https://www.dailykos.com/stories/20...essed-Foods-Shatter-the-Old-Weight-Loss-Rules For years, the mainstream chorus has been singing the same tired tune:“It’s just calories in, calories out.”Move more, eat less, and voilà—problem solved. But a new study published inPNASjust torched that simplistic model and handed the mic to what many dismissed as fringe theory: ultra-processed foods (UPFs) aren’t just empty calories—they’re metabolic saboteurs. Study Breakdown Researchers ran a tightly controlled trial comparing diets rich in UPFs versus minimally processed foods. The results? People eating UPFs consumed significantly more calories and gained weight—even though both diets were matched for macros, fiber, sugar, and sodium. That’s not just a crack in the calories-in/calories-out wall. It’s a wrecking ball. UPFs mess with satiety signals, gut hormones, and reward pathways. They’re engineered to be hyper-palatable and easy to overconsume. You’re not just eating food—you’re eating a product designed to override your body’s natural brakes. Exercise Isn’t the Fix The study didn’t let participants slack off. Physical activity was monitored and held constant. Still, those on the UPF-heavy diet gained weight. So no, your morning jog isn’t going to undo the damage from a dinner of frozen pizza and neon-orange snack dust. Calling Out the System This isn’t about moralizing food choices or shaming bodies. It’s about calling out a system that’s been gaslighting people into thinking their weight is just a personal failure of willpower. It’s not. It’s biochemical warfare disguised as convenience. Final Word So next time someone parrots“just eat less and move more,”hand them this study. Then ask them why Big Food keeps pumping out edible plastics while public health spirals. Spoiler: it’s not because they care about your macros. Read the full study onPNAS. There’s also a good article in the Washington Post today: What causes obesity? A major new study is upending common wisdom.
I agree with every word. I recently experienced it myself. We've always tried to eat healthy and avoid Ultra-Processed Foods. But a couple of months ago, we started buying various ready-made sauces. Within a month, I gained 3 kg without increasing my food intake or reducing physical activity.
You wouldn't put on weight if you eat high calorie food. In fact, if you eat just a few grams a day, you will die from starvation. The problem with UPF is very tasty and addictive; You eat and eat and eat but yet feel hungry. Ended up you weigh heavier than an adult buffalo, hippo or rhino.
Yes, you're also right. When I started digging into this topic, I realized that the biggest issue with UPFs is the hidden calories and sugars. For example, I was surprised to learn how much sugar is actually in savory processed foods. Just a couple of spoonfuls of sauce can contain several days' worth of sugar. We've now cut sauces out at home, and kept the rest of our usual food the same. And the weight started dropping.
The major problem is that many people don't know how to make / cannot make UPF at home. So they have no idea how toxic it is. Anyway it is impossible to make it at home because we need thousands of addictives/chemicals, high pressure high temp heaters/extractors/boilers, centrifuge, flammable solvents, corrosive bleach ... It can only be done in the food factory.
Well, right now, we're making sauces ourselves at home. It takes longer, but they're tastier and healthier. And it's actually fun too!
I honestly think it is NOT UPF, but sugar. I will prove it with a comparison. The USA uses 60% UPF on average. I picked 3 low UPF user European countries, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia, UPF usage is between 18-21% so 1/3rd of the USA. YET!!! If we compare obesity rates, they are not 200% different: "The prevalence of obesity in adults in the USA was 40.3% between August 2021 and August 2023." "Hungary: Adult obesity rates are reported to be between 26.8% for women and 31.3% for men. Croatia's rate is a bit less but not by much." So while the UPF usage is 200% times higher in the US, obesity rate is only 45% higher. I could make the argument that eating UPF is actually good for you, as the data shows. Greece's (almost the lowest UPF user) 25% obesity rate is 60% less than the USA's, but the UPF usage difference is 330%. I rest my case...
In a plain industrial building near Helsinki, a machine hums quietly. It doesn’t have crops, animals, or sunlight — and yet, it’s making protein. Not from plants. Not from insects. From air. This isn’t science fiction. It’s a real process called electroprotein fermentation, and it could change everything we know about food production. The company behind it, Solar Foods, has created a powdered protein called Solein, made by feeding carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen, and trace minerals to a colony of microbes. These microbes use electricity from renewable sources to grow, multiplying rapidly in bioreactors — just like brewing beer. But instead of alcohol, the result is a high-protein, vitamin-rich powder that looks like flour and tastes nearly neutral. Unlike traditional farming, this method needs no arable land, no animals, and almost no water. The process produces 1,000 times less CO₂ than meat production and uses 100 times less land than soy. One bioreactor the size of a shipping container can feed hundreds of people daily — even in deserts, frozen regions, or urban rooftops. It’s not dependent on weather, season, or soil. Solein contains all essential amino acids, along with iron, B-vitamins, and fiber. It can be added to bread, pasta, dairy substitutes, meat alternatives — even chocolate. Since it’s nearly tasteless, it adapts to other flavors, making it one of the most flexible proteins ever developed. It has already passed EU safety assessments and will begin appearing in food products across Europe in 2025. The long-term vision? A world where food is produced anywhere, with nothing but air and sunlight. No more supply chain risks. No more deforestation. No more animal suffering. Solar Foods is now working with space agencies to adapt the tech for Martian and lunar missions, where farming is impossible.
This is an epidemic problem in America in all age groups. It's one of the primary reasons why the United States had one of the worst performances during the Covid Pandemic. We're a growing unhealthy country...physically and mentally. Also, the unhealthiness is behind the growing trend of high schools in America installing defibrillators (AEDs). Teenagers are too fat, unhealthy because they're eating more ultra processed foods especially those in the southern regions of the United States...it's now spreading towards the northern regions of the United States. I have a cousin in South Dakota who just recently retired as a school teacher. In the 1990s, a nearby Army Recruiting office physically tested their high school...84% passed. That percentage of students who passed has gradually declined with each passing year no matter how much exercise they do in the months prior to the physical exams. There's a nearby Culver restaurant...a popular place for high school students to go too during sporting events or just to hang out after school. The most recent test...only about 71% passed and their reported obesity ratings from their family doctors is skyrocketing along with a rise in diabetes, cancers, asthma, cardiovascular disease, kidney problems, skin infections, vision problems, heart problems, especially in the rural communities. It's because of the increasing consumption of Ultra Processed Foods in their diet. Further, they discover that areas hit hard by advertising from fast food restaurants had higher incidence of hospitalization. Recently I was driving through Iowa with my teenagers and on our way to visit a military buddy who had retired from Fort Bragg North Carolina and visit my brother's family in South Dakota. I see more fat people in the malls, stores, and we saw more diabetes centers et cetera. Also, we saw more fast food joints along with more ultra processed foods being sold in grocery stores in comparison to 10 years ago. In addition, I recently visited my mother in Chicago for her birthday. She's a donator of the Art Institute of Chicago. I took her there because it's one of her favorite places to hang out with some of her friends but unfortunately the Photography exhibit was temporary closed. Outside were about 8 food trucks lined up...selling fast food...high in calories, high fat, and high sodium. Before the Pandemic, there were only 2 - 3 food trucks. Nearby is a Korean restaurant on Michigan Avenue...it too has more ultra processed foods that's high in sodium on its menu that you would not see on a menus in South Korea. Thus, I shouldn't have to fly to Seoul, Korea to eat healthy Korean foods who will not use sodium when you request a low sodium meal...one of my favorite ethnicity diets (e.g. Kimchi, Japchae, and Bibimbap). FYI - California, Florida, and Texas has the most fast food restaurants in America while America is the leading global consumer of fast food. We generate 38% of the global fast food market despite being only 4.2% of the global population. The most amazing statistic, as America consumes more Ultra Processed foods...we think we're eating healthy and better at staying in shape without knowing we're a walking time bomb with all the shit we're consuming and putting (circulating) in our digestive system and blood. We also see more fast food restaurants popping up near gymnasiums, fitness centers, outdoor sports activities et cetera. We're fucked. Strangely, traveling through O'Hare Airport...you'll see more healthy foods but at prices 3 - 5x the cost of the unhealthy foods. I truly believe the cost difference is the main reason why Americans are choosing Ultra Processed Foods over healthy alternative because Ultra Processed Foods are cheaper. Just as importantly, Ultra Processed Foods vending machines are located next to the Healthy Alternative Foods vending machines...most Americans will choose the cheaper foods...Ultra Processed Foods. wrbtrader