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How bad is junk food for you, really?

<div> <p>Consuming more junk foods, such as soft drinks, packaged snacks, and sugary cereals, is associated with a higher risk of more than 30 different health problems – both physical and mental – according to researchers.</p> <p>A study, known as an umbrella review, combined the results of 45 previous meta-analyses published in the last three years, representing about 10 million participants.</p> <p>Thirty-two different poor health outcomes were found to be linked to the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), with varying levels of evidence supporting the findings.</p> <p>The researchers found the most convincing evidence around higher ultra-processed food intake, which was associated with a 50% increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, a 48-53% higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders, and a 12% greater risk of type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>Evidence marked as ‘highly suggestive’ included a 21% increase in death from any cause, a 40-66% increased risk of a heart disease related death, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and sleep problems, as well as a 22% increased risk of depression.</p> <p>The review also found there may be links between ultra-processed food and asthma; gastrointestinal health; some cancers; and other risk factors such as high blood fats and low levels of ‘good’ cholesterol, but the researchers note this evidence is limited.</p> <p>Dr Daisy Coyle from the George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, who was not involved in the research, says the statistics are “staggering.”</p> <p>“Ultra-processed foods, laden with additives and sometimes lacking in essential nutrients, have become ubiquitous in the Australian diet,” she says.</p> <p>“In fact, they make up almost half of what we buy at the supermarket. While not all ultra-processed foods are linked to poor health outcomes, many are, particularly sugary drinks and processed meats.”</p> <div> </div> <p>While the findings are in line with other research that highlights the health risks associated with UPFs, some experts have pointed out that the study is observational, and therefore can’t prove the ultra-processed foods cause these health issues. It can only show an association.</p> <p>“While these associations are interesting and warrant further high-quality research, they do not and cannot provide evidence of causality,” The University of Sydney’s Dr Alan Barclay told the AusSMC.</p> <p>“By their very nature, observational studies are renowned for being confounded by numerous factors – both known and unknown.”</p> <p>Clare Collins, Laureate Professor at the University of Newcastle agreed, but added that it’s difficult to conduct dietary studies like this in a different way.</p> <p>“The studies are observational, which means cause and effect cannot be proven and that the research evidence gets downgraded, compared to intervention studies,” she says.</p> <p>“The problem is that it is not ethical to do an intervention study lasting for many years where you feed people lots of UPF every day and wait for them to get sick and die.”</p> <p>For now, researchers seem to agree that it can’t be a bad thing to minimise UPF intake.</p> <p>The review suggests a need for policies that pull consumers away from ultra-processed foods, such as advertising restrictions, warning labels, bans in schools and hospitals. It also calls for measures that make healthier foods more accessible and affordable.</p> <p>Dr Charlotte Gupta from Central Queensland University suggests that this is issue of accessibility is particularly relevant for shift workers such as doctors, nurses, firefighters, taxi drivers, miners, and hospitality workers.</p> <p>“There is a lack of availability of fresh foods or time to prepare any food, and so ultra-processed foods have to be relied on (e.g. from the vending machine in the hospital),” she said.</p> <p>“This highlights the need for not only individuals to try reducing ultra-processed foods in our diet, but also for public health actions to improve access to healthier foods.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/how-bad-is-junk-food-for-you-really/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/olivia-henry/">Olivia Henry</a>. </em></p> </div>

Food & Wine

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Junk fees and drip pricing: the underhanded tactics we hate yet still fall for

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ralf-steinhauser-1459112">Ralf Steinhauser</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a></em></p> <p>You see a fantastic offer, like a hotel room. You decide to book. Then it turns out there is a service fee. Then a cleaning fee. Then a few other extra costs. By the time you pay the final price, it is no longer the fantastic offer you thought.</p> <p>Welcome to the world of drip pricing – the practice of advertising something at an attractive headline price and then, once you’ve committed to the purchase process, hitting you with unavoidable extra fees that are incrementally disclosed, or “dripped”.</p> <p>Drip pricing – a type of “junk fee” – is notorious in event and travel ticketing, and is creeping into other areas, such as movie tickets. My daughter, for example, was surprised to find her ticket to the Barbie movie had a “booking fee”, increasing the cost of her ticket by 13%.</p> <p>It seems like such an annoying trick that you may wonder why sellers do it. The reason is because it works, due to two fundamental cognitive biases: the way we value the present over the future; and the way we hate losses more than we love gains.</p> <h2>Present bias preference: why starting over feels too costly</h2> <p>In the case of booking that hotel room, you could abandon the transaction and look for something cheaper once the extra charges become apparent. But there’s a good chance you won’t, due to the effort and time involved.</p> <p>This is where the trap lies.</p> <p>Resistance to the idea of starting the search all over again is not simply a matter of laziness or indecision. There’s a profound psychological mechanism at play here, called a present-bias preference – that we value things immediately in front of us more than things more distant in the future.</p> <p>In their seminal 1999 paper, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.89.1.103">Doing it now or later</a>, economists Mathew Rabin and Ted O'Donoghue define present-biased preference as “the human tendency to grab immediate rewards and to avoid immediate costs”.</p> <p>They give the example of choosing between doing seven hours of unpleasant activity on April 1 or eight hours two weeks later. If asked about this a few months beforehand, most people will choose the earlier option. “But come April 1, given the same choice, most of us are apt to put off work till April 15.”</p> <p>In simple terms, the inconvenience and effort of doing something “right now” often feels disproportionately large.</p> <p>Drip pricing exploits this cognitive bias by getting you to make a decision and commit to the transaction process. When you’re far into a complicated booking process and extra prices get added, starting all over again feels like a burden.</p> <p>Often enough, this means you’ll settle for the higher-priced hotel room.</p> <h2>Loss aversion: buying more expensive tickets</h2> <p>Beyond the challenge of starting over, there’s another subtle force at work when it comes to our spending decisions. Drip pricing doesn’t just capitalise on our desire for immediate rewards; it also plays on our innate fear of losing out.</p> <p>This second psychological phenomenon that drip pricing exploits is known as loss aversion – that we feel more pain from losing something than pleasure from gaining the same thing.</p> <p>The concept of loss aversion was first outlined by economists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1914185">a 1979 paper</a> that is the third most-cited article in economics.</p> <hr /> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=497&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=497&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=497&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=624&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=624&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=624&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A graphic representation of loss aversion. The pain from losing a good or service will be greater than the pleasure from gaining the same good or service." /><figcaption><span class="caption">How economists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky graphically represented loss aversion. The pain from losing a good or service is greater than the pleasure from gaining the same good or service.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk, Econometrica, Vol. 47, No. 2</span></span></figcaption></figure> <hr /> <p>Drip pricing exploits this tendency, by dragging us away from more “rational” choices.</p> <p>Imagine you’re booking tickets for a show. Initially attracted by the observed headline price, you are now presented with different seating categories. Seeing the “VIP” are within your budget, you decide to splurge.</p> <p>But then, during the checkout process, the drip of extra costs begins. You realise you could have opted for lower-category seats and stayed within your budget. But by this stage you’ve already changed your expectation and imagined yourself enjoying the show from those nice seats.</p> <p>Going back and booking cheaper seats will feel like a loss.</p> <h2>Do consumers need protection?</h2> <p>Empirical evidence supports the above theoretical predictions about the impact of drop pricing on consumers.</p> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21426">A 2020 study</a> quantified how much consumers dislike the lack of transparency in drip pricing (based on tracking the reactions of 225 undergraduates using fictional airline and hotel-booking websites). The authors liken the practice to the “taximeter effect” – the discomfort consumers feel watching costs accumulate.</p> <p>But drip pricing’s effectiveness from a seller’s perspective is undeniable. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.04.007">experimental study</a> published in 2020 found drip pricing generates higher profits while lowering the “consumer surplus” (the benefit derived from buying a product or service). A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2020.1261">2021 analysis</a> of data from StubHub, a US website for reselling tickets, calculated drip pricing increased revenue by 20%.</p> <p>Which is why the tactic remains attractive to businesses despite customers disliking it.</p> <p>Buyers would benefit from a ban of drip pricing. Many countries are taking steps to protect consumers from drip pricing.</p> <p>The UK government, for example, announced a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/aug/21/growth-of-airlines-add-on-fees-sparks-calls-for-price-reforms">review of drip pricing</a> in June, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak flagging the possibility of measures to curb the practice. The US government is also considering <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/15/president-biden-recognizes-actions-by-private-sector-ticketing-and-travel-companies-to-eliminate-hidden-junk-fees-and-provide-millions-of-customers-with-transparent-pricing/">new regulations</a>, with President Joe Biden denouncing “junk fees” in his <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/02/07/remarks-of-president-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-address-as-prepared-for-delivery/">2023 State of the Union address</a>. Proposed changes include requiring airlines and online booking services to disclose the full ticket price upfront, inclusive of baggage and other fees.</p> <p>The effectiveness of measures, however, is <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4430453">still being debated</a>.</p> <p>In the meantime, your principal protection is making a more informed decision, by understanding why the tactic works. Bargains may attract you, but you can learn to not fall for hidden costs and align your choices with your budget and values.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211117/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ralf-steinhauser-1459112">Ralf Steinhauser</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty </em><em>Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/junk-fees-and-drip-pricing-the-underhanded-tactics-we-hate-yet-still-fall-for-211117">original article</a>.</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Food and drinks are getting sweeter

<p>Humans have an evolutionary preference for sweetness. Sweet foods, like fruit and honey, <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-taste-for-sweet-an-anthropologist-explains-the-evolutionary-origins-of-why-youre-programmed-to-love-sugar-173197" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were an important energy source</a> for our ancestors.</p> <p>However, in the modern world, sweetened foods are readily available, very cheap and advertised extensively. Now, we are consuming too much sugar in foods and drinks – the kind that is added rather than sugar that is naturally occurring. Consuming too much added sugar is <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar#:%7E:text=%22The%20effects%20of%20added%20sugar,Hu." target="_blank" rel="noopener">bad news</a> for health. It is linked to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obr.12040" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obesity</a>, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-carbohydrates-and-health-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">type 2 diabetes and tooth decay</a>.</p> <p>Because of these health concerns, manufacturers started using non-nutritive sweeteners to sweeten food as well. These sweeteners contain little to no kilojoules and include both artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, and those that come from natural sources, such as stevia.</p> <p>Our research, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/global-trends-in-added-sugars-and-nonnutritive-sweetener-use-in-the-packaged-food-supply-drivers-and-implications-for-public-health/A6375EB569DCDA4899730EC40C69D1CC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published here</a>, shows the amount of added sugars and non-nutritive sweeteners in packaged foods and drinks has grown a lot over the last decade. This is especially true in middle-income countries, such as China and India, as well as in the Asia Pacific, including Australia.</p> <h2>From lollies to biscuits to drinks</h2> <p>Using market sales data from around the globe, we looked at the quantity of added sugar and non-nutritive sweeteners sold in packaged foods and drinks from 2007 to 2019.</p> <p>We found per person volumes of non-nutritive sweeteners in drinks is now 36% higher globally. Added sugars in packaged food is 9% higher.</p> <p>Non-nutritive sweeteners are most commonly added to confectionery. Ice creams and sweet biscuits are the fastest-growing food categories in terms of these sweeteners. The expanding use of added sugars and other sweeteners over the last decade means, overall, our packaged food supply is getting sweeter.</p> <p>Our analysis shows the amount of added sugar used to sweeten drinks has increased globally. However, this is largely explained by a 50% increase in middle-income countries, such as China and India. Use has decreased in high-income countries, such as Australia and the United States.</p> <p><a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/added-sugar-in-the-diet/#:%7E:text=The%20AHA%20suggests%20a%20stricter,of%20sugar%20for%20most%20men." target="_blank" rel="noopener">It is recommended</a> men consume less than nine teaspoons of sugar a day, while women should have less than six. However, because sugar is added to so many foods and drinks, over half of <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookup/4364.0.55.011main+features12011-12#:%7E:text=In%202011%2D12%2C%20Australians%20consumed,from%20honey%20and%20fruit%20juice." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australians exceed recommendations</a>, eating an average of 14 teaspoons a day.</p> <p>The shift from using added sugar to sweeteners to sweeten drinks is most common in carbonated soft drinks and bottled water. The World Health Organization is <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/articles-detail/online-public-consultation-draft-guideline-on-use-of-non-sugar-sweeteners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developing guidelines</a> on the use of <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240046429" target="_blank" rel="noopener">non-sugar sweeteners</a>.</p> <h2>Rich and poor countries</h2> <p>There is a difference in added sugar and sweetener use between richer and poorer countries. The market for packaged food and beverages in high-income countries has become saturated. To continue to grow, large food and beverage corporations are <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.13126" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expanding into middle-income countries</a>.</p> <p>Our findings demonstrate a double standard in the sweetening of the food supply, with manufacturers providing less sweet, “healthier” products in richer countries.</p> <h2>Unexpected consequences of control</h2> <p>To reduce the health harms of high added sugar intakes, many governments have acted to curb their use and consumption. Sugar levies, education campaigns, advertising restrictions and labelling <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/nutrition-research-reviews/article/abs/drivers-trends-and-dietary-impacts-of-nonnutritive-sweeteners-in-the-food-supply-a-narrative-review/32B903F1CAB239800F2C98279541B4C0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are among these measures</a>.</p> <p>But such actions can encourage manufacturers to partially or completely substitute sugar with non-nutritive sweeteners to avoid penalties or cater to evolving population preferences.</p> <p>In our study, we found regions with a higher number of policy actions to reduce sugar intakes had a significant increase in non-nutritive sweeteners sold in drinks.</p> <h2>Why is this a problem</h2> <p>While the harms of consuming too much added sugar are well known, relying on non-nutritive sweeteners as a solution also carries risk. Despite their lack of dietary energy, recent <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240046429" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reviews</a>, suggest consuming non-nutritive sweeteners may be linked with <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240046429" target="_blank" rel="noopener">type 2 diabetes and heart disease</a> and can disrupt the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/10/suppl_1/S31/5307224" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gut microbiome</a>.</p> <p>And because they are sweet, ingesting non-nutritive sweeteners <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240046429" target="_blank" rel="noopener">influences our palates</a> and encourages us to want more sweet food. This is of particular concern for children, who are still developing their lifelong taste preferences. Additionally, certain non-nutritive sweeteners are considered <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0147651318313368" target="_blank" rel="noopener">environmental contaminants</a> and are not effectively removed from wastewater.</p> <p>Non-nutritive sweeteners are only found in <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/ultraprocessed-foods-what-they-are-and-how-to-identify-them/E6D744D714B1FF09D5BCA3E74D53A185" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ultra-processed foods</a>. These foods are industrially made, contain ingredients you would not find in a home kitchen, and are designed to be “hyper-palatable”. Eating more ultra-processed foods is linked with more <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/1955" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and death</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/ultra-processed-foods-are-trashing-our-health-and-the-planet-180115" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ultra-processed</a> foods are also <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(20)30177-7/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">environmentally harmful</a> because they use significant resources such as energy, water, packaging materials and plastic waste.</p> <p>Foods that contain sweeteners can receive a “health halo” if they don’t contain sugar, misleading the public and potentially displacing nutritious, whole foods in the diet.</p> <h2>Focus on nutrition</h2> <p>When making policy to improve public health nutrition, it is important to consider unintended consequences. Rather than focusing on specific nutrients, there is merit in advocating for policy that considers the broader aspects of food, including cultural importance, level of processing and environmental impacts. Such policy should promote nutritious, minimally processed foods.</p> <p>We need to closely monitor the increasing sweetness of food and drinks and the growing use of added sugars and non-nutritive sweeteners. It is likely to shape our future taste preferences, food choices and human and planetary health.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/food-and-drinks-are-getting-sweeter-even-if-its-not-all-sugar-its-bad-for-our-health-187605" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Body

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Junk food linked to gut inflammation

<div class="copy"> <p>Studies show how a diet high in fat and sugar impairs immune cell function.</p> <p>The impact of diet on health is really a no-brainer – even leading to calls for GPs to prescribe fruit and vegetables before writing out a drug prescription.</p> <p>Now, US researchers report in the journal <em>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</em> that they’ve found a mechanism to explain how obesity caused by an unhealthy junk food diet can induce inflammation in the gut.</p> <p>“Our research showed that long-term consumption of a Western-style diet high in fat and sugar impairs the function of immune cells in the gut in ways that could promote inflammatory bowel disease or increase the risk of intestinal infections,” says lead author Ta-Chiang Liu, from Washington University.</p> <p>This has particular relevance for Crohn’s disease – a debilitating condition that has been increasing worldwide and causes abdominal pain, diarrhoea, anaemia and fatigue.</p> <p>A key feature of the disease is impaired function of Paneth cells, immune cells found in the intestines that help maintain a healthy balance of gut microbes and ward off infectious pathogens.</p> <p>When exploring a database of 400 adults with and without Crohn’s disease, the researchers discovered that higher body mass index (BMI) was associated with progressively more abnormal looking Paneth cells, captured under a microscope.</p> <p>Armed with their discovery, they studied two strains of mice genetically predisposed to obesity and were surprised to find that the animals’ Paneth cells looked normal.</p> <p>To dig deeper, the researchers fed normal mice a diet in which 40% of the calories came from fat or sugar, typical of a Western diet.</p> <p>After two months the mice became obese – and their Paneth cells became abnormal. They also had associated problems such as increased gut permeability, a key feature of chronic inflammation that allows harmful bacteria and toxins to cross the intestinal lining.</p> <p>“Obesity wasn’t the problem per se,” says Lui. “Eating too much of a healthy diet didn’t affect the Paneth cells. It was the high-fat, high-sugar diet that was the problem.”</p> <p>Importantly, switching from junk food back to a standard diet completely reversed the Paneth cell dysfunction.</p> <p>Further experiments revealed that a bile acid molecule known as deoxycholic acid, formed as a by-product of gut bacteria metabolism, increased the activity of immune molecules that inhibit Paneth cell function.</p> <p>Liu and colleagues are now comparing the individual impact of fat and sugar on Paneth cells.</p> <p>Whether the damaged cells respond to a healthy diet in humans remains to be seen, but preliminary evidence suggests diet can alter the balance of gut bacteria and alleviate symptoms of Crohn’s disease.</p> </div> <div id="contributors"> <p><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/junk-food-linked-to-gut-inflammation/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/natalie-parletta">Natalie Parletta</a>. </p> </div>

Food & Wine

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The rise of ultra-processed foods and why they’re really bad for our health

<p>Humans (and our ancestors) have been processing food for at least <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/processed-food-a-two-million-year-history/">1.8 million years</a>. Roasting, drying, grinding and other techniques made food more nutritious, durable and tasty. This helped our ancestors to colonise diverse habitats, and then develop settlements and civilisations.</p> <p>Many traditional foods used in cooking today are processed in some way, such as grains, cheeses, dried fish and fermented vegetables. Processing itself is not the problem.</p> <p>Only much more recently has a different type of food processing emerged: one that is more extensive, and uses new chemical and physical techniques. This is called ultra-processing, and the resulting products <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/ca5644en/ca5644en.pdf">ultra-processed foods</a>.</p> <p>To make these foods, cheap ingredients such as starches, vegetable oils and sugars, are combined with cosmetic additives like colours, flavours and emulsifiers. Think sugary drinks, confectionery, mass-produced breads, snack foods, sweetened dairy products and frozen desserts.</p> <p><strong>Join 130,000 people who subscribe to free evidence-based news.</strong></p> <p>Get newsletter</p> <p>Unfortunately, these foods are terrible for our health. And we’re eating more of them than ever before, partially because of aggressive marketing and lobbying by “Big Food”.</p> <p><strong>Ultra-processed foods are harming our health</strong></p> <p>So concludes our <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/1955">recent literature review</a>. We found that more ultra-processed foods in the diet associates with higher risks of obesity, heart disease and stroke, type-2 diabetes, cancer, frailty, depression and death.</p> <p>These harms can be caused by the foods’ poor nutritional profile, as many are high in added sugars, salt and trans-fats. Also, if you tend to eat more ultra-processed foods, it means you probably eat fewer fresh and less-processed foods.</p> <p>Industrial processing itself can also be harmful. For example, certain food additives <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872783/">can disrupt our gut bacteria</a> and trigger inflammation, while plasticisers in packaging can <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019317416?via%3Dihub">interfere with our hormonal system</a>.</p> <p>Certain features of ultra-processed foods also promote over-consumption. Product flavours, aromas and mouthfeel are designed to make these foods ultra-tasty, and perhaps even <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30439381/">addictive</a>.</p> <p>Ultra-processed foods also harm the environment. For example, food packaging generates much of the plastic waste that enters marine ecosystems.</p> <p><strong>And yet, we’re eating more and more of them</strong></p> <p>In <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343478299_Ultra-processed_foods_and_the_nutrition_transition_Global_regional_and_national_trends_food_systems_transformations_and_political_economy_drivers">our latest study</a>, published in August, we found ultra-processed food sales are booming nearly everywhere in the world.</p> <p>Sales are highest in rich countries like Australia, the United States and Canada. They are rising rapidly in middle-income countries like China, South Africa and Brazil, which are highly populated. The scale of dietary change and harms to health are therefore likely immense.</p> <p><strong>‘Big Food’ is driving consumption</strong></p> <p>We <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343478299_Ultra-processed_foods_and_the_nutrition_transition_Global_regional_and_national_trends_food_systems_transformations_and_political_economy_drivers">also asked</a>: what explains the global rise in ultra-processed food sales? Growing incomes, more people living in cities, and working families seeking convenience are a few factors that contribute.</p> <p>However, it’s also clear “Big Food” corporations are driving ultra-processed food consumption globally — think Coca-Cola, Nestlé and McDonald’s. Sales growth <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001235">is lower</a> in countries where such corporations have a limited presence.</p> <p>Globalisation has allowed these corporations to make huge investments in their overseas operations. The <a href="https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_1b69e1e69528e5630a2842ce673df6eb/cocacolacompany/db/734/7242/annual_report/coca-cola-business-and-sustainability-report-2019+%281%29.pdf">Coca-Cola System</a>, for example, now includes 900 bottling plants worldwide, distributing 2 billion servings every day.</p> <p>As Big Food globalises, their advertising and promotion becomes widespread. New digital technologies, such as gaming, are used to target children. By collecting <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09581596.2017.1392483">large amounts of personal data online</a>, companies can even target their advertising at us as individuals.</p> <p>Supermarkets are now spreading throughout the developing world, provisioning ultra-processed foods at scale, and at low prices. Where supermarkets don’t exist, other distribution strategies are used. For example, Nestlé uses its “door-to-door” salesforce to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/09/16/health/brazil-obesity-nestle.html">reach thousands</a> of poor households in Brazil’s urban slums.</p> <p>Rising consumption also reflects <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343478299_Ultra-processed_foods_and_the_nutrition_transition_Global_regional_and_national_trends_food_systems_transformations_and_political_economy_drivers">Big Food’s political power</a> to undermine public health policies. This includes lobbying policymakers, making political donations, funding favourable research, and partnerships with community organisations.</p> <p><strong>Here’s how things can change</strong></p> <p>The evidence that ultra-processed foods are harming our health and the planet is clear. We must now consider using a variety of strategies to decrease consumption. This includes adopting new laws and regulations, for example by using taxation, marketing restrictions and removing these products from schools.</p> <p>We cannot rely on industry-preferred responses such as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14747731.2016.1239806">product reformulation</a> alone. After all, reformulated ultra-processed foods are usually still ultra-processed.</p> <p>Further, simply telling individuals to “<a href="https://theconversation.com/fat-nation-the-rise-and-fall-of-obesity-on-the-political-agenda-72875">be more responsible</a>” is unlikely to work, when Big Food spends billions every year marketing unhealthy products to undermine that responsibility.</p> <p>Should dietary guidelines now strongly advise people to avoid ultra-processed foods? Brazil and other Latin American countries <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/ca5644en/ca5644en.pdf">are already doing this</a>.</p> <p>And for us as individuals the advice is simple — avoid ultra-processed foods altogether.</p> <p><em>Written by Phillip Baker, Mark Lawrence and Priscilla Machado. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-rise-of-ultra-processed-foods-and-why-theyre-really-bad-for-our-health-140537">The Conversation.</a> </em></p>

Caring

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“Hunk of junk”: Mum’s overly honest caravan ad has internet in stitches

<p>Glastonbury mum Katie Perkins has obviously had enough of the 27-year-old caravan taking up space on her property.</p> <p>So, in a fit of fury, she took to Facebook Marketplace to try and find a prospective buyer – but soon turned her post into an opportunity to vent a bit of pent-up rage at the “monstrosity” that had been plaguing her for so long.</p> <p>The UK woman was definitely a little too honest in her expletive-laden ad, and the post quickly went viral due to her astonishingly blunt descriptions.</p> <p>“It is a tin shed on wheels,” she wrote.</p> <p>“It is f***ing hot in the summer. It is f***ing freezing in the winter. It even grows icicles on the inside.”</p> <p>She adds that the oven and fridge are equally rubbish, but the microwave is “pretty decent.”</p> <p>“Get this hunk of junk off my f***ing land,” she pleads.</p> <p>“I’d love to say it’s beautiful, but I’d be lying. I’d love to say I loved living in it, but I’d be lying.”</p> <p>The listing has been shared more than 1,000 times and racked up hundreds of comments as people commended her for the refreshing honesty, calling it the “best ad ever”.</p> <p>Check out the images of the caravan in the gallery below, and here also is the full (slightly cleaned up) post in all its glory:</p> <p>“YES IT'S STILL AVAILABLE - I WILL. REMOVE ONCE IT HAS GONE.</p> <p>IT IS AN ANCIENT 27 YEAR OLD CARAVAN. 32FT x 10FT, 2 BED STATIC.</p> <p>IT HAS BEEN LIVED IN BY A FAMILY OF 7 (WE WERE A FAMILY OF 4 🤰⚠️) FOR 7 YEARS ONSITE WHILST BUILDING OUR DREAM HOME, WHICH TURNED INTO A F***ING NIGHTMARE.</p> <p>IT IS NOT PRISTINE.</p> <p>IT IS NOT PRETTY.</p> <p>IT IS A TIN SHED ON WHEELS.</p> <p>IT IS F***ING HOT IN THE SUMMER.</p> <p>IT IS F***ING FREEZING IN THE WINTER.</p> <p>IT EVEN GROWS ICICLES ON THE INSIDE. IT COULD DO WITH FULL REPLACEMENT OF CARPETS.</p> <p>IT NEEDS A GOOD BLEACH CLEAN THROUGHOUT.</p> <p>IT HAS A SHIT OVEN.</p> <p>IT HAS A SHIT HOB.</p> <p>IT HAS A SHIT FRIDGE.</p> <p>KIDS WERE POTTY TRAINED IN IT.</p> <p>DOG WAS POTTY TRAINED IN IT.</p> <p>IT HAS BEEN USED AS STORAGE FOR THE LAST 9 MONTHS.</p> <p>NEXT STOP THE F***ING CHICKENS ARE GOING IN IT.</p> <p>IT DOES HAVE A PRETTY DECENT MICROWAVE, ALBEIT CHEAP MORRISONS ONE.</p> <p>IT ALSO HAS EXTRAS!</p> <p>COUPLE OLD SHOES IN THE WARDROBE.</p> <p>ABSTRACT ART, ONE OF A KIND, COURTESY OF THE CHILDREN.</p> <p>OLD BOTTLES OF BOOZE UNDER THE SINK.</p> <p>PRETTY SURE THERE'S EVEN A SLOW COOKER THAT WAS ONLY USED ONCE?</p> <p>BEDS THAT HAVE BEEN DESTROYED AND I CANNOT BE F***ED TO REMOVE.</p> <p>I’M SURE IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT IT YOU CAN USE IT FOR SOMETHING, I DON'T GIVE A F**K WHAT.</p> <p>I WANT OFFERS.....I DON'T EXPECT ALOT BUT SOMETHING WOULD BE NICE.</p> <p>F**K IT - IF YOU TRUELY WANT THIS F***ING MONSTROSITY THEN I WILL TRADE IT FOR A COUPLE BOXES OF HUBBY'S FAVOURITE RED WINE - JAMMY RED ROO OR JAM SHED.</p> <p>GET THIS HUNK OF JUNK OFF MY F***ING LAND.</p> <p>I'D LOVE TO SAY IT'S F***ING BEAUTIFUL, BUT I'D BE LYING.</p> <p>I'D LOVE TO SAY I LOVED LIVING IN IT, BUT I'D BE LYING.</p> <p>I'D LOVE TO SAY I'D LOOK FORWARD TO A CARAVAN HOLIDAY, BUT GUESS WHAT...?</p> <p>I'D BE LYING.”</p> <p>… and if you’re still game to read the real thing, take a deep breath, be warned, and click <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/332595611252474/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p><strong>Images:</strong> Facebook Marketplace</p>

Downsizing

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Supermarkets claim to have our health at heart – but their marketing tactics push junk foods

<p>Supermarkets like to <a href="https://www.woolworthsgroup.com.au/page/community-and-responsibility/group-responsibility/environment/inspiring-healthy-choices">portray</a> themselves as having the <a href="https://www.coles.com.au/about-coles/community">health</a> of the community at heart. And in the middle of a pandemic, we’re all grateful supermarkets are still open and, for the most part, the shelves are well stocked.</p> <p>But our <a href="https://www.insideourfoodcompanies.com.au/supermarkets">new report</a>, published today, finds our supermarkets are overwhelmingly pushing junk foods on us rather than healthy foods.</p> <p>They have more promotional displays and more special offers for the least healthy food options, and they tempt us to buy unhealthy products at checkouts.</p> <p><strong>Our research – what we did</strong></p> <p>For our report, we surveyed more than 100 Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and independent stores in Australia.</p> <p>In each store, we measured the shelf space allocated to different foods and how they are promoted at checkouts and end-of-aisle displays. We also looked at discounts on healthy compared with unhealthy items.</p> <p>We categorised the healthiness of food and drinks based on the <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/content/n55_australian_dietary_guidelines.pdf">Australian Dietary Guidelines</a>, which classify foods as “five food groups” foods (healthy) and “discretionary” foods (unhealthy).</p> <p>We analysed the findings by supermarket chain and by the level of disadvantage of the area in which each store was located.</p> <p><strong>Promotion of unhealthy food and drinks at checkouts</strong></p> <p>We found 90% of staff-assisted checkouts included displays of unhealthy food and drinks. These displays typically included chocolate, confectionery, soft drinks and energy drinks.</p> <p>The food and drinks on special at checkouts was also 7.5 times more likely to be unhealthy than healthy.</p> <p>These results show how checkout displays encourage impulse buys of unhealthy snacks. This is in stark contrast to displays near the entrance of most stores, where fresh fruit and vegetables feature prominently.</p> <p><strong>Unhealthy food is promoted all over the store</strong></p> <p>The displays at the end of aisles, particularly those in high-traffic areas nearest the front of the store, are where supermarkets put their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0969698917307257">biggest promotions</a>.</p> <p>Our survey found that of all end-of-aisle displays with food and drinks, 80% had at least one type of unhealthy item. In Coles, Woolworths and independent supermarkets, there was twice as much unhealthy food as healthy food on display.</p> <p>Around two-thirds of all specials on food and drinks were for unhealthy items.</p> <p><strong>It matters where you shop</strong></p> <p>On the measures we looked at there was little difference between Coles and Woolworths.</p> <p>But Aldi stores were quite different. They had fewer promotional displays and discounts overall. This means unhealthy food is not being pushed on Aldi shoppers in the same way it is at the other major chains.</p> <p>Independent stores varied widely. On average, they were no better than Coles or Woolworths.</p> <p>But the two healthiest stores in our study were both independent stores with abundant fresh food, and few promotional displays for unhealthy food and drinks. This tells us a healthier supermarket environment is possible.</p> <p><strong>It also matters where you live</strong></p> <p>We found supermarkets allocate more shelf space to unhealthy food and drinks (chips, chocolate, confectionery, sweet biscuits, soft drinks and energy drinks) compared with fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables.</p> <p>Critically, this was more pronounced in stores located in more disadvantaged areas.</p> <p>People living with socioeconomic disadvantage have <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/fe037cf1-0cd0-4663-a8c0-67cd09b1f30c/aihw-aus-222.pdf.aspx?inline=true">higher rates of diet-related diseases</a> and are <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/association-between-socioeconomic-position-and-diet-quality-in-australian-adults/48106AB58906A3D5A4B3534D670A9F4A">less likely</a> to eat healthy, nutritious food. They are also more likely to <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/discretionary-food-and-beverage-consumption-and-its-association-with-demographic-characteristics-weight-status-and-fruit-and-vegetable-intakes-in-australian-adults/689B3A1CE7E8B21680775430DED5623B">over-consume unhealthy food</a>.</p> <p>The extent to which unhealthy food is pushed at us shouldn’t depend on the suburb in which we live.</p> <p><strong>We need higher standards in Australian supermarkets</strong></p> <p>The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of supermarkets in our daily lives.</p> <p>But when the pandemic is finally over, we will still have an <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb03503.x">expensive national health problem</a> resulting from our unhealthy diets and high levels of <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/behaviours-risk-factors/overweight-obesity/overview">obesity</a>.</p> <p>Supermarkets can be part of the solution to that problem. They can help all Australians move towards healthier, more nutritious diets.</p> <p>Some improvements could include:</p> <ul> <li>providing healthier checkouts that do not display chocolate, confectionery and sugary drinks</li> <li>replacing unhealthy items with healthy food and drinks at end-of-aisle displays</li> <li>allocating less shelf space to unhealthy items</li> <li>offering fewer discounts on unhealthy food and drinks</li> <li>ensuring stores in the most disadvantaged areas do not disproportionately market unhealthy food and drinks, in comparison to stores in other areas.</li> </ul> <p>If supermarkets don’t take action to improve their practices, the government should be ready to step in to ensure the supermarket environment encourages the selection of healthier options.</p> <p><em>Written by Gary Sacks, Adrian Cameron, Lily Grigsby-Duffy and Sally Schultz. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/supermarkets-claim-to-have-our-health-at-heart-but-their-marketing-tactics-push-junk-foods-138292">The Conversation.</a> </em></p>

Art

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Why ditching junk food improves your mood

<p>Worldwide, more than <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression">300 million people</a> live with depression. Without effective treatment, the condition can make it difficult to work and maintain relationships with family and friends.</p> <p>Depression can cause sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, and a lack of interest in activities that are usually pleasurable. At its most extreme, it can lead to suicide.</p> <p>Depression has long been treated with medication and talking therapies – and they’re not going anywhere just yet. But we’re beginning to understand that increasing <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-physical-activity-in-australian-schools-can-help-prevent-depression-in-young-people-107889">how much exercise we get</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28242200">switching to a healthy diet</a> can also play an important role in treating – and even preventing – depression.</p> <p>So what should you eat more of, and avoid, for the sake of your mood?</p> <h2>Ditch junk food</h2> <p>Research suggests that while healthy diets can reduce the risk or severity of depression, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28431261">unhealthy diets</a> may increase the risk.</p> <p>Of course, we all indulge from time to time but <a href="https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/7/3/445/4558132">unhealthy diets</a> are those that contain lots of foods that are high in energy (kilojoules) and low on nutrition. This means too much of the foods we should limit:</p> <ul> <li>processed and takeaway foods</li> <li>processed meats</li> <li>fried food</li> <li>butter</li> <li>salt</li> <li>potatoes</li> <li>refined grains, such as those in white bread, pasta, cakes and pastries</li> <li>sugary drinks and snacks.</li> </ul> <p>The average Australian consumes <a href="https://www.totalwellbeingdiet.com/media/1194/2016-csiro-healthy-diet-score.pdf">19 serves of junk food</a> a week, and <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(14)00051-0/fulltext">far fewer serves</a> of fibre-rich fresh food and wholegrains than recommended. This leaves us overfed, undernourished and <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(14)00051-0/fulltext">mentally worse off</a>.</p> <h2>Here’s what to eat instead</h2> <p>Having a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5372901/">healthy diet</a> means consuming a <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/australian-dietary-guidelines-1-5">wide variety of nutritious foods</a> every day, including:</p> <ul> <li>fruit (two serves per day)</li> <li>vegetables (five serves)</li> <li>wholegrains</li> <li>nuts</li> <li>legumes</li> <li>oily fish</li> <li>dairy products</li> <li>small quantities of meat</li> <li>small quantities of olive oil</li> <li>water.</li> </ul> <p>This way of eating is common in <a href="https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-015-0428-y">Mediterranean countries</a>, where people have been identified as having lower rates of cognitive decline, depression and dementia.</p> <p>In <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29469019">Japan</a>, a diet low in processed foods and high in fresh fruit, vegetables, green tea and soy products is recognised for its protective role in mental health.</p> <h2>How does healthy food help?</h2> <p>A healthy diet is naturally high in five food types that boost our mental health in different ways:</p> <p><strong>Complex carbohydrates</strong> found in fruits, vegetables and wholegrains help <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26109579">fuel our brain cells</a>. Complex carbohydrates release glucose slowly into our system, unlike simple carbohydrates (found in sugary snacks and drinks), which create energy highs and lows throughout the day. These peaks and troughs decrease feelings of happiness and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12415536">negatively affect our psychological well-being</a>.</p> <p><strong>Antioxidants</strong> in brightly coloured fruit and vegetables scavenge free radicals, eliminate <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4290164/">oxidative stress</a> and decrease inflammation in the brain. This in turn increases the feelgood chemicals in the brain that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29339318">elevate our mood</a>.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29215971">Omega 3</a></strong> found in oily fish and <strong><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22251911">B vitamins</a></strong> found in some vegetables increase the production of the brain’s happiness chemicals and have been known to protect against both <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4019002/">dementia</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30127751">depression</a>.</p> <p><strong>Pro and prebiotics</strong> found in yoghurt, cheese and fermented products boost the <a href="https://jphysiolanthropol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40101-016-0101-y">millions of bacteria</a> living in our gut. These bacteria produce <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27466606">chemical messengers</a> from the gut to the brain that influence our emotions and reactions to stressful situations.</p> <p>Research suggests pro- and prebiotics could work on the same neurological pathways that antidepressants do, thereby <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24888394">decreasing depressed and anxious states</a> and <a href="https://jphysiolanthropol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40101-016-0101-y">elevating happy emotions</a>.</p> <h2>What happens when you switch to a healthy diet?</h2> <p>An Australian research team recently undertook the <a href="https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y">first randomised control trial</a> studying 56 individuals with depression.</p> <p>Over a 12-week period, 31 participants were given nutritional consulting sessions and asked to change from their unhealthy diets to a healthy diet. The other 25 attended social support sessions and continued their usual eating patterns.</p> <p>The participants continued their existing antidepressant and talking therapies during the trial.</p> <p>At the end of the trial, the depressive symptoms of the group that maintained a healthier diet significantly improved. Some 32% of participants had scores so low they no longer met the criteria for depression, compared with 8% of the control group.</p> <p>The trial was replicated by another <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29215971">research team</a>, which found similar results, and supported by a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30254236">recent review of all studies</a> on dietary patterns and depression. The review found that across 41 studies, people who stuck to a healthy diet had a 24-35% lower risk of depressive symptoms than those who ate more unhealthy foods.</p> <p>These findings suggest improving your diet <a href="https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-244X-14-132">could be a cost-effective complementary treatment</a> for depression and could reduce your risk of developing a mental illness.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107358/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/megan-lee-490875">Megan Lee</a>, Academic Tutor and Lecturer, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-improve-your-mood-its-time-to-ditch-the-junk-food-107358">original article</a>.</p>

Mind

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The surprising reason we can’t say no to junk food

<p>When you see cake, cheesy pasta or hot chips, do you sense danger and attraction? If you agreed, you’ll be interested to hear that research suggests that we are subconsciously drawn to bad foods because we see it them as "dangerous and attractive."</p> <p>A study in Italy has identified how people view different foods on conscious and unconscious levels. The study asked that 57 people of normal weight draw a line with a stylus on a tablet as quickly as they could between two dots. While they did this, there was a food like a banana or a pizza on one side of the first dot, as well as a kitchen appliance like a toaster that acted as a control. </p> <p>The results of the study saw that “Food and food-related stimuli are powerful attentional-capturing cues and strong sources of interference with ongoing actions even if irrelevant to the task.”</p> <p>In conclusion the unhealthier the perception was of the food, the stronger the pull was towards eating it.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/12/life-lessons-from-grandparents/">Top 10 life lessons kids learn from grandparents</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/01/5-types-of-grandparents/">There are 5 different types of grandparents – which one are you?</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/01/parents-and-kids-who-look-identical/">10 pics of parents and kids who look identical</a></em></strong></span></p>

News

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Study finds mirrors make junk food less appealing

<p>Ever wished there was a way you could stop snacking on unhealthy food? Well, the mirror, mirror on the wall might be the key.</p> <p>A new study by the University of Central Florida has found a bizarre but real solution to binging. Researchers asked 185 students to choose between a chocolate cake or fruit salad, then eat it in a room with a mirror. Those who ate the cake in front of a mirror reported the cake was less tasty, and in turn ate less compared to those who ate it in a room without mirrors.</p> <p>While it might seem like a strange result, researchers believe it could offer a solution to manage binge eating. Lead researcher Ata Jami explains mirrors force us to analyse ourselves and our activities.</p> <p>“A glance in the mirror tells people more than just about their physical appearance. It enables them to view themselves objectively and helps them to judge themselves and their behaviours in a same way that they judge others,” he said in a statement.</p> <p>He believes mirrors cause us to compare ourselves against social standards. When we do something that is perceived as shameful or embarrassing, we shy away from mirrors. Therefore, overeating in a room with a mirror makes the snacker more aware of their discomfort, and effects the perceived tastiness, or reward of the food.</p> <p>Researchers believe their findings can easily be applied to everyday life. They suggest placing a mirror in eating areas, like a dining room or kitchen.</p> <p>It may well be the simple solution you need to curb your unhealthy snack habits.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/health/body/2015/12/7-common-lies-about-fat/">7 common lies about fat</a></strong></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/health/body/2015/12/bloating-food/">The best and worst foods for bloating</a></strong></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/health/body/2015/11/what-your-food-cravings-mean/">What your body’s cravings really mean</a></strong></span></em></p>

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According to our emoji use, Australians love alcohol, junk food, holidays and clothes

<p>Aussies love booze, drugs, junk food and clothing if our emoji use is anything to go by, an international study has revealed.</p> <p>Popular app for smartphones,SwiftKey, analysed more than a billion pieces of data on emoji use sent by people from 16 countries from all around the world in a four-month period.</p> <p>Here are just some of their findings:</p> <ul> <li>The French are – perhaps unsurprisingly – obsessed with love. They use four times as many heart emojis than any other language. Russians follow in a close second.</li> <li>Canadians are the highest users of the gun emojis, as well as money and raunchy humour.</li> <li>Australians use alcohol emoji twice as much as the global average, drug emoji (including cigarettes) 70 per cent more than average, holidays 60 per cent more than average and junk food twice the average.</li> <li>Malaysians use the sleepy emoji twice the average</li> <li>Canadian and Vietnamese people use the poop emoji most.</li> <li>Arabic and Vietnamese speakers use the bikini emoji three times as much as others</li> <li>Brazilians are the most religious using double the number of prayer hands and church emoji.</li> <li>Americans sent 30 per cent more LGBT-related emoji than the average, including a rainbow, men holding hands or women holding hands.</li> </ul> <p>Overall, happy faces, including winks, kisses, smiles and grins were the most popular emojis across all regions, making up 45 per cent of all messages studied. Sad faces were in second place though but this was followed by the heart emojis. Hand gestures such as thumbs up, clapping hands and the peace were in fourth, followed by romantic emojis, such as the lipstick kiss mark, love letter and couple kissing.</p> <p>Here are the most popular categories for each language:</p> <p><img width="495" height="250" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7316/emoji-use_495x250.jpg" alt="Emoji Use" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/lifestyle/technology/2015/01/how-to-use-emoji/">A guide to using Emoji on your phone</a></em></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/lifestyle/technology/2015/04/how-to-use-facebook-stickers/">Stickers aren’t just for kids. Here’s how to have fun with Facebook stickers</a></em></span></strong></p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/lifestyle/technology/2014/10/6-amazing-things-you-didn%E2%80%99t-know-your-phone-could-do/">6 amazing things you didn’t know your phone could do</a></em></span></strong></p>

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Boy reads junk mail as family can’t afford books

<p>Twelve-year-old, Mathew Flores, is like many children his age – he loves reading. Unlike other kids though, Mathew’s family can’t afford books but the bookworm makes do. He gets his hands on as much junk mail as he can to feed his appetite for reading. Mathew even approached his postman last Friday to ask if he could have any extra junk mail the postie might have.</p> <p>The strange questions prompted the postman, Ron Lynch, to find out why a 12-year-old might want the junk mail so many people throw out. Lynch detailed the heartbreaking story on Facebook afterwards.</p> <p>“Today while delivering mail to his apartment complex, I saw him reading ads, and then he asked me if I had any extra mail he could read,” Lynch wrote. “He told me his wish is to have books to read. I told him the library had many, but he said they don't have a car, and couldn't afford the bus.”</p> <p>Lynch then asked his Facebook friends to spare a few books for Mathew:</p> <p>“Most kids his age want electronics! It's great to see his desire, and you should have seen him beam when I said I could help!”</p> <p>“He's counting on me,” he said, "so I'm counting on you!"</p> <p>Lynch’s request went viral, touching the hearts of many around the world. From the UK to India, and even here in Australia, people sent over 300 books to Mathew’s house in Salt Lake City in the US.</p> <p><img width="373" height="498" src="https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t35.0-12/p600x600/11783963_10204943123117988_780407521_o.jpg?oh=fe5c0fd0a2f9f8b9f3feb6298a6f6941&amp;oe=55BBA328" class="_1p6f _1p6g img" style="max-width: 373px; max-height: 498px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Mathew was so excited to read his new books and promised he would read every last one. He told a local reporter: “Reading is interesting – plus, it gets you smarter.”</p> <p>Lynch and Mathew said they are going to pay the kindness forward and are planning to send the books to other children faced with a similar situation.  </p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/07/97-year-old-worker/">97-year-old man refuses to retire</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/07/worlds-most-popular-books/">World’s most popular books revealed</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/07/deer-sounds-bizarre/">You won’t believe what deer sound like when they scream</a></strong></em></span></p>

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