American grocery culture is so used to ultra-processed foods that snack maker Frito-
Lay recently decided to overhaul their potato chip bags to tell people specifically that their potato chips are made with real potatoes. Ultra-processed foods are everyw
here, and in a recent Academy of Insurance class, they took center stage because their impact goes be
yond wondering what is in the food we eat. There’s a risk and insurance aspect of this that has yet to be fully developed.
First, let’s focus on what ultra-processed food means. Federal agencies have a continually evolving and complex definition of ultra-processed food, so rather t
han attempting to nail down an official definition, let’s go with a solid working definition. The ECU class defined ultra-processed food (UPF) as, “foods that contain industrial in
gredients like preservatives, artificial flavors, and high levels of refined sugars and fats.”
How the body reacts to UPF
According to the team’s research, UPF are designed to be easily and quickly digested by the body, making them break down fairly quickly. This causes the body not
to signal fullness, which makes it easy, convenient, and too much to eat some more. Yes. That’s the
simple reason why you enjoy three of any of Little Debbie’s snacks, rather than having one and feeling like you’re good.
When you couple rapid digestion with the taste that makes you want another one, and the extra sugars and fats, you have a recipe for poor health outcomes. Ac
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cording to the class, a French study in 2019 indicated that a 10% increase in UPF consumption inc
reased the death rate by 14%. These foods are linked to cardiovascular and fatty liver diseases due to the refined oils, increased sodium, and other co
mpounds that are used to process this food. The increased sugar intake is also linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
There are also indications that these foods impact the body in other, harder to quantify ways. The refined sugars cause those energy spikes and crashes that o
ur parents warned us about b
ack in the day. These energy fluctuations can cause fatigue, and oddly difficulty sleeping. There are indications also that too much of these foods can cause symptoms of d
epression, due in part to the compounds that can cause an inflammatory response in the body.
The tough lifestyle issue that also lives here
Some people tend to live healthier lifestyles than others do. The people who walk up the stairs, bike to work, or who hit the gym daily also tend to eat less UPF
. They fill their diets with fresh foods, more deliberately prepared meals, and more measured portions of those foods.
The other side of the coin is also generally true. Some people simply make other choices. They aren’t going to the gym. Their diets are constructed around conv
enience and cost. The faster and easier it is to get dinner ready, the better. They often don’t take the time, or can’t afford the cost, to make other food choices.
We can’t ignore the pace of 21st century life. Families are running in every imaginable direction all at once. Everyone gets up in the morning and fixes a quick
bite before running out of the house. The kids have pre-packaged snacks for snack time in school. Lunch is a mix of processed foods that come from a vending machi
ne, the school store, or the lunch trading floor. By the time everyone makes it back home for dinner (or
they take dinner on the way to something in the evening), it’s all about getting a quick bite that ever
yone will eat, and we’ll argue about fresh veggies sometime next week when there is time.
