[ideonexus]

It's not just the UPFs, we need scientifically-backed truth-in-advertising for all foods. For years I thought I was eating very healthy, but then my blood tests got worse and worse until my doctor wanted to put me on medications. I asked for six more months, and spent that time reading the labels on all the "healthy" foods I was consuming. It was eye-opening. So much added sugar, saturated fat, and simple carbohydrates spiking my blood sugar and driving up my cholesterol. I dumped all the processed foods, went whole-foods, Mediterranean Diet, pescatarian, and blew my doctor's mind when all my tests came back healthy.

We have an epidemic of declining healthspans forcing most of us to spend the last decades of our lives as invalids, surrendering our life-savings to the medical industry after the food industry is done ruining our health for profit. This is not about personal responsibility. This is about a food industry that is lying to us about the health effects of eating their hyper-palatable, hyper-processed foods. Corporations lie to sell us food engineered to make us addicted, render us sick, and then sell us the medications to keep our hearts beating so we can continue to consume.

[nickff]

What did your “very healthy” diet consist of? Why did you consider it healthy, and in what specific way were you wrong?

[ideonexus]

Just a few examples:

1. Sugarless Protein Bars: just last week I found one they claimed 30 grams of protein on the front of the package, but hidden in the nutrition facts is that it has four-times the daily recommended saturated fats. These will give you heart disease and are found in the health food section of convenience stores.

2. Pretty much all advertised "health food" snacks will make you exceed your daily saturated fats and sugar limits. If it's not a food in its purest form, it will have added sugar and fat. How many products slap a "high in fiber" sticker on their package, when in reality they have very little fiber or are selling you that fiber with a huge dose of sugar and fat?

3. "lean" meats: This one shocked me. Advertised as high in protein, health youtubers promoted it to me all the time, but actually very rich in unhealthy fats and getting more fatty every decade as cows and chickens are bred for more fat.

4. Rice, Pasta, and other simple carbs: I started monitoring my glucose and these had to go after watching incredible spikes in blood sugar after eating them.

What do I eat now? Whole grains and Legumes daily, leafy greens daily, fresh and frozen fruits, and fish three times a week. My blood sugars are stable, my lipid profile is great, and I'm getting the best sleep of my life as tracked by my fitbit. I look around me at the epidemic of metabolic disease and then I look at how 95% of every grocery store contributes to that and I want to see public policy change on this issue.

[_DeadFred_]

Try making socca chickpea flour pizzas. So quick to make, so much good stuff (protein, resistant starch, fiber). You can get organic chickpea flour from the bulk bin for cheap too.

[riku_iki]

> it has four-times the daily recommended saturated fats. These will give you heart disease

I think this is very debatable and doesn't have clear backing evidence.

[soared]

I agree in some regard - I do wish there were restrictions as protein bars, snacks, beef, processed chicken, etc are not healthy. But it’s different for everyone what is healthy - IE I need a ton of simple carbs for long bike rides and missing those would cause issues. Some people don’t need those though and I don’t trust consumers (or agencies) to make good decisions.

[stavros]

If your food comes with a label, it's not healthy.

[jay_kyburz]

I have some concerns about what our farmers are doing to our fruit and vegetables as well.

[_DeadFred_]

I've posted on here before but I'm concerned with the current 'off label' practice of using glyphosate for crop desiccation (basically spraying it on the crop prior to harvesting to kill it and dry it out sooner) when most studies of glyphosate have been for the standard use to kill weeds much earlier in the process and the lower residual levels the standard use leaves.