Feeling unhappy? It may be because of your food choices
When 10 million people are brought together in one massive review of 14 studies, you're getting some pretty reliable health info. And that's what a 2024 meta-review did when it explored the association between eating ultra-processed foods and health problems. The result? The researchers identified 32 different conditions that can be linked to eating these nutrition-stripped, obesity-, heart disease-, cancer-, insomnia-, dementia-, and diabetes-associated foods.
That's pretty upsetting! And I bet you'll be surprised by just how upsetting it is. The research found that these lousy foods increase your risk of mental disorders and anxiety by up to 53% and increases the risk of depression by 22%.
But the damage doesn't stop there. The review also found that ultra-processed foods are associated with an increased risk of breast, colorectal and pancreatic cancer, sleep problems, asthma, high blood pressure, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, obesity, metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, elevated blood sugar levels -- and more.
In case you don't know what ultra-processed foods are (or pretend your favorites aren't really super-processed), they're packaged foods made with manufactured ingredients and in no way contain the structure or nutritional content of the original foods. Examples include packaged snacks, pre-packaged meals, sweets and sodas and they generally contain ingredients that are impossible to pronounce and you've never heard of.
Your smartest, mood-enhancing, nutrition-improving move is to opt for unpackaged, fresh foods, lean proteins and non-fried fatty fish (that's good fat), and whole grains. And you can do that with my "What to Eat When Cookbook." Enjoy the happy food!
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.longevityplaybook.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at questions@longevityplaybook.com.
(c)2023 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2025 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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