Food like chips, store-bought sauces, sweets, instant noodles and ready-made meals are highly processed and tend to contain a lot of sugar, added fats and salt.
Almost all processed foods contain chemicals, dyes, additives, artificial flavors, preservatives and such – these can affect the behavior and the cognitive functioning due to the chemical that causes hyperactivity, both in children and in adults.
Fried or processed foods slowly destroy the nerve cells located in the brain.
However, some oils are more dangerous than others – sunflower oil is considered to be among the most toxic ones.
Highly processed foods are often high in calories and low in beneficial nutrients.
They cause weight gain, and can also have a negative effect on your brain health.
A study of 243 people who at large amounts of highly processed foods found visceral fat (increased fat around the organs).
Visceral fat is associated with brain tissue damage.
The nutrient composition of processed foods in the Western diet can also negatively affect the brain and contribute to the development of degenerative diseases.
Another study involving 52 people found that a diet high in unhealthy ingredients resulted in reduced sugar metabolism in the brain and a decrease in brain tissue.
In a study involving 18,080 people, it was found that a diet high in fried foods and processed meats is associated with lower scores in learning and memory.
Similar results were found in another large-scale study in 5,038 people, conducted over a 10-year duration. A diet high in red meat, processed meat, baked beans and fried food was associated with inflammation and a faster decline in reasoning over that 10 year period.
In an 8-month study, rats were fed a high-fat, high-sugar diet. These rats showed impaired learning ability and negative changes to brain plasticity.
You can avoid processed foods by eating mostly foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, fresh meat and fresh fish.
One of the best things you can do for your brain is to follow a diet rich in healthy, fresh whole foods.