📰 The Natural Living Newsletter October 2025

Stay informed. Stay grounded. Stay real.

 

Hi,
I’m Dr. Andres Digenio. During the month of September, we focused on clarity—what “ultra-processed” really means (via NOVA), how to spot it in seconds, and what happens when policy starts to catch up. Below you’ll find concise summaries, why each piece matters, and what to do next.

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📢 California Just Drew a Bright Line on Ultra-Processed Foods in Schools
 

California’s AB 1264 gives cafeterias a workable definition of ultra-processed foods so buyers know what to keep and what to phase out. Instead of vague “healthy” claims, it points to clear label signals—additive stacks (flavors, colors, emulsifiers, intense sweeteners) plus high sugar/salt/saturated fat—and sets a timeline for steady swaps rather than an overnight overhaul.
In practice, this means menus move toward plain yogurt, fruit and vegetables, beans, and simple grains, and away from dyed or flavored drinks, dessert-style breakfasts, snack cakes, and sauces thickened and sweetened to imitate homemade. Vendors will identify which products don’t meet the standard; districts will use those flags to update purchasing on schedule.
If your child is in school, share this article with the school and ask when they’ll start swapping in non-UPF options.
 

Read: https://medium.com/p/000d3013199a

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🧪 NOVA 101: The Four Groups — Built From the Source (Monteiro et al.)
 

This is your one-stop reference for NOVA—what each group means (G1 to G4), how to spot them on a label, and where they show up in the store. It keeps things simple with side-by-side examples (like a 4-ingredient bakery loaf vs. a conditioner-heavy factory bread) and quick calls for common aisles (yogurt, cereals, canned foods, plant-based meats, frozen entrées).
You’ll also get a 10-second label scan and six quick plays to make G1–G3 your default without perfectionism. Save it for fast checks while you shop.
 

Read: https://medium.com/p/87c3de1dd9df

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🧭 What “Ultra-Processed” Really Means — and Why It’s a Useful Lens
 

This explainer shows, in plain language, how “processed” differs from “ultra-processed”—and why the difference is about formulation, not packaging or calories. It walks through a simple shopping example (canned tomatoes vs. a snack cake) to show that UPFs are built from refined bases plus additive stacks and reworked textures, then gives a quick two-of-three label check and a few easy habits (steadier breakfasts, a snack script, “cook once, eat twice”).
 

Read: https://medium.com/p/9cbf75c35154

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🌍 It’s Not You. It’s the Food Environment.
 

This piece explains why overeating isn’t a willpower problem. When shelves are packed with ultra-processed, hyper-palatable foods, people naturally eat more—faster—and feel full later. Trials show this happens even when calories and nutrients look the same on paper.
It also shifts the focus from “find the perfect diet” to fix the environment: clearer labels, better school and public-program purchasing, and less junk-food marketing to kids. While policy moves, you can nudge your own setting—keep real food visible (fruit, yogurt, nuts), build chew into meals (veg, beans, intact grains), and swap heat-and-eat entrées for simple, quick assemblies.
 

Read: https://medium.com/p/4bc96b646c2b

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⚖️ Avoiding Ultra-Processed Foods Might Double Weight Loss—Even When “Healthy” UPFs Meet Guidelines
 

A new randomized trial found that people lost about twice as much weight eating mostly minimally processed foods compared with a diet of ultra-processed foods—even though both plans met healthy-diet guidelines. On the real-food plan, participants ate less without trying and had fewer cravings. This points to something simple: how a food is built (textures, additives, speed of eating) matters beyond the nutrients on the label.
What to do with it: start with easy swaps the study mirrored—overnight oats instead of bars, plain yogurt + fruit instead of sweet cups, sheet-pan protein + veg instead of heat-and-eat entrées.
 

Read: https://medium.com/p/0b3da6a8704a

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🧰 Reader keepers: 6 quick plays readers loved this month

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1. Breakfast anchor: eggs; oats; or plain/Greek yogurt + fruit/nuts.

2. One simple swap per aisle: bread, yogurt, cereal, snacks—trade the UPF for the simplest G1–G3 you’ll actually eat.

3. Front-load fiber & protein: start meals with veg + beans/eggs/fish/chicken; you’ll eat slower and feel fuller.

4. Bundle snacks: eye level = fruit, nuts, water; UPF treats high shelf/back bin.

5. Cook once, eat twice: batch a grain + a protein on Sunday; remix into 10-minute bowls, wraps, or salads.

6. Package ≠ UPF: the ingredient list decides—cosmetic additives or kitchen-unfamiliar substances → UPF.

 

If these stories helped you, please forward this newsletter to a friend or colleague who label-reads—or wants to start.
 

To real food,
 

Dr. Andres Digenio
Physician • Author of The Natural Diet (August 2026)