Wait, not wanting to expend a lot of energy and concentration to prepare food and opting for easy to make ultra-processed food is correlated to depression? Gee, I wonder which way the causation goes. (Don't want to used energy to make meal-> Depressed) or (Depressed -> Don't want to use energy to make meal)
It's also kind of a viscous cycle because making those ultra processed products healthier is more expensive which companies don't want/people can't afford so they're convenient but bad for you, which doesn't help your well-being or energy levels.
I would also think it has something to do with ones financial standing. If you don't have a lot of money a lot of the time ultra processed is all you can afford and high financial stress can also be a driver of depression or other mental health issues
Participants who consumed high amounts of ultra-processed foods tended to have unhealthy habits and problems away from the dinner table.
Notably, they had greater BMI (body size), higher smoking rates, and increased prevalence of comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia (an imbalance of fats, such as cholesterol) and were less likely to exercise regularly.
Makes sense. The foods are mass produced, calories dense, and cheap. This study ties in with other studies that discuss how obesity is linked to lower income households because of cheap and unhealthy calories. Add on top the stress of their finances, unstable life, and lack of joy in their life, most would turn to food for a small glimmer of it; it's comforting.
Yes but it's all intertwined. The additives cause behaviors that create people wanting to eat more additives. It's an endless trap of processed foods and depression.