PROCESSED FOODS - THE FACTS

 

 

 

DO PROCESSED FOODS MAKE FAT BURNING LESS EFFICIENT? 

 

Processed foods are certainly a convenience of the modern age and when short on time it’s handy to know that a quick and simple option exists to move food from fridge to table in only a matter of minutes.  The contents of those packages however make it more difficult for the body to resist piling on the pounds as they’re loaded with fats and sugars that are unhealthy and this negatively impacts upon the body’s natural process for breaking down and digesting these foods.

 

Following a meal the body uses energy in the digestion process which is known as the thermic effect of food, and accounts for roughly 10% of your daily expenditure of energy.  This to some degree will be affected by the type of foods consumed.  So the composition of the food is important as protein burns off more energy which is why high protein diets are consistent and successful for weight loss.   

 

A new study is now suggesting that the metabolic rate of burning these processed food calories as energy is actually reduced when compared to averages of burning the same amount of energy from equal quantities of unprocessed wholefood. 

 

This research found that two similar sandwiches on two consecutive days, both containing similar calorific averages - but one containing processed ingredients and the other only natural ingredients - had different energy burning values.  The calorie burning effects shockingly, were close to 50% lower for the processed foods.  So eating processed foods regularly will reduce the thermic effect of breaking down the food and this over time will greatly impact on daily energy expenditure, or speed of metabolic rate.  Also relatively speaking the spike in obesity rates across the western world has also escalated concurrently with the increased availability of processed foods. 

 

So, do we know what is responsible and why this decrease in energy usage occurs when breaking down processed foods?  Insulin could be the key here.  After a meal the hormone insulin is released.  The presence of insulin, research has shown, makes fat burning less efficient and the body more liable to set down fat stores. The presence of fibre though can to some extent suppress this natural reaction.  That’s why a diet rich in proteins and natural sources of fibre are more helpful in losing weight.

 

Lots of factors are at work dealing with our menu options so before popping another ready meal in the microwave it’s a good idea to think about the benefits of richer natural foods, which are more nourishing, and as a result produce a greater metabolic output.

 

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