5 ways processed foods hijack your health

Processed foods are more than just empty calories, they actively disrupt your body in ways that compromise long-term health. From gut health to hormone balance, these foods hijack critical systems, leaving lasting damage that goes far beyond a quick sugar rush or salty snack.

Here are five reasons its time to rethink processed foods on your plate:

1. They disrupt your gut bacteria

Your gut microbiome is a thriving ecosystem of trillions of bacteria that regulate digestion, immunity, mood, and even metabolic health.

Processed foods disrupt this balance through emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives. Emulsifiers like polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose, commonly found in dressings and ice creams, damage the mucus barrier of your gut lining, leading to leaky gut syndrome.

This condition allows harmful substances to pass into your bloodstream, triggering systemic inflammation.

Artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame reduce microbial diversity, favouring harmful bacteria that increase glucose intolerance and inflammation.

Preservatives like sodium benzoate and nitrites further disrupt bacterial diversity, weakening your gut’s ability to combat pathogens and absorb nutrients.

2. They trigger chronic inflammation

Inflammation is a natural immune response, but chronic inflammation, caused by frequent consumption of processed foods, becomes a silent driver of disease. 

Processed oils rich in omega-6 fatty acids (like soybean and sunflower oil) dominate packaged snacks, dressings, and fried foods, throwing your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio out of balance.

This imbalance fuels inflammation at the cellular level. Refined sugars in processed foods spike blood glucose, leading to insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes, and inflammatory stress.

Additionally, additives like carrageenan, often used to stabilise foods, are known to activate inflammatory pathways in the gut. Chronic inflammation has been linked to heart disease, arthritis, depression, and even Alzheimer’s disease, making it a major hidden cost of processed food consumption.

3. They overburden your liver

Your liver is your body’s primary detox organ, filtering out toxins and metabolising nutrients. But processed foods place an enormous burden on this vital organ, often tipping it into dysfunction.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), found in sodas, candies, and sauces, bypasses regular glucose metabolism and is processed directly by the liver. This overconsumption of fructose leads to fat accumulation, insulin resistance, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The prevalence of NAFLD has risen sharply with the increased use of HFCS in diets worldwide.

Additionally, artificial preservatives and food dyes require detoxification, straining the liver’s capacity over time. When the liver becomes overburdened, its ability to metabolise hormones, regulate blood sugar, and eliminate toxins is compromised, leading to systemic health issues.

4. They disrupt your hormones

Hormonal health is intricately tied to the foods we eat, and processed foods are notorious for introducing endocrine disruptors into the body.

These disruptors, like BPA and phthalates, leach from packaging into processed foods and mimic natural hormones, particularly estrogen. This interference can lead to reproductive issues, thyroid dysfunction, and increased risk of hormone-sensitive cancers.

Beyond packaging, processed vegetable oils such as canola and soybean oil suppress thyroid function, slowing metabolism and reducing energy production.

Refined sugars and artificial sweeteners destabilise insulin levels, leading to spikes and crashes that wreak havoc on energy and weight management. Studies from The Endocrine Society reveal how these disruptors contribute to conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS and infertility).

5. They hijack your brain’s reward system

Processed foods are engineered to manipulate your brain’s reward system, making you crave more while providing little to no actual nourishment.

This is achieved through a combination of sugar, fat, and salt that activates the brain’s dopamine pathways, the same pathways involved in addiction. This “bliss point,” as food scientists call it, creates an artificial high that leaves you constantly seeking more.

Flavour enhancers like MSG amplify this effect, overstimulating taste buds while offering no nutritional value. Refined carbs in processed snacks are digested rapidly, spiking blood sugar levels only to crash them later, leaving you hungry and fatigued. This cycle of overeating rewires the brain, promoting compulsive eating behaviours and metabolic disorders.

The good news? You don’t need to rely on processed junk to fuel your body. The path back to vitality is simpler, and tastier, than you think. Sink your teeth into real, ancestral fuel: grass-fed meats, creamy raw dairy, pasture raised eggs, and rich, buttery organ meats. These are the foods that nourished our ancestors, packed with the bioavailable nutrients your body craves to thrive.

Imagine a pot of slow-simmered, gelatine packed bone broth bubbling away on your stovetop, its collagen-rich goodness healing your gut and fortifying your joints. Or liver seared to golden perfection, savoury, nutrient-dense, and brimming with Vitamin A to support your immune system and energy levels. Marrow bones roasted until their buttery insides melt in your mouth, a primal reminder of the nourishing power of animal fats. Meanwhile, fermented treasures like kefir and raw cheese rebuild your gut microbiome.

This is food that works with your body, not against it.