I recently returned from a short caregiving trip in Finland and was catching up on my weekly research digest on the plane. This particular research article caught my eye because of what I had just experienced the cafeteria of my father‘s senior facility.
https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(25)00549-2/abstract?utm_source=klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%28Email%20-%20Chris%20Kresser%20General%20News%29%20Chris%27s%20Friday%20Favorites&utm_term=recent%20study&utm_content=recent%20study&_kx=ZpXBDTeEF9QJhwDqQXXrImrT_HpFsBz1ZlYMbsx_Vq0.my75y6
In the US, as in some other developed nations, which are unfortunately catching up with US standards in terms of the over abundance of ultra processed foods in that daily plate, ultra processed foods are starting to make up a whopping 70% of our total food consumption. While most people understand on some level that processed food is bad for them, we have a long way to educate people to make them understand what in their grocery basket is a real food versus a highly processed food. And understanding doesn’t necessarily translate into better consistent food choices either.
Moving away from ultra processed foods back to whole foods shouldn’t feel like this insurmountable task. But it takes a lot of communal goodwill, and a lot of structural changes in how a country supports food growing, distribution and pricing. Which would be an entirely different complex and lengthy discussion that is not appropriate for this blog entry.
Back to my trip to the senior care cafeteria. I was having lunch with my family and was so delighted to realize that most of the food offerings were so simple and essentially healthy even in the context of mass production (after 20 years of visiting my father in Helsinki I can assure you this is the norm and not the exception). So much so that I decided to immortalize it with my phone. The soup is a simple chicken and carrot soup in a creamy broth, made from scratch, the main course is ground beef and cabbage, the sides are lingonberry sauce, roasted zucchinis and roasted root vegetables, plain mixed vegetable salad with a dash of sauce and some pickled fish. Totaling close to 90% of unprocessed foods. Pretty tasty too, especially if you are used to eating these sorts of whole foods dishes. The bottom line is that it’s possible, but it’s going to take some personal and collective dedication to reverse the trend and make this cafeteria tray the norm and not the exception.
