It is no secret that Americans' waistlines are getting larger and that ultra-processed food may be the reason. A recent article featured on Medpage today which was written by Anthony Pearson, MD, a cardiologist who makes a case for eliminating foods that are not only dense in calories but those that have too much sugar, too many ingredients you cannot pronounce or would put in your cupboard. He makes a strong argument indirectly for us to cook our food and rely more on foods we can understand easily. The truth is, it is easy to go into a trader Joes or purchase something in the freezer section which is then heated in a microwave. This is especially true during the covid19 outbreak when many of us stocked up with frozen foods and cleared out the stocks that stores have been getting in. Sugars such as high fructose sugar are not good for us and are not dealt with well by our bodies. Moving back to home cooking would require a culture shift but can likely help us during the current epidemic, where farmers' markets are filled with natural ingredients for cooking meals. Rather than stocking up even with frozen vegetables which are just another way to make sure vegetables get to market and avoid spoilage, you can get fresh vegetables and cook them instead. If you do not regularly cook, perhaps now is a time that you may consider trying out recipes instead of opening a box of something. Also, there are theories that the bugs that exist in our guts may play a part in our expanding waistlines as well. Check out the article below. This doctor makes a convincing case against ultra-processed foods. The prevailing research shows that sugar is what may be ultimately driving weight gain. He offers research links to support his opinion. Ultra-Processed Foods: It's Not Just Sugar and Fat Attacking Waistlines — The Skeptical Cardiologist reviews the evidence by Anthony Pearson, MD March 7, 2020 The Skeptical Cardiologist has been ranting about the deleterious effects of added sugars from highly-processed food in our diets ad nauseam (see here or here). Two recent discussions further support the role of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) play in our obesity epidemic. The Guardian published a long article that provides an easily digested background to the concept of UPFs and their influence on obesity. A lot of that background comes from the work of Carlos Monteiro, MD, from Brazil: Read more