Weight Loss Tip Number 114 from How To Live The Healthiest Life:
Processed foods lack protein and cause increased caloric intake. Substitute protein for fast foods.
When you’re hungry and craving a quick snack, it’s tempting to make some instant noodles or reheat leftover pizza instead of cooking something healthy. However, enjoying these processed foods regularly may have a negative effect on your overall health.
Data reveals that at least two-thirds of American adults are either overweight or obese. At the same time, millions of people eat fast food every day.
According to a large-scale population study conducted by researchers from the University of Sydney (USYD), eating highly-processed (ultra-processed) snacks can promote overeating, contribute to unwanted weight gain and even increase your risk of developing chronic disease.
The study was published in the journal Obesity.
Processed foods lack protein and cause increased caloric intake
For the study, researchers examined data from more than 9,000 volunteers obtained by the Australian Bureau of Statistics regarding nutrition and physical activity.
After analyzing the data, scientists found that highly-processed and refined foods cause protein hunger, a condition that triggers overeating and contributes to obesity. The researchers said that the findings help to confirm the “Protein Leverage Hypothesis” or the theory that people overeat fats and carbohydrates because their body craves protein more than other nutrients.
Worth noting is the fact that the food consumed in Western diets contains lower amounts of protein, something highly lacking in processed foods. Additionally, processed foods continue to make up larger proportions of many people’s daily diets.
Dr. Amanda Grech, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Sydney‘s Charles Perkins Center, explained that as people consume more junk foods or highly-processed and refined foods, they continue to “dilute their dietary protein and increase their risk of being overweight and obese.”
David Raubenheimer, study co-author, a professor and the Leonard Ullmann Chair in Nutritional Ecology at USYD, confirms the negative effects of improper nutrition. “Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease – they’re all driven by diet, cautioned Raubenheimer.
https://food.news/2023-02-17-processed-foods-protein-hunger-contribute-to-obesity.html