Worse Than We Thought
I receive emails from time to time from a website called NaturalHealth365. Jonathan Landsman is the main brain behind it. The emails and website articles often tell about studies that uncover practical, natural ways to protect and improve one’s health.
An article called “Scientists Prove No Safe Amount of Processed Foods Exists” appeared on July 10, 2025. Referencing a study published in Nature Medicine, the article says, “After analyzing data from millions of people worldwide, researchers have discovered that even tiny amounts of processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, and trans fats create measurable increases in your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
“The findings are so alarming that they challenge everything we’ve been told about ‘balanced’ diets and moderation. There is no safe threshold—any consumption of these foods begins damaging your body immediately.”
The researchers were from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. They analyzed dose-response relationships between ultra-processed foods (the ones that are primarily chemicals) and chronic diseases. For example 0.6 grams daily of processed meat (less than a single bite) increases diabetes risk by 11 percent. As little as 1.5 grams daily of sugar-sweetened beverages (half a teaspoon) raises diabetes risk by 8%. And consuming 0.25 percent of daily calories from trans fats increases heart disease risk by 3 percent.
Even though the amounts of processed “foods” are tiny, “your body treats them as toxic substances that immediately begin wreaking havoc on your metabolism and cardiovascular system. Your body has a low tolerance for these toxic chemical compounds”!
Plus, the continuous damage effect never stops, no matter what the level of consumption is! “There’s no plateau where the damage stops—the more a person consumes, the more his or her disease risk escalates.
“The steepest damage occurs at the lowest intake levels, meaning that the first bite of processed food delivers the biggest hit to your health. This explains why people who think they’re being ‘good’ by limiting processed foods to weekends or special occasions are still experiencing significant health damage.”
What to do?
Complete elimination is the only way to stop the damage!
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is systematically destroying the society’s health, one bite at a time. The point here is that such things are not really “food.” They are chemical products designed for taste, shelf stability, and profit, not human health.
Start with the easiest thing: Replace sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages with filtered water, herbal teas, or naturally flavored sparkling water. This alone will stabilize your metabolism and raise your energy levels.
Next, choose real food for real health. Choose organic whole foods and fresh, locally grown vegetables. Non-vegetarians look for wild-caught fish and grass-fed meats.
And then, consume only healthful fats (you will want to read the labels). Organic, unrefined, cold pressed coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and avocado oil are good fats that can help to repair the damage caused by years of consuming trans fats, which are especially found on restaurant and fast food menus.
The body can usually heal quite quickly when you give it the right tools (the foods and water that the Creator provided) and stop swallowing toxic substances.
