We have an uncanny ability to pick out the subtle distinctions in calorie density of foods, but only within the natural range.

A key insight I want to emphasize here is the concept of animal products as the ultimate processed food. Basically, all nutrition grows from the ground: seeds, sunlight, and soil. That’s where all our vitamins come from, all our minerals, all the protein (all the essential amino acids). The only reason there are essential amino acids in a steak is because the cow ate them all from plants. They’re essential—we can’t make them, and the animals can’t make them either. They have to eat plants to get them. But we can cut out the middlemoo and get nutrition directly from the Earth, and, in doing so, get all the phytonutrients and fiber that are lost when plants are processed through animals. Even ultra-processed junk foods may have a tiny bit of fiber still left, but all is lost when plants are ultra-ultra-processed through animals.

Having said that, there was also a big jump in what one would traditionally think of as processed foods, and that’s the topic of this video: The Role of Processed Foods in the Obesity Epidemic (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-r....

For more on n the cause of the obesity epidemic, check out:
• The Role of Diet vs. Exercise in the Obesity Epidemic (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-r...)
• The Role of Genes in the Obesity Epidemic (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-...)
• The Thrifty Gene Theory: Survival of the Fattest (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-t...)

If you’re familiar with my work, you know that I recommend eating a variety of whole plant foods, as close to the way nature intended. I capture this in my Daily Dozen Checklist, which you can download for free here (https://nutritionfacts.org/daily-doze..., or get the free app on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dr.-g...) and Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/de.... You will see that there’s also an option for those looking to lose weight: my new 21 Tweaks. But before you go checking them off, be sure to read about the science behind the checklist in How Not to Diet (https://nutritionfacts.org/how-not-to.... Get it for FREE at your local public library (but if you do choose to purchase it, note that all proceeds from all of my books go to charity).

You might be interested in my new video Ultra-Processed Junk Food Put to the Test (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/ultr....

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Have a question about this video? Leave it in the comment section at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/frida... and someone on the NutritionFacts.org team will try to answer it.


Want to get a list of links to all the scientific sources used in this video? Click on Sources Cited at https://nutritionfacts.org/video/frid.... You’ll also find a transcript and acknowledgements for the video, my blog and speaking tour schedule, and an easy way to search (by translated language even) through our videos spanning more than 2,000 health topics.

Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

Captions for this video are available in several languages; you can find yours in the video settings. View important information about our translated resources: https://nutritionfacts.org/translatio...

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