
Graced Health for Christian Women Over 40
Welcome to the podcast dedicated to women over 40 who are looking for Christ-centered, Intuitive Eating-based and grace-filled ways of taking care of themselves. Hosted by NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Nutrition Coach Amy Connell, we explore our health from a holistic perspective. Tune into Graced Health for conversations about physical, mental and spiritual health and receive peace and freedom in your food, exercise and body.
Graced Health for Christian Women Over 40
Ultra-Processed Foods, Food Science and Intuitive Eating: How to Create Balance
The food industry spends billions making ultra-processed foods irresistible. As a personal trainer and nutrition coach with a focus on intuitive eating, I've often pondered the complex relationship between these foods and our health. Today, let's explore practical strategies to enjoy ultra-processed foods while still honoring your health and well-being.
We talk in today's episode about:
1. Why restriction isn't the key to feeling in control around these foods but rather learning to respect our bodies
2. Benefits of eating processed foods
3. The different types of processed foods
4. How I personally include processed foods into my life, in a way that honors my body and allows me to feel good
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Ultra-Processed Foods, Food Science and Intuitive Eating: How to Create Balance
About a year ago after having tons of conversations with a variety of people and just doing my own. Introspective work. And learning and really understanding the science and the data behind dieting and diet culture. I officially declared this a podcast focused on intuitive eating. At the same time, I also have a fascination with food. And nutrition and how food impacts our bodies and have been just in my mind, percolating, this relationship of ultra processed foods and our health and how that goes in with intuitive eating.
I think that is a big misconception that we've had a couple of different conversations on, on this show about there's this misconception that intuitive eating is like, oh, just eat whatever you want. Whenever you eat, whatever, whatever it is like. Whatever, whatever, that's not how it is. And that's not what I've learned from the intuitive eating dieticians who have been on those who have had that extensive training. Full disclosure.
I have not. However, I have tried to learn a lot and who knows that may be something that I do in the future. One of my favorite quotes from the intuitive eating series I did back in season 21 was from Kristin Williams. And I post this question about. Ultra processed foods. And she said, look, I care very much about health. Otherwise I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. Kristen is an amazing registered dietician and helps her clients overcome. Eating disorders or disordered eating and really has a good balance and understanding of that. And it has gotten me just thinking more and more about like, how does this fit in? How does in my world Amy's world, how does processed and ultra processed foods. In particular.
And I'm going to get into that just to say in a second. How do those coexist in my world with intuitive eating and what I know about. How these foods react in our body and the. Potential health implications that we can have.
today we're actually going to cover a lot. Number one is I want to briefly cover the Nova classification of processed foods. There's actually four different levels of it.
And let's get very clear what we mean when we talk about ultra processed foods and you'll understand and learn why this is why I'm very specific. When I say ultra processed and not just processed. I want to talk some about the benefits of processed foods,
Including ultra processed foods, because I don't think that this gets enough airtime in the scope of this conversation. We'll talk some about why ultra processed foods are under attack.
We'll talk about how ultra processed foods fit into the intuitive eating lifestyle. And we'll specifically talk about restricting them and does that work. And finally I will share how I incorporate this with intuitive eating. Like I said, I am not a certified, intuitive eating coach.
So let's jump in because as usual, when I start to do my research, I tend to get a lot of information.
And now I have a lot that I want to share with you. So let's go ahead and jump in. First of all, let's talk about the Nova classification of foods. There are four categories, number one, and I'll go through these relatively quickly. Number one is unprocessed or minimally processed foods. So these. Foods, obviously undergo minimal processing.
Like you couldn't be able to tell from that. They remove like inedible parts. They apply methods like drawing or crushing or Pasteurization without adding chemicals like sugar or salt or oils. This is like your fresh produce. This is wheat and rice. This is lagoons like beans and lentils. Dairy products like milk and yogurt without added sugars meats, fish, eggs, pasta, nuts, spices, all of these, what I would consider, and I would put under these like whole foods category.
Like if you can pull it in your hand and know where it came from, then that's probably a category one. Food under the Nova classification. Number two is processed. It's called processed culinary ingredients. So basically it's taking these category one foods. And using culinary ingredients with it To cook or season or prepare.
group two foods. Include salt and sugar and honey and butter and vegetable oils.
So these foods are rarely consumed just on their own. I mean maybe if like you're taking honey for your allergies and you're doing a little bit of that every day. But for the most part, like we combine these with something else.
that is your group to processed culinary ingredients under Nova.
Category three is processed foods. So this is basically when you combine group two substances,
Like the salt and sugar and honey, and better and oils. With a group, one food. If you were to take a red pepper and cut it up and saute it in some olive oil that would actually turn into a group three process food. Technically it's a process food. we're starting to drill down so you can understand like, oh, this is why Amy is so intent on saying ultra processed.
Foods that fall into the category. Three are like canned vegetables, canned fruits and lagoons. Salted nuts, cured meats, cheeses, freshly baked, breads.
Also your alcoholic beverages like beer and cider and wine are part of this category. Three processed foods. Category four is ultra processed food and drink products.
These are generally characterized by having five or more ingredients. And they will often include an usual additives, not commonly found in like just basic whole food eating.
So those are going to be, when you hear about like words that you don't, you can't pronounce, or you don't know, like that's going to be in an ultra processed. That's going to be in a category four. They also contain little to no group one components or category one components. But they try to mimic or mask that, those sensory quality of those foods. So these are going to be like your non sugar sweeteners and yes, for my Stevia friends out there. I know I am. I have my Stevia in my coffee every morning.
Yes. This is one of those as well.
We're also talking about hydrogenated oils, caisson way. The goal of the ultra processing is to create like ready to eat or drink items. And it goes through a long process to do that. I actually found this definition on Wikipedia that I really like. And so I'm just going to read it to you here from Wikipedia,
It's industrially manufactured foods that are designed to be convenient, palatable, and affordable. These foods often contain multiple ingredients and additives such as preservatives, sweeteners, colorings, and emulsifiers, which are not typically found in home kitchens.
They tend to be low in fiber. And high-end calories, salt added sugar and fat,Common examples include packaged snacks, soft drinks, ready meals, and processed meats. So this is why for the scope of this conversation. And when I try to, and when I'm having this discussion, I try to use the word ultra processed because again, If you saw A red pepper and olive oil, technically that's category three processed.
And that's not what we're talking about. Category three is not. When I'm talking about in the scope of this conversation, I'm talking about the ultra processed foods That have gotten a lot of attention recently and rightfully so. I think it's good that we are having this discussion.
I think that is a good lead in to the second point that I want to make in this conversation, which is the benefits of ultra processed foods.
Yes, there is a lot of conversation right now about how ultra processed foods can be harmful to our health.
I'll talk about that a little bit in a minute, but I think it's worth at least acknowledging some of the benefits of ultra processed foods. The reality is. PR ultra processed foods, help feed people. We are a growing global population. And we need to feed people. It is very difficult. Under our current circumstances to feed people on a whole food diet and it is such a complex measure, but I think that that is one thing. Ultra prof processed foods are also really helpful for those who have food insecurity. They can obtain these, you know, they can go to the grocery store, they can go on the inside of the grocery store.
They can get their packaged stuff and they will actually have enough food or they can have food that is available to them.
Ultra processed food is prepared in mass quantities. And because of that, they're able to lower the cost on a per unit basis. This is an important part of the puzzle of figuring out ultra processed foods,
Because not everybody can afford the things on the outside perimeter of the grocery store that we have heard.
Those are the, your things like your fresh fruits and your vegetables and your meats and your dairy and your eggs.
Affordability is a real issue, especially right now in America's economy. Inflation has been up so much. So the affordability of ultra processed foods is something that I think we need to remember.
They're also helpful in vulnerable populations.
There is a lot of safety in the process of creating these foods through sterilization and preservation techniques.
And this can reduce your foodborne illness risk in these vulnerable populations.
Another thing is some of them are fortified with essential nutrients. You see this a lot in your cereals, your cereals have added nutrients. And that is helpful for populations who may not be getting all of their nutrients and their micronutrients from a wide variety of plants.
finally they're convenient.
There are absolutely times that it makes sense to grab something because it's convenient and it's accessible. And we don't have time to go home and make a whole like whole food meal and all of that. We just need to fuel our bodies because our bodies need carbohydrates. They need proteins, they need fats
And we may not get a perfect combination and every time we eat, sometimes we just need the convenience of grabbing something, even if it's at the gas station and eating that because our body needs fuel.
I've done it. I hope you've done it. It's okay to do that. It's probably not news to you. That ultra processed foods are under attack. Why, why are they under attack? This could be an entire, I mean, I think that there's probably entire podcasts, like with multiple episodes focused on this. So I'm just going to spend a little bit of time here. ButOne of the reasons is it's the composition of a lot of these foods.
They're often very high carb. They're very high, fat. They are often high in sugar or salt or both. And they are very highly palatable, which means that they taste delicious and then we want more. So then we start eating more. Well, part of that, part of the problem with that, I mean, there's no problem with eating like more grapes or more almonds, but because of the way that the ultra processing works is it is designed for quick absorption into the digestive system that leads to this really rapid dopamine release in the brain.
So a lot of this is how our brain is responding. Our brain gets that quick hit of the highly palatable. It's often called hedonistic as. As well, like this is delicious. This is so good. Like, think about. Biting into a Snickers bar.
I think of the middle school kids.
I know who all like I think they call them hot chips, like super hot flavored Fritos or Like the super hot Cheetos, or I don't even know what they're called. I'm, that's not my thing, but that gives a lot to the brain that gives that really quick hit to the brain. And so then it's like more, more, more, more and more.
And these types of food, according to medical news today that evokes similar levels of extracellular dopamine. In the brain to those seen with addictive substances, such as nicotine or alcohol. So basically they activate that neural reward system, the brain saying yes, yes, yes. More, more, more to a similar magnitude as nicotine and alcohol.
So that's something to be aware of.
And we're going to talk about awareness here in a minute.
Before I go on to how ultra processed foods and our knowledge of how they can be harmful. I want to just pause and recognize that this. Is a systemic problem. My mind goes to the single mom. Who's working two jobs. She's got her kids in the car. They're hungry, she's hungry, she's rushed. She just needs to give them a yes and she needs to get food in their bodies.
And so she's driving through any one of the fast food chains. Take your pick.
This is a challenge with a very complex solution. And I don't know the answer to that. I don't know exactly how to do it, but I do know that the problem is not necessarily like, just give everybody a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables and meats and they'll cook dinner.
I listened to a podcast. Gosh, probably a year and a half ago called leftover, which looks at the systemic shortcomings of the national school lunch program. And in one of those, I highly recommend that series by the way. It's like just like six part it's investigative. Very well done. One of the things that has stuck with me since I listened to it is when they were interviewing. Parents who were providing their children a lot of ultra processed foods in their diet, beyond the school lunch program.
Most of them said, I know this is not what's best for them. Health was not the driving factor. And they knew that that was not what was best for them. However, these were families that were in low socioeconomic economic areas.
they were struggling in so many different areas and the parents and particularly the moms were constantly having to tell their child, no, no, you can't get new shoes.
No, we can't afford this. No, we can't do that. And saying yes to ultra processed foods was an easier, yes. It was something they could do. That's just one small piece of this very complex puzzle when it comes to ultra processed foods. And so I won't camp out here for too long, but I just have to pause and say like, this is complex. This is a very complex, nationwide issue that is not easily resolved. In my opinion.
Now, as I mentioned about a year ago, I said, okay, we are an intuitive eating focused.
Podcast.
And if you want to either learn about intuitive eating or learn about it from a faith paced Christ centered perspective, go back and listen to season 21 of the grace health podcast. And I take all 10 principles and interview people who are much smarter and much wiser in intuitive eating than I am. That was really helpful in my journey.
And I had a lot of great feedback in that as well. So that's season 21, it started in June of 2024. If you, if that helps you. Find it. But principle 10, which there are 10 principles and they more or less build on each other is. Gentle nutrition to honor your health. So I'm just going to quote what it says from the intuitive eating website, which is make food choices that honor your wellbeing, taste, beds, and culture while attuning to how your body feels.
Remember that you don't have to eat perfectly to be healthy. You will not suddenly get a nutrient deficiency from one snack, one meal or one day of eating. It's what you eat consistently over time, that matters. It might be surprising for you to learn. That what you eat and how you move your body only accounts for 10% of your health. Progress not perfection is what counts.
So absolutely we can take what we know about ultra processed foods. And apply that. But that's where I got stuck. That's where I got like, wait a minute, but if I can have. All of the Cheez-Its and I say Cheez-Its because that is something that I really enjoy. Then where does that fit into the gentle nutrition?
Where does that fit into me? Honoring my wellbeing? Because if I ate Cheez-Its all day long, well then I'm not getting the protein that I need. And we've talked about protein for those of us in perimenopause and beyond. I am not getting the nutrients that I need. I'm not getting the fiber that I need.
I'm not getting the variety that I need. And so how, how does this all fit in? Because the other part. That I have learned. In this process is restricting and restricting. Ultra processed foods. It doesn't work.
what I have heard in wellness culture is like, this is bad ultra process. No, no, no bad, bad, bad don't ever eat. You'll die. If you have Cheese-Its. Basically only people are getting so dramatic, especially on the socials. I mean, I'm not on tic talk every now and then I see something or other it's. The wellness industry has lost its mind.
And yes, I will be having an episode with a guy I just really adore online. And so he's coming on. We're going to talk about this soon. The wellness industry has lost its mind. And they're telling you that if you have ultra processed foods, you will die. Basically. But what happens if we restricted? Well guess what? That actually only triggers a cycle of binging and restricting. And this is per the national institutes of health. This is a reputable organization. This is where I will go to do a lot of my research, including today's research.
And in fact, the same article in the NIH said that restricting can activate the brain's stress system, which causes anxiety. And withdrawal like symptoms, and then it will lead you to overeat the forbidden foods. Whenever you get a chance. So it's creates this cycle. It creates a, just this vicious cycle.
So first cycle, first part of the cycle is restriction. So you're limiting. No, no, no. I will die if I have ultra processed foods. And then number two, you get increased cravings. You're like, Ooh, I really want those Cheez-Its I just, but no, I can't have them, but I really want them, but no, I can't have them. And so it just leads to this not only hunger, but just preoccupation with food.
I mean, I know surely I'm not the only one who has thought in the past. I'm not going to have this. And then that's all I could think about. Is whatever that food was. So then when you get it, what happens. I'm only going to have it this once. And so I'm going to eat all I have and tomorrow I'm not going to have any more. And so you get into this binge, right.
And you will. You will eat more than what your body is needing. If you are in this restriction cycle. You're probably going to eat too much. You're probably not going to feel well. And then you're probably number four, going to feel a lot of guilt and shame about it. So you eat too much and you're like, oh man. Oh, I feel so guilty.
I am bad. I had bad food. I am bad. Like we get into that guilt and shame cycle. And then from there, number five renewed restriction. I'm never having this again. I'm never going to have the ice cream again. I'm never going to eat the fast food again, whatever. And then it just continues on. So when we restrict, this is what is happening in our body. And our mind and no thank you.
No, thank you. This is, this is not healthy. This is not healthy. So, what do we do and how do we incorporate this with intuitive eating? I will say this. I'm just sharing with you. What works for me and my mindset around it and my approach. This is not the only way, but when I am coaching people on. Adding ultra processed foods into their diet while stewarding their body.
Well,
While making choices that will provide for new, more nutritionally dense and getting the wide variety of carbohydrates and proteins and fats, and like making all of the choices. That will honor our health. However, still having those ultra processed.
This is my approach, and this is what I will share with clients and people who ask me.
So, number one, it's not about, can you have him? It's about when and how so? Yes, if you want the Cheez-Its you can have the cheeses. This is how I approach it when I'm home. Number one, I will pair it with a protein. I will often have if I have Cheez-Its, which I just finished some off because I had a whole lot of, if you have the ultra processed stuff, Over the holidays because my boys were home and they wanted snacks and they like enjoying fun things.
And I'm going to give that to them. But then I had Cheez-Its leftover and we had goldfish lift over and we had Oreo. Well, the Oreos were not leftover. Those went really fast, but you get the point, like we've had Oreos left over sometimes. So I will pair that with a protein if I'm just eating it on its own.
So if it's a snack for me, then I will have like Cheez-Its and almonds or Cheez-Its and peanuts or something like that. So I'll often add a nut or seed to go with it. So that way, not only am I getting those carbohydrates. Because yes, carbohydrates are good for you there, you. They fuel your brain.
However, I'm also getting some protein and fiber and fat with the food that I'm doing it. If I'm not really wanting a snack, but I'm wanting it as part of my meal, then I will. Generally, try to eat it after a meal for me, the ultra processed foods come in. At lunch. With dinner it's I don't know. I just don't really crave them as much after dinner, but I want them at lunch.
Like there's this brand of chips called Julio is I don't it's a Texas thing. I think, I don't know that it is nationwide. In fact, my parents came to visit one time and my parents live in Oklahoma and my dad was like, okay, I can't find these anywhere in Oklahoma. Next time you come up, will you bring some to me?
So we did that. We brought him several bags of it. If you ever get a chance to try, Julio is it's delicious. They're so good. If I open a bag, then I will tend to fall into this entrapment of what ultra processed is intended to do. And it's just, it's just the brain. Yes. More, more, more, more, more.
And so what I've learned is if I have the Julio dose. Or when I have the Julio shows, I'll have it after I eat. And after I eat means I typically have had a well balanced meal again with protein. With some fiber. Sometimes I will like not have, you know, like. If I'm having a salad or something like that, that's going to be more protein and vegetable heavy.
And then the carb is the chips. So I will have it after I've already had some more nutrient dense foods. I have had some fiber that has filled me up. And so my brain is kind of already operating at a more satiated level rather than I'm starving. Give me food, give me food, give me food. Another thing I have learned is it is very hard to eat mindfully, which is also part of the intuitive eating process. And really paying attention and savoring what I'm eating.
If I'm just standing in the pantry with my hand in the bag and like hand to mouth, hand to mouth. Hand to mouth. I shared about this in my episode, 50 lessons I've learned in 50 years because I just turned 50 a few months ago and, you know, surprise, surprise. It's hard to eat mindfully if you're standing in the pantry.
So you can go back and listen to that episode. If you want to hear any of the more or any of the other lessons I've learned in 50 years. But if I'm going to have it. Take it out. Sit down with it, like put some on there and then just enjoy it and maybe even go another step and say, okay, I'm just going to put these on my plate or on a napkin or a paper towel or something like that and enjoy them. And then go back for more if you want more, but don't have them so easily accessible.
I saw a stat years and years ago. I wish I could quote the source, But it was something to the effect of you are less likely to go back. For seconds. If your food is more than six feet away from where you are sitting. So, if you want to add another little element. Of just making sure that you are paying attention to yourself.
Put the Julio shows six feet away from you. You can go back there. You're not restricting, but you're just making it not quite as easily accessible. As if it was like right in front of you on the kitchen table. The other thing that's been helpful to me is recognizing. That these foods are intended to be those quick hits and intended. I mean, yes. To provide some nutrition. Yes to provide fuel, but also the process. Is designed for you to eat more. I mean, that's what they want you to do, right. Is, is to eat, is to eat their product. So the best example I can think of is an infomercial. So I know that a lot of you are my age and older. I think you'll remember this. I think you'll remember. Turning on the television on a Saturday afternoon at three o'clock and nothing is on and finding an infomercial. And it said like on the TV guide, like infomercial, you knew that this was an infomercial and you knew that they were going to be selling you something, but you were sucked into that story.
And you're like, yeah, Yeah, I do need that. Make it, oh, Cindy Crawford uses that makeup. Yes. Oh, I do need this. I do need this. And of course you pick up the phone at the end and you call because if Cindy Crawford is wearing this makeup and there's all these compelling stories and everybody has these life-changing experiences from this makeup. Then, yeah, I want some of that as well. You knew when you were watching that infomercial, that they were going to sell you something. You know, when you dig into the bag of whatever your ultra processed food is, you know, that it's wanting you to eat a lot of it. So be aware of that. I talked earlier about the awareness, be aware of that. And. Calm down. And pause and savor and enjoy it. Rather than numbing out to the quick dopamine hit. Of your brain without even thinking about it.
And when I say numbing out like that is a ed. That is a common side effect of bingeing. Like you just don't even know that you're doing it. But even if you're not like technically bingeing, but you're just, and I do this to you guys. I mean, this, this. Episode is just as much for me as it is for you because I, all of this, it's like when I teach, I used to teach group fitness classes and I would be leading people and I would give them a form check. And I would say IQ because I do, because I would notice, oh, I'm doing it wrong.
And so then I would cue other people. So they weren't doing it wrong either. So I am queuing because I'm doing with this as well, and I'm noticing it. So this is just part of my own process and I'm just passing it along to you. So please make sure that we are. Well on the same page with this. I have noticed. With some foods that I will start to turn into this like hand to mouth hand about. And then I'm like, oh, Actually I've had enough. And so just kind of having that, that backstop or just a pausing and checking in often will reveal. That I've had enough and I'm really, I don't need more and I'm not hungry.
And I I've had, I've enjoyed it. And I don't really need anymore.
Now what happens when I'm either out and away from home or I'm traveling. I remember getting my oldest son. When we were at target, we literally had two baskets of stuff for him to go to college. He was going to college out of state and we were like loading everything up. We were in target for two hours. I was starving by the time we were done.
So in the checkout line, I reached over, I grabbed a Snickers and I'm walking out with me pushing one cart and my son pushing the other cart out to the car. And I'm just chomping along on a Snickers because I was hungry. So the first thing I would say is if you're out, if you're traveling, if you have ultra processed foods, just go with it. That was not the end of the world that I had a Snickers bar at two o'clock in the afternoon because I was really hungry. Shoot for balance the rest of the day, shoot for variety the rest of the day.
So with that Snickers, I don't know what I had for dinner, but I probably was like, okay, I might want to have some more vegetables. I might want to have a little bit of. A fiber again, if I could have, if I was, if that was not accessible to me,
Just like they say in the intuitive eating book with gentle nutrition, like one meal one day is not going to wreck your health.
It's just not so. It's just, as my kids would say, it's not that deep. It's just not that date. But when possible, if I end up having fast food for lunch, well, I'll choose. Salad or extra vegetables for dinner or something like that. So I'm just trying to balance out the day. Not necessarily the meal. If the meal is not perfect. That's okay. How can we balance out the day or maybe it's the week.
If you have several days of traveling and it's just, it's just not possible. That's okay. Let's look at the consistent behavior. Let's look at the trend. I've talked before about what's a trend. We don't need a tenant. We need don't need like one. Sharp single thing. It's what is the trend?
And then finally. If you feel like you have a complex relationship with ultra processed foods,
If the wellness culture on Instagram is making you feel guilt or shame, number one, it's time to unsubscribe to that wellness culture. And number two, it's time to release that there is no place for guilt or shame in feeding our bodies.
Of course, we want to give it a variety of foods that contain proteins and fats and carbs. We want to choose nutritionally dense foods that come in your plants. Which is, or your vegetables, of course, but also your fruits and your nuts and your seeds and your lagoons.
And we want the dairy when we can have it. Or for those of you who can have it, we want to choose those things because that does honor our wellbeing. But also honoring our wellbeing means. Not sitting in the shame. Of eating your Snickers and feeling guilty because you also had, Julio is for lunch that day. It means that you had some food to eat and you can have different foods later. The end. It's really that simple.
It's really that simple. What I would love to know is how you incorporate processed foods into your intuitive eating lifestyle. What did I miss? Is there something that you do that you want to share? If so,
If you're watching on YouTube, then just put it in the comments.
And if you are listening on your podcast, then you have an option on there that says like, Have a question click here or something like that, click there. And it's just a text, which by the way, you can text anything to me. So you can text, like, I totally disagree with you, Amy and that's okay. Or you can say, Hey, this was helpful.
That's always, that's even more than okay. But it's whatever you want to do. So those are a couple ways I would love to hear from you. How you do that? If I get enough of them, I will include them in our Friday five. Nourishing notes journal, where I send you five things that I'm loving in terms of food and movement and maybe it's scriptures or something like that.
And if I get enough of them, I will put those in there.
And if you don't get that Friday five journal, you can sign up over at grace health.com/monthly-updates. And that's G R a C E D. Health, all one word dash slash monthly dash updates. Okay. That is all for today. Go out there and have a graced day.