How ultra-processed foods impact the mind, mental health
Nicole Ardila
What we eat and drink doesn’t just affect our body, but also our mind and mental health — and ultra processed foods might taste good, but can do more harm.
A local dietitian says ultra-processed foods are anything that comes packaged, has more than five ingredients on the label, and harmful levels of ingredients like sugar and sodium.
Your mind is affected when you drink something sugary like a soda, which releases dopamine in the brain.
‘Your body’s going to be craving more coke, more sugar,” says Ruth Miranda, a registered dietitian/nutritionist. “So what happens now is that you feel this dependency to this sugar item. It doesn’t really have to be a Coke, it can be acoffee drink.”
She says the more sugar you intake, “the more chances of having depression in the long run.”
Other ingredients she says to look out for are high-fructose corn syrup, high levels of sodium, refined sugar and trans fats.
“All those affect your mental health, so we can get mood swings, we feel a lot of anxiety and then we feel depression, and then we go back to feeling really high up and then again we go down to the depression,” Miranda says.
Her biggest concern is that all of this creates a growing addiction in developing brains.
“Now you see it more even in elementary students, they come to the classroom with their big Starbucks and sometimes even Hot Cheetos or things like that,” says Miranda.
She also helped 5 Star Kids Daycare to removed ultra-processed foods from their menus at the center by teaching parents and staff how to feed the kids in a way that’s healthier and enjoyable.
“So before the parents were not very aware of what processed foods can do to the children…” says Arely Winegardner, director of the daycare. “They are getting a lot of chemicals in their brain, they don’t know how much it can alter their brain, and their development. Little children, they’re like little sponges, so they do take a lot of really bad chemicals sometimes from the food.”
They’ve noticed a big difference in the kids after switching their food for healthier options and removing juice bottles — like better sleep, less hyperactivity, and improvement in paying attention.
“We can apply good habits starting from a younger age,” continued Winegardner. “Hopefully they stick to those habits because you never know what they can go through when they’re older, especially mentally, which is a little bit harder to see.”
The daycare is in charge of more than 40 kids and they now they want to help reduce the risk of diseases.
“Just remember that if you choose real foods, whole foods, whole grains, lean meats, vegetables and fruits over processed foods, this can impact in a good way your mental health,” Miranda says.
She suggests instead of buying sugary drinks in the morning, you can meal prep for your kids at night to have it ready for the morning.