Healthy diet = healthy brains??

A new study found that obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal weight individuals, and those who are classified as overweight have 4 percent less brain tissue.

Researchers called this "severe brain degeneration" and they found these brains were not only smaller, but that they had aged prematurely as well. The brains of the obese and overweight looked 16 and 8 years respectively beyond the brain age of normal weight individuals.

Bad diet and an increasing reliance on processed foods were cited as the primary cause of obesity. But, have you ever thought about why a bad diet is a bad diet? Largely, it's due to all of the man-made chemicals in it.

What is generally considered a healthy diet is comprised of lots of fresh fruits, veggies, hormone free meats, nuts, and whole grains, and it contains far fewer chemicals. Ideally, it contains none.

In truth, processed foods almost always contain man-made chemicals because they'd have an extremely limited shelf life without them. But chemicals in processed foods don't stop with just preservatives; they include chemicals for flavor and color, and even unlisted chemicals that fall under the artificial flavors label. Most processed foods also contain genetically altered materials these days, which just adds to the problem.

The act of processing, even if it starts with a natural food (which it doesn't always), alters the natural structure of the food and changes it from nature's design with which we're biologically compatible. This too causes problems. The natural enzymes in the food are destroyed and processed food is practically devoid of any enzymes. Enzymes are the sparks that start the essential chemical reactions our bodies need to live. They are necessary for digesting food, for stimulating the brain, for providing cellular energy, and for repairing all tissues, organs, and cells.

When you look at it this way, it makes you wonder...

Is the actual fat on obese bodies causing the brains to shrink? Or is it more likely caused by the lack of enzymes and all the chemicals in the food that these folks are consuming in abundance?