According to Professor Jaap Seidell of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, highly processed foods are the main cause of lifestyle-related diseases.
Seidell makes an urgent appeal to the government and the scientific community: “Stop treating symptoms and join forces to address the underlying causes of unhealthy eating behavior.”
Research, Seidell says, shows that 60% of calorie intake comes from snacks, sugary drinks, and fast food. “Increased prosperity has led to a huge supply of tasty, convenient, cheap, and long-shelf-life products,” he explains. He believes these factors are the main drivers behind the rise in lifestyle diseases.
Seidell argues that industry-made ‘healthier’ products with reduced salt and sugar are relatively expensive and therefore not the solution. He believes healthy eating should be cheap and easy. The focus, he says, is in the wrong place: science is too focused on treating lifestyle diseases rather than preventing them.
In his view, the government is doing too little to limit the availability of highly processed, unhealthy foods.