Many people have a fondness for junk food — and studies indicate that taste is the primary driver.  But some of us choose to either not indulge in those high-fat, high-calorie, high-sodium, high-sugar and deep-fried treats — or to indulge only on occasion — out of fear of possible medical conditions and weight gain.  Are you one of those individuals???  If so, this article presents information about a book that uncovers well-established, long-standing scientific data that indicates that it is possible to maintain a healthy body weight and cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of chronic diseases with greater food freedom — courtesy of fiber, antioxidants and other essential nutrients.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Cholesterol Management

Weight Management

Deep-Fried Fatty Foods and Oxidized Lipids

Processed Meats and Nitrosamines

Sodium and High Blood Pressure

Red Meat and Homocysteine

High-Fat Foods and Estrogen

Final Thoughts

Original Sources

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Introduction

Research published in scientific journals and on other health and medical platforms has shown over time that a sufficient daily recommended intake (100+ percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance) of fiber, antioxidants and other essential nutrients from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other health foods — and to a much lesser extent from dietary supplements — can mitigate the health risks associated with junk food by counteracting the physiological effects of saturated fat, calories and other potentially harmful components and effects of junk food.  What this means is that healthy individuals with no history of chronic, debilitating diseases and/or binge-eating disorders can now manage (maintain) their healthy body weight and cholesterol levels — or improve low borderline cholesterol, and reduce their risk of chronic, debilitating diseases with less restriction and greater dietary flexibility — including the freedom to make budget-friendly, longer-lasting shelf- and freezer-stable ultra-processed foods a part of their diets.  That specific relatively recent discovery was made not only by the USDA, but also by independent research teams and global organizations that have published studies mirroring the USDA’s findings — such as the American Society for Nutrition and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (EatRightPro).

With the exception of the research on ultra-processed foods, these groundbreaking discoveries are well-established and long-standing — going as far back as the late 1980s and 1990s — and were made at various research centers and institutions across America and abroad over the decades.  Health writer DéShond Barnes has compiled these discoveries in his book Counteract the Junk: How Research Shows That Fiber Can Counteract the Physiological Effects of Saturated Fat, Calories & Other Junk Food Components — A Flexible Anti-Diet Approach to Staying Healthy.  Here is just a handful of those discoveries explained:

Cholesterol Management 

High-fat junk foods such as cake, ice cream, doughnuts, cookies and pies produce cholesterol-related acids that can clog arteries and raise cholesterol levels over time — opening the door to heart disease.  Scientists have identified a special type of soluble fiber found in foods such as whole grain oats known as beta glucans (or B-glucan) that can counteract that effect.  According to scientists, beta glucans can remarkably reduce the absorption of dietary fats and manage cholesterol by itself, even when added to a diet that includes some high-fat foods.  Scientists have reported that beta glucans nab cholesterol-related acids produced by saturated and other dietary fats — ushering them out of our bodies before they can ravage our heart and arteries and thus lowering our risk of heart disease.

Weight Management

The excess calories in high-fat foods are absorbed by our bodies and stored as fat, and can cause us to gain weight over time — opening the door to obesity.  Both fiber and antioxidants can counteract that effect.  Scientists have reported that fiber helps manage weight by reducing the amount of calories our bodies absorb.  It does that by nabbing calories — speeding them through our digestive system before they can be absorbed and stored as fat.  Scientists have also reported that antioxidants help manage weight by providing our bodies with the energy needed to burn fat more efficiently.  These actions reduce the likelihood that we will gain weight and thus lower our risk of obesity.

Deep-Fried Fatty Foods and Oxidized Lipids

Deep-fried fatty foods such as fried chicken, French fries and polish sausage can form oxidized lipids that can damage cells and the lining of the blood vessels over time — opening the doors to heart disease, cancer and accelerated aging.  Antioxidants can counteract that effect.  Scientists have reported that dietary antioxidants such as vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) fight heart disease, cancer and aging by inhibiting the formation of oxidized lipids — thus inhibiting damage to cells and to the lining of the blood vessels and thus lowering our risk of heart disease, cancer and accelerated aging.

Processed Meats and Nitrosamines

Hot dogs, bacon, sausages and other tasty processed meats contain nitrites.  Over time, nitrites can open the door to pancreatic cancer by breaking down and combining with amines to form cancer-causing compounds known as nitrosamines.  Vitamins C, E and selenium can counteract that effect.  Scientists have reported that vitamins C, E and selenium fight pancreatic cancer by neutralizing nitrites and inhibiting the formation of nitrosamines over time — thus helping to immobilize the cancer-causing process.

Sodium and High Blood Pressure

Many of our favorite junk foods are high in sodium.  Excess sodium can open the door to high blood pressure by causing our bodies to retain water, which increases the volume of blood.  Both potassium and calcium can counteract that effect.  Scientists have reported that potassium fights high blood pressure by flushing excess sodium out of our bodies.  Scientists have also reported that calcium fights high blood pressure by acting as a natural diuretic to help kidneys release excess sodium and water.  These actions help to maintain healthy sodium and water levels — thus reducing our risk of high blood pressure.

Red Meat and Homocysteine

Some of our favorite animal protein foods such as steaks, bacon, burgers and ribs can open the door to heart disease and stroke by increasing our body’s production of a potentially dangerous amino acid known as homocysteine.  Homocysteine is not a component of red meat.  Instead, it occurs naturally in the body, and is a by-product of protein metabolism.  At normal levels, it is safe — but excessive amounts of homocysteine in the bloodstream open the door to heart disease and stroke by injuring blood vessels, which leads to the buildup of plaque (scar tissue) and narrowing of the carotid arteries.  The B vitamins folic acid (folate), vitamin B₆ and vitamin B₁₂ can counteract that effect.  Scientists have reported that folic acid, vitamin B₆ and vitamin B₁₂ fight heart disease and stroke by breaking down excess homocysteine into harmless compounds — thus inhibiting injury to blood vessels and narrowing of the carotid arteries.

High-Fat Foods and Estrogen

High-fat foods can open the door to breast and other hormone-related cancers by encouraging the growth of certain intestinal bacteria that have the ability to convert bile acids into estrogen-like hormones — which in large amounts can trigger the growth of tumors in the breasts and ovaries.  The growth of certain intestinal bacteria encouraged by high-fat foods also causes our bodies to reabsorb circulating estrogen — rather than excrete it.  As a result, blood levels of estrogen become elevated.  Elevated levels of estrogen can trigger the growth of tumors in the breasts and ovaries.  A class of compounds identified by scientists as isoflavones found in soybeans, kidney beans and lentils has the ability to counteract that effect.  Scientists have reported that isoflavones fight breast and other hormone-related cancers by helping to promote proper levels of estrogen.  Scientists say that isoflavones are structurally similar to natural estrogen.  They help to promote proper levels of estrogen by pretending to be natural estrogen and nabbing our bodies’ estrogen receptors, leaving the real estrogen with nowhere else to go but out of our bodies — thus helping to immobilize the cancer-causing process.

Final Thoughts

Severe dietary restriction may be appropriate for those of us who are currently managing a specific medical condition or eating disorder, or for those of us who have a specific medical condition or eating disorder in our history, but why should the rest of us deprive ourselves of our favorite pleasure foods — when the scientific evidence clearly indicates that we don’t have to???  Research has clearly shown that insufficient levels of fiber, antioxidants and other essential nutrients in many of our diets have a much greater impact on the mobilization of disease-causing processes than the mere presence of junk and ultra-processed foods in our diets.

Many of us believe that supplements can replace a diet high in fiber, antioxidants and other essential nutrients.  That would significantly simplify the process of getting enough fiber, antioxidants and other essential nutrients in our diets — if that were actually true; simply take a multi-vitamin at the beginning of our day — and indulge ourselves in pleasure foods for the remainder of the day.  Unfortunately, it isn’t quite that simple.  While multi-vitamins provide key antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, they unfortunately do not provide the thousands upon thousands of microscopic phytochemicals whose job it is to work alongside the key antioxidants to enhance their effectiveness in counteracting the effects of our favorite pleasure foods.  Phytochemicals can only be obtained naturally from food.  Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other health foods provide both the key antioxidants and phytochemicals — in the correct ratios, the way that nature intended.  Research shows that supplements are most beneficial when taken as a remedy for specific nutritional deficiencies, such as a vitamin D3 deficiency (a very common nutritional deficiency), but taking multi-vitamins in an attempt to compensate for an overall nutritionally insufficient diet is not only a complete waste of your hard-earned dollars, but it can also be harmful to your health.

The information that has been presented in this book article is merely a sampling of the cutting-edge discoveries, but many, many more can be discovered by reading Counteract the Junk.

Original Sources:

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