08/24/2025
"𝗪𝗲'𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿"
𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀. 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘀. Our kids and we—are getting way too much of our calories from ultra-processed food. CDC data (Aug 2025) shows nearly 𝟲𝟮% 𝗼𝗳 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀’ —and 𝟱𝟯% 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀’—calories come from stuff like burgers, sugary snacks, pizza, and shakes.
The good news? Big, slow progress:
𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘀? Sandwiches (including burgers), sweet baked goods, savory snacks, pizza, and sugary drinks—topping both kids’ and adults’ ultra-processed calorie charts.
If you’re a caregiver, parent, neighbor—here’s the deal: We’ve got to do better. Swap one ultra-processed item a day with fresh, whole foods. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀—n𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹𝘀, 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗸-𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. Your body—and your loved ones—deserve better fuel. It’s a small fight, but it's worth winning.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗪𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲)
𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮‑p𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 (𝗨𝗣𝗙𝘀) are typically hyper-palatable, energy-dense, low in fiber, and sitting heavy on added sugars, unhealthy fats, and salt.
Their high consumption has been linked to a slew of serious health issues:
- 𝗢𝗯𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 & 𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗚𝗮𝗶𝗻: Diets rich in UPFs can deliver ~500 extra calories daily, contributing roughly a pound of weight gain per week.
- 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘀: Every 10% uptick in UPF consumption increases type 2 diabetes risk by about 12%.
- 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: High intake hikes cardiovascular disease risk by around 17%.
- 𝗔𝗹𝗹‑C𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: A 15% greater risk of death overall for highest UPF consumers.
- 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿: Increased risk for several cancers, including breast, colorectal, and head/neck cancers.