Processed Food as a Cause of Obesity and Chronic Illnesses - Assignment Example

Processed Foods Are Blamed For the World Obesity Epidemic and the Rise in Chronic Illness Associated With Diet Obesity and chronic diseases occupy asignificant toll on the lives of people globally. They account for nearly 60 per cent of global deaths mostly due to diabetes, cancer, stroke and lung diseases. Although obesity can be considered as a disease in itself, its risk is enhanced by the synergy of chronic diseases. The main chronic diseases associated with the prevalence of disease burden are cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and maturity on set or type II diabetes mellitus. The four groups are largely caused by unhealthy eating in association with consumption of alcohol and tobacco, and lack of body exercises. The intermediate risks include high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol levels. Most of the deaths are noted in low and middle income-earning countries. According to Booth et al. (2005:115) obesity is normally linked to, “...access to readily available processed foods that is insufficient in dietary minerals.”. The paper below discusses the logic that processed foods are the main causes of obesity and chronic illnesses and strategies that can be applied to curb the prevalence of adverse effects of processed foods. Reference has been made to the US department of health plan against unhealthy eating. Modern Diets Most of modern diets correspond to the lifestyle response related to economic growth and development. The increase in the prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases is normally related to the increased consumption of these modified food products. Processed foods originate from plants and animal products. However, they are chemically manipulated into attractive, marketable and long shelf life products for commercial purposes; increasing demand and preservation. Although food processing is beneficial as toxins can be removed and food can be preserved for long, the preservation and intoxication chemical have adverse effects on the health. This is because they tamper with the nutritional balance of food products. Fast and junk foods are tasty because they are chemically manipulated to acquire an enticing taste without invoking satiety among the consumers. Harmful Constituents of Processed Foods According to the World Health Organisation (2004), processed foods are to blame for the sharp rise in the incidences of obesity and chronic diseases around the globe. These foods are normally overloaded with artificial sweeteners, high fructose corm, hydrogenated oil and trans-fats. Most of the processed foods contain Trans- fats that increase the cholesterol levels in the body. Hydrogenated fats, increases the shelf life of the processed foods while causing cellular damage in the body due to oxidative stress. Additives and preservatives that are added in the processed foods to enhance flavour increase the prevalence of chronic diseases and obesity. For instance, according to International Obesity Taskforce report (2009), Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is associated with a high risk of overweight and toxicity of the brain cells. Consumption of refined carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour causes various forms of cancers. According to the report, “Obesity is associated with an increased risk of multiple health problems, including several of the major causes of death and disability in the developed world: cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some of the most common cancers.” Most processed foods contain a high level of modified diet products such as soybean and canola. Processed foods such as potato chips and cookies are characterised by high amounts of calories. This is because most processing procedures remove the amount water in these foods to reduce transportation costs and increase the shelf-life. Consumption of such foods leads to increased intake of the calories with a corresponding decrease in nutritional gain. Sugar sweetened soft drinks are a prominent source of calorie intake in children leading to obesity in the young generation. Ultra-processed foods lack the healthy fats, minerals, vitamins, insoluble fibre (found in vegetables and fresh fruits) and phyto-chemicals that guard the human body against cancer and heart diseases. Fresh fruits and vegetables have a lower concentration of sugar and require less insulin release for their digestion compared to processed foods. High consumption of processed products may alter or completely destroy the taste buds making a person develop a tendency of getting used to strong tastes. This makes them increase the consumption of foods rich sugar and salt content. Strategy Reducing the Consumption of Processed Foods According to Ludwig (2011:1352-53), an effective plan than can reverse obesity and related trends in the prevalence of chronic diseases is, “adoption of a collective strategy that includes individual, industrial, governmental, community participation...”. At the governmental level, the plan involves: restructuring the agricultural subsidies to enhance the supply of natural foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables into the food markets; imposing stricter regulatory frameworks on food advertising and marketing strategies; and increasing more funding to schools to improve their nutritional programs. At the industry level, the supply aspect of the market should be dominated by high amounts of nutritionally convenient and inexpensive meals. This enables people to choose healthier natural products over processed foods consistently. This will require the cooperation of restaurants and other foods vendors. Siegrist and Marmot (2004:1465) posit that cooperation is necessary, “...in ensuring that the menus for healthy food products are not only affordable, but healthy. The success of the stipulated strategy follows the insinuation that most people choose fast foods due to the convenient prices and availability. At the public level, people should develop a culture of frequenting those restaurants that prepare meals from scratch and try as much as possible to avoid the restaurants specialising in processed foods. Meals at home should be prepared using basic ingredients and not ultra-processed products. Strategy Undertaken By the America Government to Frustrate the Consumption of Processed Products It is regrettable to note that most processed food companies spend high amount of money in advertisements meant to lure people to consume their sugar-bloated junk foods. For instance, in America, the processed food industry sold over 174 billion dollars worth of a combination of processed foods that included crackers and sift drinks among others. According to Booth et al. (2005:110-117), the Health Department of the American government carried out a nation wide campaign which educated people on the dangers of processed foods. The key recommendations offered during the health campaigns included: carbohydrates should account between 55 to 75 percent of the diet, sugars should be maintained below 10 per cent, proteins should form 10 to 15 per cent; fats should maintained between 15 to 30 per cent and saturated fats should not exceed 10 per cent of the total fats. They also recommended people should reduce the intake of salts to, “...amounts less than five grams a day and increase the intake of fruits to 400 grams per day” (Booth, Pinkston and Poston, 2005:113). This made people to shun heavy consumption of fast and junk foods. Conclusion Obesity and prevalence of chronic diseases is a global nutritional problem that is not confined in industrialised countries only. The main chronic diseases associated with the prevalence of disease burden are chronic respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and maturity on set or type II diabetes mellitus. Collective change in the consumption of processed foods starts with individual choices that characterise the nature of public demand. People should be encouraged to cut down on the rate of consumption of such foods which contain a high content of saturated fats, sugar and salts. The most convenient way of protection against chronic disease is consumption of more fruits and vegetables and exercising more. Nutritionists should educate the public on the contents of the meaty processed products which sometimes contains unpopular body parts such as ears and eyes. This can help to minimise the rate of uptake of such products. References Booth, K.M., Pinkston M.M. & Poston W.S. (2005) Obesity and the built environment, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, vol. 105, no. 5, pp. 110-117. International Obesity Taskforce (2009) Estimating the association between overweight and risk of disease, viewed 01 Aug 2012, . Ludwig, D. (2011) Technology, diet, and the burden of chronic disease JAMA, 305; 13: 1352-53, viewed 01 Aug 2012,. Siegrist, J. & Marmot, M. (2004) Health inequalities and the psychosocial environment-two scientific challenge, Social Science & Medicine, vol. 58, pp. 1463-1473. World Health Organisation, (2004). World health report 2004. Geneva, viewed 01 Aug 2012, . Read More