed research and manipulation.

2. Not all calories are created equal

Another one of the reasons processed food is the norm: The food pyramid implies that all calories are created equal. There is no discussion of quality of food- only quantity. In the original food pyramid and current My Plate dietary guidance, there are examples of foods in each of the groups, but no considerations for how the impact of a sweet potato as a carbohydrate is different than a piece of white bread, or how the nutritional profile of a McDonald’s hamburger is different than a grass-fed beef burger. The difference is found when focusing on quality of food and nutrients, not just quantity. Calories are not created equal.

I grew up thinking that people needed to count calories and that as long as you stayed around the 2,000 calorie daily recommendation, you were “healthy” no matter what you ate. Aside from the fact that that number doesn’t take into account age, sex, gender, height, weight, or lifestyle, eating 2,000 calories of fast food a day is a lot different than eating 2,000 calories of real whole foods.

The onus then gets put on people for “eating too much” when processed food has addictive qualities and activates dopamine in our brain which encourages us to eat more. Processed food is also very low in nutrients, leaving people nutrient deficient, tired, sick, and overweight, even though they’re following the USDA dietary guidelines.

One last tidbit to consider: nutrition labels include a daily reference value for consumption of salt and fats, but there is no value for sugar even though we know it’s causing harm. Unfortunately, this convoluted system makes it difficult to know how to improve your health because you’re constantly receiving conflicting information and the people who you’re supposed to be able to trust aren’t sharing the whole picture.

3. Big Food and marketing psychology is convincing us to eat processed food

To explore another one of the reasons processed food has become the norm, I invite you to experience marketing psychology for yourself. Go to the website for The Sugar Association (formerly the Sugar Research Foundation). What do you notice?

I see several pictures of happy people connecting over sugar: baking, teaching children, grocery shopping. Okay, so first, we have implicit messaging about how sugar connects to happiness and connection. I also see written messaging that has been carefully worded to support sugar consumption, like “A balanced life is a sweet life. Everything has a place in moderation.” And there’s no research referenced anywhere to support claims that sugar is healthy and an important part of the diet (Of course, our bodies need glucose, and the body can get glucose from breaking down real, minimally processed foods. Our bodies have no dietary need for added processed sugar.).

Food advertisements are relentless and research shows that fast food ads trigger the reward center of the brain, especially for young children. The most disgusting part is that the messaging is nearly subliminal. We don’t see a commercial for fast food and then immediately head to McDonald’s. Instead, the commercial primes the brain to see out ultra processed food because of desire, not because of hunger. Food marketing practices are so harmful. Ads make ultra processed foods appear glamorous with slim and fit models, lavish lifestyles, and energetic, catching features. Marketing psychology for Big Food wants you to FEEL something when you see ads for ultra processed food, because then you’ll seek out ultra processed food wanting to feel like what was project in the ad when eating or drinking that product. But it doesn’t work like that. It’s all manipulation.

One of the biggest arguments I’ve encountered around the topic of eating real food is that some people don’t want to be told what to do- they don’t want to be told what to eat and that they need to eat “healthy foods.” I hate being told what to do, so I can relate. I want to choose for myself. But the sad, scary, disturbing, and disgusting part is that we’re being influenced to eat processed food by ads, by the USDA guidelines, by how addicting processed food is, and by how convenient it’s become to eat processed food. And most people don’t know it. They’re choosing processed foods because they’re been led to believe, subconsciously, that that’s what they want.

4. The “Health at Every Size” campaign is concerning

As a woman and a social worker, I am very aware of the messages women constantly receive in society about how they’re “supposed to look.” I don’t support this construct and point it out every chance I get. I believe all people deserve to be respected regardless of how they look. AND, I think that respect starts with each individual learning to respect themselves and having a positive relationship with their own bodies. If you can’t respect yourself, it’s unlikely you’re going to be able to respect others.

The “Health at Every Size” approach claims to be a holistic definition of health as the approach seeks to be inclusive of all people regardless of weight. I’m on board with the idea that we need to shift the focus and conversation from weight and stop shaming people for their bodies (Yes, PLEASE, can we move beyond this?!), but I do not agree that this approach is holistic. Holistic care is based on a belief that many parts are interconnected and cannot be looked at individually to fully understand the person or situation at a whole. Obesity isn’t the actual issue; obesity is simply a symptom of internal dysfunction in the body. Think of it like a warning light on a car dashboard: It’s something you should probably consider addressing and figuring out the cause. And what’s the cause? Our food supply gone awry.

This is not the average person’s fault. Processed foods are set up to be fast, cheap, easy, and “delicious” if you’re addicted to them. Processed food is designed for over-consumption, stimulating dopamine in the brain, the “feel good” center, which makes you crave more of it. The onus here is actually on Big Food, who is manipulating people on so many levels and perpetuating disease and illness, then blaming the public. You brain is being hijacked by Big Food through their marketing, their lobbying and government-backed dietary recommendations, and through the food itself.

It’s not true that people can be healthy at any size. The public stance is that we’re missing research, supposedly, to support obesity being unhealthy, but that’s inaccurate. It’s easy to find reputable information to the contrary, like this from Harvard, or this from Stanford, or even the CDC. Currently, the public view of obesity if that someone can be “healthy and obese” if they lack indicators for metabolic disease. And yet, this is often coupled with the acknowledgement that obesity is connected to at least 13 types of cancer and over 200 health conditions.

On top of this, we’ve made it seem scary and restrictive that some people primarily eat real food. Listen, processed food is addictive. The research is clear on that. It’s going to be a real challenge to stop eating it, and real foods are going to taste bland at first. On top of that, we often function from a scarcity mindset, meaning we focus on what we can’t/won’t have as opposed to what we do. If you try to shift to eating real foods and focus on all the things you “can’t” eat anymore, yes, you’re right, it’s going to feel disturbingly restrictive. With that mindset, you’re also missing what you gain by eating real foods.

I’ve spent the last decade focusing on eating real food, and as soon as I shifted my paradigm from “I can’t have…” to “I choose to eat real food because I feel my best,” it didn’t feel restrictive at all. In fact, eating real food felt empowering. It has been a way for me to get to know my body better and learn to listen to my bodies subtle cues and respond with intention.

On that note, and going back to the concept of respecting your body, there are two avenues to explore here. One avenue to explore is focused around how we can support people by providing them factual information about nutrition, food, and ultra processed foods so that they can make informed decisions about how they choose to care for their bodies. And that leads me to the second avenue and the last of five reasons processed food has become the norm:

5. We’re encouraged to disconnect from our bodies

We value material things and intellect in our society far more than we value emotion, and our emotions are physical sensations in our bodies. Let me offer two big picture perspectives to explain this.

In terms of material things, Americans have a flawed belief that people who have more material things are better people. The research actually shows that the opposite is true: people who are less materialistic are happier and healthier. But you can’t turn on the tv or radio or hop on social media without seeing ads for a sale or people promoting things to buy. Instagram and Tiktok have become huge arenas for marketing, and it’s the material items that sell: clothing, home decor, anything that can be marketed as something to make your life better. When we focus on material things, we’re focusing on “keeping up with the Joneses.” That’s an external focus; we’re responding to what we see others have, as opposed to knowing what we need and want internally.

An element of what perpetuates this is how we approach work and health. We’re expected to show up for work when we’re sick, we’re expected to be available for work at all hours, and it’s the norm to be exhausted and dragging through life, working on someone else’s schedule and timeline. And never sleep. Americans do not value sleep and rest, and it’s killing us. Ugh, what misery! I will never go back to that construct again. But all of this sends the messaging to disconnect from our bodies, from our feelings. For the most part, nobody cares how you feel in the average job. It’s unfortunate and true.

As for intellect, we put so much stock in experts and letting them tell us the way. How many times have you heard of people going to the doctor with an issue and having it dismissed? How awful is that? Here you are trusting your gut that something is off, and trusting your doctor, an expert, to help care for your body, and you walk away feeling silly. Experts can be helpful, for sure. I value the input of experts, and I don’t want or need them to determine if my experience is relevant or accurate.

Between incessant marketing, the societal expectation to override our feeling sense, and being encouraged to put our faith in experts, we’ve lost the connection to ourselves, to our intuition, to our bodies. We’re always looking externally for the answer or solution, but it’s not really out there. It’s not in a pill or a new phone or a new house. It’s internal. When you get to know yourself better and perhaps choose to shift your internal understanding of yourself, all of this external messaging can become white noise in your life.

The system is set up for you to keep rolling along with mainstream expectations, eating ultra processed food and pretending that life is meaningless, working our way more towards making the dystopia Disney movie Wall-E a reality. But you don’t have to go along with it. You can pull the cord and get off this bus anytime you want and I’m here to help you start making little changes in your life that increase meaning and empower you to live the life that fits you best. Whenever you’re ready

How to Live a Meaningful Life

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