Reading the labels of processed food, we certainly come across ingredients such as sugar, starch, preservatives, artificial colourings and flavour enhancers, soy, seed oils, and more. In a better case this is how these harmful ingredients are named, but sugar has other names which can be misleading for someone who is not really into nutrition (and this is something that can’t be expected from everybody), for example dextrose or inulin are just different forms of sugar, but maltodextrin is also unlikely to be known by many, however it has a glycemic index more than two times higher that of sugar. Tapioca fibre may even sound like a healthy ingredient, but it raises blood sugar level of a type two diabetic person in the same way as sugar does. Not to mention the ‘natural flavors’ category that can be literally everything. If ‘natural flavors’ is stated on a product, the manufacturers do not have to infold what this exactly means, however, it can even mean yeast.

In addition to the fact that many of these additives are completely unnecessary in a product (I will never understand, for example, why sugar is needed in bacon…), they are nutritionally empty, the worst kinds of carbs and fats (and you know the eternal rule: carb+fats=weight gain!) and they also cause enormous damage to our bodies. They prevent weight loss, as hidden additives play with our blood sugar levels, can cause bloating, trigger allergic reactions, and foods containing soy can cause hormonal issues.

Other deeply disappointing fact is that reflux is already a common problem in infants, as some baby foods are high in additives, including soy, which is so estrogenic that it can cause irreversible reproductive damage from an early age.

On the other side, it is good to know that babies are born in ketosis. This state should be maintained, but the system is broken as the first bite of a sugary product is given to them.

My clients often come to me with the complaint that they can’t lose weight as successfully as it would be expected. Then we dive into their pantry and examine the products they use. It often turns out that many of their favourite products contain hidden ingredients and these cause their plateau. This is true for the products labelled with ‘Keto’ sign. I would warn you to be careful with them. Do not be fooled by the word ‘KETO’ and stay away from them. Most of the time they are not healthy, contain a lot of carbs and won’t contribute to your ketogenic diet.

The good news, however, is that world famous physicists are already examining what molecules are in our food and how they affect our health. An artificial intelligence tool is being developed that will help us decide while shopping in a store which product is healthy and which is an ultra-processed product that is already molecularly transformed, so it is harmful to our health.

Never forget that the most nutrient dense foods are animal proteins that will heal you and losing weight will only be a bonus.