You already know processed food isn’t great for your body.

But what if I told you that it’s been linked to quietly shrinking your brain?

And that “zero sugar” drink millions think is healthy…

Can triple your risk of dementia?

Oh, and the best way to avoid them?

Is to treat yourself like a dog.

The Food That Ages Your Brain 25% Faster

 

They’re called Ultra-Processed Foods, or UPFs.

Every time you hear Ultra-Processed Foods just think edible garbage…

That’s why they’re called junk food in the first place.

Think packaged snacks, frozen dinners, canned soups, hotdogs, instant noodles…

Anything made to last forever on a shelf.

There’s a massive study that followed over 70,000 people.

They found that for every serving of ultra-processed food you add to your diet…

Your risk of dementia increases by about 25%.

Every serving. It adds up!

So if you’re eating frozen dinners, packaged snacks, or instant noodles every day…

Your brain might be aging faster than you think.

Even a 43-year Harvard study found that eating just two servings of bacon or sausage per week increased dementia risk by 14%.

Again, two servings a week!

That’s a routine breakfast for most people!

And it’s not just dementia.

These same foods raise the odds of stroke, inflammation, heart issues, brain rot, and more.

And the problem with these UPFs is that we already know they’re bad.

Everyone is saying that!

Yet people still keep eating them, not only because they’re accessible…

But because it’s engineered to hit your brain’s reward system like a slot machine.

The Drink that Triples Your Dementia Risk

 

The drink I’m talking about… is diet soda.

It’s weird because most people think it’s the healthier choice.

But the Framingham Heart Study followed more than 4,000 adults for about 10 years…

And found that people who drank one or more diet sodas a day…

Had about three times higher risk of stroke and dementia compared to those who didn’t.

The surprising part is their brain scans.

People who drank diet sodas had smaller brains… meaning less total brain volume or their brains shrank!

Especially in the hippocampus, the memory center.

Their brains even looked years older.

Now, some people hear all of this and ask…

“So should I just go back to regular soda?”

Not quite.

Because there’s a study that showed that sugary drinks were linked to more inflammation and insulin resistance…

Both known to speed up brain aging.

And too much sugar creates other problems throughout the body anyway.

So even if it says zero sugar on the label…

Your brain can still pay the price.

What’s sweet to your tongue might be toxic to your neurons.

Why Willpower Doesn’t Work

 

Here’s where most people get stuck.

They try to quit junk food by “being stronger.”

That only works when your brain has enough energy… like when you’re calm, rested, and clear.

But when you’re tired or stressed, your brain goes on autopilot.

It doesn’t think. It just reaches for the habit that brings comfort or dopamine fastest.

That’s not weakness. That’s survival wiring.

So instead of fighting your instincts, you have to train them.

 

 

Treat Yourself Like a Dog

 

Because if you’ve ever trained a dog, you already understand behavioral science.

Structure beats motivation every time.

Here’s how I’ll do it.

Step 1: Remove the temptation.

You wouldn’t leave chocolate where your dog can reach it.

Don’t leave junk food where you can reach it either.

Clean the pantry. Empty the fridge. Out of reach, out of mind.

Step 2: Redesign your space.

Make your home a “no-junk zone.”

Put healthy food where you can see it.

Hide the processed stuff high up or far back.

If your dog sees food on the floor, it’s gone in seconds.

Humans aren’t that different.

Step 3: Add friction.

Make the bad habit annoying.

If you crave chips or soda, make yourself walk to the store.

That pause gives your rational brain time to catch up.

 

Step 4: Reward the right choice.

Every time you pick real food or water, give yourself something positive.

A walk, sunlight, your favorite song…

Pleasure rewires the brain faster than guilt.

Step 5: Repeat.

Dogs learn through repetition.

So do we.

Each time you repeat the right behavior, you’re training your brain:

“This is who I am now.”

 

 

Rewire Your Brain

 

You can’t out-willpower a craving that was engineered in a lab.

But you can out-train it.

So it’s okay. Your brain is just responding to what it was taught to want.

And the good news is… it can be rewired.

As long as you start. No matter how small.

Because every small change sends a message to your brain…

“We’re not victims of cravings anymore.

We’re in charge again!”

It’s not about perfection. It’s about momentum.

And momentum is what rewires the brain.

Start small and keep moving toward the version of you that thinks clearly, feels deeply, and wakes up energized.

You’ll thank yourself years from now that you did.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Supporting Evidence:

1. Framingham Study on Diet Soda and Dementia (AHA Stroke Journal)

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/strokeaha.116.016027

2. Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Brain Aging (Nutrients Journal)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33569566/

3. Ultra-Processed Foods and Dementia Risk (Neurology Journal, PubMed)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36219796/

4. Processed Red Meat Raises Dementia Risk (AAIC 2024 Release)

https://aaic.alz.org/releases-2024/processed-red-meat-raises-risk-of-dementia.asp