A brief TV news item this week made me look into it further. The item was about eating Ultra-Processed Foods and their significance in higher rates of premature death.

According to Healthline.com (www.healthline.com/), “ultra-processed foods could be driving an increase in preventable deaths, a global study reports. For every 10% increase in ultra-processed food consumption in total daily energy intake, the risk of all-cause mortality rose by 2.7%. Ultra-processed foods have been associated with 32 adverse physical and mental health outcomes.

“UPFs affect health beyond the individual impact of high content of critical nutrients (sodium, trans fats, and sugar) because of the changes in the foods during industrial processing and the use of artificial ingredients, including colorants, artificial flavors and sweeteners, emulsifiers, and many other additives and processing aids, so assessing deaths from all-causes associated with UPF consumption allows an overall estimate of the effect of industrial food processing on health,” Eduardo Augusto Fernandes Nilson, DSc, lead investigator of the study and a researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Brazil.

Now I don’t want to die earlier than expected but I do enjoy an occasional meal at McDonald’s, a candy bar once in a while, but I also enjoy fresh vegetables (except beets!). We Baby Boomers have been consuming fast food for decades and we have known that consuming UPFs on a regular basis is not good for your body and mind.

The ease — and mostly lower costs — of purchasing and consuming UPFs has led to millions of people being overweight (yours truly, included).

“Whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, nuts and dairy are healthier. In general fruits as an alternative to sweets like cookies and ice cream is better. Most people are aware of the dangers of UPFs, though switching to healthier alternatives is very difficult and can be cost prohibitive,” the article went on to state.

My wife and I do try to balance our diets by consuming fresh fruits and vegetables but sometimes the urge to get something quick (but not always healthy) overcomes us.

I think we could all do a better job of watching our consumption of UPFs.