Eating For A Shorter Life?

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Hey Brothers!

Welcome to LenDentonThrive Letter #62!

Eating For A Shorter Life?

The mission of the LenDentonThrive Letter is to provide you with practical, science-backed information and strategies that help you lose weight, get fit, and stay fit… all in a smarter, not harder way. 

I write about food a lot! That’s because food is the most important element of a healthy lifestyle. It’s the key to your short-term fitness goals, and your long-term health. In today’s edition of the LenDentonThrive Letter, I want to tackle a particularly gnarly topic - Ultra-Processed Foods! 

Is Your Diet Leading To A Shorter Life?

Most of the guys I know are eating in a way that will ultimately shorten their lives!

For most of them, this isn’t intentional. It’s not their fault. They’ve been eating this way for their entire life.

They just don’t know!

They don’t know the impact that the Standard American Diet (aka S.A.D.) has on their bodies. This S.A.D. is filled with fast foods, hidden calories, and ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Our consumption of these foods is having a devastating effect on men’s health:

• Nearly 70% of American adults are overweight (BMI > 25) .

• At current trends, nearly 50% of American men will be obese (BMI > 30) by 2030.

• Heart disease (a predominantly lifestyle-related disease) is the #1 cause of death for American men. 

I’ve written about the dangers of the S.A.D. in a past edition of the Letter, so today I want to focus on the specific risks associated with eating UPFs.   

What Is Ultra-Processed Food?

Let’s start with a quick definition of ultra-processed food:

Industrial formulations that are made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives, with little to no whole foods. Key characteristics include:

1. They typically contain five or more ingredients.

2. Often high in added sugars, unhealthy fats, and salt.

3. Designed to be convenient, highly palatable, and have a long shelf life.

4. Undergo industrial processes like hydrogenation, extrusion, or pre-frying.

5. Often energy-dense but nutrient-poor.

6. Include substances not commonly used in home cooking, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, artificial colors, and flavors.

It’s important to highlight two of the characteristics from this list. First, high amounts of sugars, fats, and salt add flavor and texture to UPFs but can also make them addictive! And second, UPFs are typically energy-dense (meaning loaded with calories) but nutrient-poor. These two characteristics are why UPFs tend to keep us hungry for more while providing very little real nutrition.

The consumption of UPFs among Americans has been growing steadily for decades. Today, the average American gets more than 50% of their total calorie intake from UPFs (see Figure 1 below).

UPFs are many of the familiar boxes, cans and brands that we all grew up eating. The list of UPFs is too long to include here, but I’m sure that you’re aware of some common examples:

• Frozen pizzas and meals

• Breakfast cereals

• Sugary soft drinks and fruit drinks

• Most breads, cakes and pastries

• Processed meats like hotdogs, sausage and lunch meats

• Fast foods

• Most restaurant meals

UPFs are engineered food products that are typically tasty and less expensive than wholesome food alternatives. Unfortunately, they are also generally unhealthy for us!  

 Health Risks Posed by UPFs

Concern has been growing among health organizations in recent years over the risks of consuming UPFs.  Numerous studies have associated UPF consumption with the rapid increase of several chronic diseases. 

For example, in a recent study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers have found: “convincing evidence” that higher ultra-processed food intake was associated with:

• A 50% increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death,

• A 48% - 53% higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders, 

• A 12% greater risk of Type 2 diabetes.

The same study found “highly suggestive evidence” also indicated that diets high in ultra-processed foods were associated with:

• A 21% greater risk of death from any cause (All-Cause Mortality)

• A 40% - 66% higher risk of heart disease-related death, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and sleep problems

• A 22% increased risk of depression.

And, a 2018 study from the Harvard Medical School noted the following: 

Every 10% increase in consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with a 12% higher risk for cancer in general and an 11% increased risk for breast cancer (in women). 

This is merely a quick sampling of the growing number of alarm bells going off concerning the consumption of UPFs. The takeaway from the research is that consumption of ultra-processed foods is leading to:

1. Worsening health outcomes (more chronic disease),

2. Greater mortality (shorter lives)!

So…what should we do instead?

Eat Smarter…Live Longer

If you can change the way you eat, you’ll change:

• the way you look

• how you feel

• how healthy you are

• how long you’ll live! 

Food is that important!

The key isn’t to eat less! It’s not about starting crazy diets, or being constantly hungry or spending countless hours at the gym or on a treadmill. 

The key is to Eat Smarter! Better health and a longer life are all tied to making better food choices. 

Ten years ago, I ditched the S.A.D. and started making better food choices. And, those changes in my food choices had a dramatic effect on my levels of health and fitness. I lost 70 pounds in 7 months. I looked and felt better. My energy levels were “through the roof!” 

And now, ten years later, I’m still enjoying the benefits of Eating Smarter…without crazy diets or killer workouts. 

You can do it, too!  I’m including my ThriveLife Guide to Eating Smarter below to help you get started.

And, if you want to lose 20 pounds or more, without resorting to crazy diets or killer workouts, check out these editions of my LenDentonThrive Letter here and here.

Smarter, not harder.

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Thanks for reading this week.

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