I’m fascinated with food and food policy. One of the recurring themes in America’s declining health is the role Western patterns of eating play into the phenomenon. Central to our poor food choices is the prevalence of cheap and convenient processed food.

Intuitively we know unprocessed food choices are healthier, but in the modern world—convenience and low cost often are favored over health. Processed and ultra-processed food are implicated in the rise of chronic disease in the west including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and many others.

Interesting studies have made it into the literature recently that drives the processed food issue home. A publication in the journal Cell Metabolism, showed that those that ate a processed food diet (when macronutrients, fiber, etc. were matched) took in about 500 extra calories a day when compared to those that ate whole, unprocessed food.

Another recent paper in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that each 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake resulted in a 14% higher mortality rate. The study suggested the usual culprits in the diet, such as added sugar, unhealthy fats, and sodium. They also cite additives (such as emulsifiers) playing a role as may chemicals created during processing ( acrylamide) or those that migrate into food from packaging ( bisphenol A ).

For 99% of people, improving their health or managing their chronic disease begins with diet. Two great cookbooks for quick, whole food cooking are Mark Bittman’s two books: Kitchen Express and How to Cook Everything Fast.