Does eating processed food cause weight gain? Yes, but how?
It appears that processed food is not only more calorie dense, but that humans also eat processed food faster, eating about 17 more calories of processed food per minute compared to unprocessed food. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but over 10 minutes that’s 170 extra calories which can add up over time.
Why do we eat processed food faster? Processed food requires less chewing and also provides more dopamine per bite, which may encourage us to eat quicker.
In addition, processed food has less protein than unprocessed food. Protein is satiating, another reason why processed food may lead to weight gain.
A few more reasons to replace processed food with unprocessed as often as possible!
Have a healthy day!