Food addiction, obesity, and metabolic disease are on the rise, and it’s not because we’ve become lazy or we lack willpower. It’s because modern food is specifically engineered to be highly addictive. 

Walk through any supermarket and check out what’s on the shelves. You’re going to see lots of colourful packaging, with products that make all kinds of marketing claims designed to get your attention. But flip the package over and you’ll likely find an ingredient list a mile long, with ingredients that you can’t even pronounce. 

Processed foods are full of chemicals and refined ingredients that provide little to no real nutrition, increase your hunger and cravings, and keep you stuck in a cycle of obesity and disease. 

Here’s a list of seven of the worst processed food ingredients to watch out for.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

High Fructose Corn Syrup is one of the most harmful ingredients in the modern food supply. It’s cheap, it’s heavily processed, and it’s a type of sugar that goes straight to the liver. That’s bad news for your health. 

Too much fructose can lead to fatty liver, insulin resistance, and weight gain. 

HFCS is addictive, and it doesn’t trigger fullness signals, so you just keep on eating it nonstop. It is strongly linked to obesity and metabolic disease and does nothing for your body as far as nutrition goes. 

You’ll find HFCS in things like fizzy drinks, sweets, fruit drinks, sauces, and even bread. 

Added Sugar (in all forms)

Sugar isn’t just listed as “sugar” anymore. It goes by all kinds of names, such as cane sugar, dextrose, fruit juice concentrate, and more. But the bottom line is, it’s all sugar, and it all raises blood sugar, causes insulin resistance, weight gain, and inflammation. 

And it keeps you in a cycle of craving more and more sugar. 

Sugar is found in all kinds of processed or convenient foods, and even in some foods that you wouldn’t think need it, like sauces or salad dressings. 

Maltodextrin

This is a really bad one. 

Maltodextrin is a highly processed starch with a glycemic index even higher than table sugar. That means it will raise blood sugar very fast, not good for anyone, but especially not good if you have diabetes. Also, it can play havoc on  your gut and your immune health. 

Maltodextrin is found in many protein powders and sports drinks, and it’s in many “keto” snacks, and even well-known electrolyte brands. What’s even more concerning is that these brands are not openly disclosing the fact that they use maltodextrin, which can be very dangerous for diabetics. Note that we do not use any sweeteners or dodgy ingredients in our Fasting Salts. 

You can read more about maltodextrin in our previous article here. 

Artificial food colours

Artificial food dyes like Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1 are made from petroleum-based chemicals. They add no nutritional value and are only used to make food look more appealing so you’ll buy it. 

There are studies linking artificial food colours to inflammation and behaviour issues, especially in children. 

Food dyes are commonly found in sweets, cereal, fizzy drinks, and snacks. 

Seed oils

You know how we feel about seed oils. They are a major culprit behind the obesity and health crisis many are facing today. 

Seed oils like soybean, corn, sunflower, and rapeseed/canola oil are highly refined and easily oxidised. They are high in Omega-6 fats and promote inflammation. 

Seed oils are found in many processed foods like chips, fast food, sauces, mayo, some condiments, and even bread and ice cream brands. 

You can read more about seed oils here. 

Artificial sweeteners 

Artificial sweeteners are usually marketed as a healthy alternative to sugar, but they are anything but healthy. They are often found in diet fizzy drinks and sugar-free snacks, and they have a list a mile long of side effects. Not to mention that instead of helping you lose weight, they actually cause you to gain weight because they increase hunger and cravings. 

Don’t be fooled by the marketing, you’re not doing yourself any favours by using an artificial sweetener. 

Flavour enhancers and “natural flavours” 

Ingredients like MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) and vague labels such as “natural flavours” exist for one reason, to make the food taste good so that you will keep eating it, and keep buying it. And that’s a problem because it leads to food addiction, and all the health problems that come with it. 

They are common in chips, snacks, drinks, soups, and frozen meals. 

So what is a person to do? 

Eat whole foods. Whether that means a Ketogenic diet or not, eating whole foods such as meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, and berries will cut out processed food ingredients. 

A simple rule to go by is the shorter the ingredient list, the better. Shop the organic and wholefood shelves of the supermarket, read your labels, and choose foods that look like they came from nature, not a lab. 

Bottom line 

You’re not weak, you’ve just been eating foods that are engineered to keep you overeating and addicted. 

Avoiding processed food ingredients and choosing whole foods will help you regulate hunger and cravings, and truly nourish your body.