Process of Elimination...or Elimination of the Processed

A recent report stated that 73% of America's food supply is made up of ultra-processed foods, and that these foods comprise 60% of the typical adult's diet.

‍

What are “ultraprocessed” foods? In 2009, a Brazilian epidemiologist named Carlos Monteiro proposed a system that classifies foods according to the amount of processing they undergo, and not by nutrient content. This system, called the NOVA classification, separates all foods into four groups. One of these groups, termed ultraprocessed foods, is made up of snacks, drinks, ready meals and many other product types formulated mostly or entirely from substances extracted from foods or derived from food constituents. Ultraprocessed foods have higher amounts of sodium, saturated fat and sugar. These products have been linked to a host of negative health effects, from obesity and diabetes to heart disease, depression, dementia. Think of all the foods you eat that when you see the ingredients on the label, there’s more than 3 and you can’t even pronounce most of them.

‍

So we are eating a lot of these foods, and they worsen our health. Seems like a no-brainer that we should stop doing this and start eating something else.

‍

But what is the best alternative? It just happens to be the one we’ve known about the longest: 

‍

Fiber.

‍

When we eat fiber, we generate compounds called Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs). SCFAs are byproducts created by the process of microbial fermentation of fiber in our guts. The most common SCFAs are butyrate, acetate and propionate and their effects are numerous: they strengthen the intestinal barrier and decrease systemic inflammation. They prevent the expansion of the “bad” microbes in our guts, and they help to regulate our metabolism. 

‍

Fiber intake and the resultant SCFAs we generate have been shown to regulate sugar levels and insulin sensitivity, which are essential for maintaining cardiovascular health. They reduce the inflammatory state of endothelium (the inner lining of our blood vessels) which actually prevents the accumulation of the cells and proteins that lead to atherosclerosis (plaque buildup).

‍

Blood vessel health and tone are also regulated by these SCFAs, and they’ve been shown to be able to reduce blood pressure.

‍

Increased dietary fiber intake has been shown to significantly reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials found that increased fiber consumption led to a mean reduction in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.

‍

Dietary fiber has also been linked to reduced levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation. Lower levels of CRP are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, suggesting that fiber's anti-inflammatory properties play a role in its cardiovascular benefits. 

‍

Most importantly, dietary fiber reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious, and respiratory diseases, and higher fiber intake is associated with a 40% lower risk of dying from cancer! It is associated with a 22% decrease in risk of death in men and women. 

‍

The American Dietetic Association recommends 20-35 grams of fiber a day from plant foods, but those of us eating the Standard American Diet (SAD, for short) eat an average of only 15 grams of daily fiber a day. 

‍

Why do we get so little fiber these days? Because the average diet has changed, and emphasizes foods that have little to no fiber. As we learned above, 60% of the typical adult's diet is made up of ultraprocessed foods and these items tend to be very low in fiber. Additionally, there is no fiber in anything that comes from an animal. There is no fiber in beef, chicken, pork or fish.

‍

But we weren’t designed to eat like this: Research shows that our ancestors actually consumed a wide variety of ever-changing plant foods that gave them up to 100 grams of fiber daily. 

‍

So what foods are best? Black beans, lentils, split peas, kidney beans, lima beans, and chickpeas are all high in fiber. Apples, bananas, peaches, pears, tangerines, prunes, berries, figs, and kiwis are also high in fiber. Some fruits that are particularly high in fiber include passion fruit, guava, raspberries, and blackberries. And whole grains like barley, bulgur and whole-wheat bread are all high in fiber. Brown and wild rice have far more fiber than white rice because they still contain the outer husk.

‍

Fiber really is like a “miracle pill”: it improves sugar metabolism, lessens inflammation, decreases blood pressure, reduces risk for cancer and heart attack and lowers risk of death. It seems like there’s nothing fiber can’t do. That’s a LOT of heavy lifting for a single nutrient. 

‍

Fortunately, we have the easy part: All we have to do is eat it.

‍

‍

At Wisconsin Cardiology Associates, we counsel our patients to aim for a healthy, plant-based diet, emphasizing fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains and nuts. Have questions about the best way you can prevent heart disease? Call us and make an appointment for a consultation.

‍

‍

‍

https://apnews.com/article/ultraprocessed-foods-healthy-diet-0501eb985016149541e6cc727e55dfea

‍

Park Y et al. Arch Intern Med. 2011; 171:1061-8 

‍

‍

‍