(Pixabay photo)
COGwriter
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wants people to realize risks and harms associated with ultra-processed foods:
RFK Jr. is targeting ultraprocessed foods. What are they, and are they bad for you?
March 12, 2025
In the Trump administration’s quest to “Make America Healthy Again,” there may be no bigger target than ultraprocessed foods.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s new health secretary, has cited “highly chemically processed foods” as a chief culprit behind an epidemic of chronic disease in the U.S., including ailments such as obesity, diabetes and autoimmune disorders.
Such foods are “poisoning” people, particularly children, Kennedy said during Senate confirmation hearings. He has vowed to work to remove such foods from federal programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
“I will do everything in my power to put the health of Americans back on track,” he told lawmakers.
Key to that goal, however, could be making sure that consumers understand basic facts about ultraprocessed foods and the role they play in daily meals.
From sugary cereals at breakfast to frozen pizzas at dinner, plus in-between snacks of potato chips, sodas and ice cream, ultraprocessed foods make up about 60% of the U.S. diet. For kids and teens, it’s even higher — about two-thirds of what they eat.
That’s concerning because ultraprocessed foods have been linked to a host of negative health effects, from obesity and diabetes to heart disease, depression, dementia and more. One recent study suggested that eating these foods may raise the risk of early death. … foods created through industrial processes and with ingredients such as additives, colors and preservatives that you couldn’t duplicate in a home kitchen, said Kevin Hall, a researcher who focuses on metabolism and diet at the National Institutes of Health.
“These are most, but not all, of the packaged foods you see,” Hall said.
Such foods are often made to be both cheap and irresistibly delicious, said Dr. Neena Prasad, director of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Food Policy Program.
“They have just the right combination of sugar, salt and fat and you just can’t stop eating them,” Prasad said. https://apnews.com/article/ultraprocessed-foods-kennedy-f6a2607b14c4a2787c68801a8e0646bc
Monday, on FNC’s “Hannity,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged “radical transparency” in efforts to “Make America Healthy Again.” …
“Well, you know, processed foods and seed oil is one of the components of processed foods,” Kennedy replied. “And that is, you know, all the science indicates that ultra-processed foods are what are behind — the principal culprit. And it’s an extraordinary explosion, the epidemic we have of chronic disease. When my uncle was president, 3% of Americans had chronic disease. Today, 60% do. We have 66% of adults are diabetic or pre-diabetic, 38% of teens. When you and I were kids, Sean, the average pediatrician would see one case of juvenile diabetes in his lifetime, over a 40 or 50-year career. Today, one out of every three kids who walks to his office store is diabetic or pre-diabetic.”
“Diabetes and other mitochondrial diseases are now costing America more than our military budget,” he continued. “We spend two to three times on healthcare what other countries do, and we have the worst outcomes. And it’s not — and we have the best medical system in the world. We are poisoning ourselves and it’s coming from you know principally these ultra-processed foods and what we’re trying to do, and this President Trump wants us to have radical transparency and to incentivize companies like this one to switch to traditional ingredients like beef tallow.” https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/03/11/rfk-jr-vows-radical-transparency-on-food-supply-we-are-poisoning-ourselves/
Ultra-processed foods are highly consumed and are dangerous:
Our food supply is 73% ultra-processed foods that cause health to suffer, expert says
March 10, 2025
‘Genius Foods’ author Max Lugavere discusses Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., taking on big food … https://www.foxnews.com/video/6369860126112
The ultra-processed diet that experts believe gives you cancer: Britain’s top doctors now blame modern foods for unprecedented spike in cancer rates
25 August 2024
This month, a major study found people born in 1990 are three times more likely to develop certain forms of the disease than those over the age of 70. And other types were on the rise in younger age-groups, while rates declined in older people.
So what is fuelling the trend? Numerous theories have been put forward: antibiotic over-use, mobile phone radiation and even invisible particles of plastic in drinking water. But a growing number of experts are pointing to one major cause: ultra-processed foods.
Also known as UPFs, these are ready-made foods – including bread, cereals and even salad dressing – packed with artificial ingredients used to preserve, add flavour and enhance texture.
Some have even gone as far as to say they could be as dangerous as tobacco – and should come with a cigarette-style health warning.
It might sound far fetched. But, increasingly, some of Britain’s top cancer experts believe there is some truth to it.
Professor Charles Swanton, oncologist and chief clinician at Cancer Research UK, has raised the alarm over the ‘disturbing’ rise in cancer in young people and linked it to increased consumption of junk food.
Speaking at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, he said a growing body of research suggests that some bowel cancers could be ‘initiated’ by changes in the gut caused by low-fibre, high-sugar diets.
Prostate oncologist and Queen’s University Belfast professor Dr Joe O’Sullivan puts it more simply. ‘The spike in young cancer rates has to be due to something we’re consuming,’ he said.
‘And ultra-processed foods are the biggest lifestyle change in the last 40 years.’
Britain’s foremost commentator on the topic, Dr Chris van Tulleken, whose book Ultra-Processed People was a best-seller last year has ‘no doubt’ that the two are connected.
‘We have more than a dozen good quality studies indicating a link between cancer and ultra-processed foods,’ he told The Mail on Sunday. ‘Governments took action to reduce the number of people who smoke cigarettes based on far less evidence.’ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13776129/How-ultra-processed-foods-linked-cancer-experts-believe-cause-tumours-doctors-blame-modern-diets-unprecedented-spike-cancer-rates.html
25 August 2024
We’re all guilty of indulging in ultra-processed foods such as ice cream, sandwich meats, sausages, crisps, mass-produced bread, cereal, biscuits and fizzy drinks.
According to The British Heart Foundation, ultra-processed foods are bad for you as they often contain high levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar leaving less room in our diets for more nutritious foods. https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/food/1940213/how-quitting-ultra-processed-foods-transformed-my-health
Last Summer, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. also made some comments about ultra-processed foods:
August 24, 2024
RFK Jr. informed journalists at his special press conference in the early afternoon of Friday that America’s health crisis stems from ultra-processed foods pushed by giant food/pharma companies that have corrupted various federal agencies:
Autism rates were about one in 10,000 in my generation – in my kids Generation 1 in 34. I’ll repeat in California 1 and 22. Why are we letting this happen? Why are we allowing this to happen to our children? These are the most precious assets that we have in this country how can we let this happen to them.
About 18% of American teens now have fatty liver disease, that’s like one out of every five – that disease when I was a kid only affected late stage alcoholics who were elderly.
Cancer rates are skyrocketing in the Young and the old young. Adult cancers are up 70-79%. One in four American women is on anti-depressant medication. About 40% of teens have a mental health diagnosis and 15% of high schoolers are on Aderall, and half a million children on SSRIs.
So what’s causing this suffering? I’ll name two culprits first and the worst is ultra-processed food. About 70% of American children’s diet is ultra-processed that means industrial manufacturing – these Foods consist primarily of processed sugar, ultra-processed grains, and seed oils.
Scientists who, for many of them, formerly worked for the cigarette industry, which purchased all the big food companies in the 1970s and 80s, deployed thousands of scientists to figure out chemicals new chemicals to make the food more addictive, and these ingredients didn’t exist a 100 years ago. Humans aren’t biologically adapted to eat them. Hundreds of these chemicals are now banned in Europe but ubiquitous in American processed foods.
The second culprit is toxic chemicals in our food and our medicine and our environment pesticides food additives pharmaceutical drugs and toxic waste permeate every cell of our bodies. The Assault on our children’s cells and hormones is unrelenting – name just one problem many of these chemicals increase estrogen – because young children are ingesting so many of these hormone disruptors, America’s puberty rate is now occurring at age 10 to 13, which is six years earlier than girls were reaching puberty in 1900 our country has the earliest puberty rates of any continent on the Earth and no this isn’t because of better nutrition – this is not normal – breast cancer is also estrogen-driven and it now strikes one in eight women. We are mass poisoning all of our children.
RFK Jr. then touched on the processed food industry lobbyists who have corrupted Washington, resulting in a food supply chain filled with poison that is killing Americans. He said several federal agencies that are supposed to protect consumers have also been corrupted.
He pointed out that the processed food industry has been “destroying small farms, and they’re destroying our soils.” https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/rfk-jr-donald-trump-will-end-war-small-wars-save-nations-food-supply-chain
While some in mainstream act like Kennedy is a bit of a nut, the fact is that, yes, ultraprocessed foods are dangerous.
Last year, NewsMax reported the following:
Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to 32 Illnesses
February 29, 2024
Ultra-processed foods can cause dozens of terrible health problems among people who eat them too often, a new review warns.
Researchers linked diets high in ultra-processed foods to an increased risk of 32 separate illnesses. In particular, these foods are strongly tied to risk with early death, heart disease, cancer, mental health disorders, overweight and obesity, and Type 2 diabetes, researchers said.
For example, ultra-processed foods are associated with a 50% increased risk of heart-related death, a 48% to 53% increased risk of anxiety and common mental disorders, and a 12% risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers said. …
Ultra-processed foods include packaged snacks, sugary drinks, instant noodles, sweet cereals and ready-to-eat meals.
The products undergo multiple industrial processes to make them tasty and shelf-stable, and contain additives like emulsifiers, coloring agents and chemical flavors.
Unfortunately, ultra-processed foods now account for up to 58% of total daily energy intake in some high income-countries, and are proliferating in low- and middle-income countries, researchers said in background notes.
“Notably, over recent decades, the availability and variety of ultra-processed products sold has substantially and rapidly increased” in countries around the world, wrote the research team led by Melissa Lane, …
Alterations in the food made during manufacturing “may affect digestion, nutrient absorption and feelings of satiety,” the researchers wrote.
Emerging evidence in humans also has linked some additives used in the foods — non-sugar sweeteners, emulsifiers, colorants and nitrates or nitrites — with poor health outcomes, researchers said.
Intensive industrial processing of food might also produce harmful substances that contribute to chronic inflammation, and even packaging materials can contain contaminants, they added. … profit motives discourage food makers from switching to nutritious products. https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/ultra-processed-foods-illness/2024/02/29/id/1155395/
Yet, in the USA, various dietitians are pretending that obesity and processed foods are good and healthy (see General Mills funded dieticians who try to claim being obese is healthy and that ultra-processed foods are good).
But they are not healthy.
The Apostle Paul warned:
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, (1 Timothy 6:10)
Greed, not health, drives much of the food processing industry.
In 2023, the BBC reported the following:
3 June 2023
Twenty years ago, no-one had heard of the term ultra-processed foods – or UPF – but about half the things we now eat in the UK are made that way. …
Ultra-processed convenience foods contain chemicals that UK regulators say are safe, but Panorama investigates emerging scientific evidence of a link between some of these chemicals and cancer, diabetes and strokes. …
Common ultra-processed foods:
- Mass-produced bread and sweetened breakfast cereals
- Instant soups, pre-packaged and microwave ready meals
- Fruit-flavoured yogurts
- Reconstituted meat – like ham and sausages
- Ice cream, crisps and biscuits
- Soft drinks and some alcoholic drinks – like whisky, gin, and rum
The first investigations into mortality and consumption of ultra-processed food started in France at the University Sorbonne Paris Nord, as part of the ongoing study into the eating habits of 174,000 people.
“We have 24-hour dietary records during which they tell us all the foods, the beverages and so on, that they are eating,” explains Dr Mathilde Touvier who heads up the study.
The ongoing research has already published results showing UPF may drive an increased burden of cancer. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65754290
In 2022, CNN reported the following:
Cognitive decline linked to ultraprocessed food, study finds
August 1, 2022
Eating wrong can increase the production of advanced protein glycation end-products which tend to accumulate in the brain and can contribute to cognitive deterioration. I was the lead scientist on paper published in a major medical journal dealing with that a while ago (see Can Cognitive Deterioration Associated with Down Syndrome be Reduced? Medical Hypotheses, 2005; 64(3):524-532).
It is not good that the youth in the UK, USA, and elsewhere are consuming so much ultra-processed foods.
That said, remember Eve in the Garden:
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. (Genesis 3:6)
Eve reasoned around God’s restriction. The fruit looked like good and desirable food to her. Ultra-processed foods and many unclean meats that God’s word prohibits look like good and desirable foods to many.
Self-control is something Christians should have (e.g. 2 Peter 1:6).
Highly-processed junk foods may look good, taste good, and seem convenient, but if consumed at all, should be a very small part of anyone’s diet.
Yet most in the West deceive themselves that they are not eating too much of them or that they are fine. Plus there is a lot of advertising that promotes them. That brings to mind another warning from the Apostle Paul:
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, … 13 … evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:1-2,13)
Because the negative effects take time, many are wrongly persuaded by advertisements and availability to eat too much highly processed foods. Many also deceive themselves into falsely believing that they cannot cause serious problems–yet they can.
The following scripture came to mind:
11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)
As far as food processing goes, it really started to become a problem in the 19th century. This is when refined flour came out. Then we saw degerminated corn meal and white rice. Grits, which once were made of ground, whole organic corn, are now made with degerminated GMO corn, ‘fortified’ with synthetic vitamins. After corn was ‘degerminated’ many people in the Southern USA died from a disease called pellagra. Instead of going back to whole corn, chemically-derived synthetic vitamins were added, which I consider to be dangerous.
In the 19th century, after natural brown rice became refined on a large scale, white rice became popular. Many preferred white rice because it could be stored longer than natural brown rice, plus it cooked faster.
In the 19th century, a disease called beriberi began to cause many deaths in parts of Asia. Symptoms of beriberi include weight loss, emotional disturbances, impaired sensory perception, weakness and pain in the limbs, and periods of irregular heart rate.
At first no one connected the consumption of white rice in with beriberi. Leading ‘infectious disease’ experts attempted to figure out what caused this beriberi outbreak, without success. The real cause was the greatly reduced consumption of B-vitamins that was in the portion of the rice that was refined away—but no one realized this at first.
Now, we have even more highly processed items in the food supply–and also genetically-modified substances that there is limited data on the possible long-term health consequences of their consumption.
What should you eat? You should eat real food and for most people, at least two or more servings of fruit and three of more servings of vegetables daily, relatively small amounts of meats, whole grains, and olive oil come to mind. Refined grains, sugars (whether natural or artificial), sodas, and GMOs should be highly limited or not consumed at all
God’s word says:
2 … Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).
People should try to eat real, not artificial, foods. And if you take vitamins and minerals, take the type whose nutrients are 100% food (which is what I personally do).
In 2022, the Continuing Church of God put out the following sermon on its ContinuingCOG channel:
It is nice that some are warning about some of the evils affecting the food supply.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Christian Health Matters Should Christians be concerned about their health? Does the Bible give any food and health guidelines? Here are links to three related sermons: Let’s Talk About Food, Evil is Affecting the Food Supply, and Let’s Talk About Health.
American foods that gross out foreigners A study done in the Fall of 2014 found out which foods that non-USA Americans considered weird or gross that Americans eat. This video discusses those foods, ingredients in some of those foods, and warns against consuming ‘that which is not bread’ (Isaiah 55:2). Dr. Thiel also warns about synthetic vitamins and some of the issues associated with them. He also discusses something promoted by the late Seventh-day Adventist, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg.
The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous? There is also a sermon-length video on this: Christians and Unclean Meats; two short videos are also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food? and COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat.
Obesity, processed foods, health risks, and the Bible Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned? What diseases are associated with eating too much refined foods?
Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy Are there disadvantages to being overweight? Is junk food really bad for you? Does the Bible discuss overeating and/or obesity? Is overeating having an effect on the US military? What are the ramifications of personal and national health for overeating? What should you eat? This is a sermonette-length YouTubevideo.
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here are some related videos: GMO Risks and the Bible and GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras? Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference? and Human-Monkey Embryos and Death.
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
Does God Heal Today? What does the Bible teach? Herbert Armstrong tries to explain this.
UK Study Supports Daniel Diet Daniel and his companions looked better eating more vegetables and avoiding strange meats. Has modern science confirmed this?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
