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Japan Created Easy-To-Swallow Foods to Prevent Senior Choking Deaths

With an ever-growing aging population that is prone to dying from choking accidents, Japanese food industry scientists have created mashed, molded foods designed to be easy to swallow. As reported by NPR, the reshaped foods include “anything you can imagine,” including grilled salmon with grill marks on it. NPR noted that these foods will be Japan’s future, even though currently they’re only available in hospitals and nursing homes.

While I’m all for making life easier for aging persons, this “solution” to choking problems seems strongly suspicious of just another way to make processed foods the norm right to the end of life. Since “real” foods are used to make these processed products, it means all they’re doing is mashing up foods for you — and, most likely adding artificial flavorings and sugars to make them “palatable.”

In the U.S., thousands of additives are added to foods, but artificial sweeteners and flavors along with trans fats are some of the worst you’ll find. Artificial sweeteners raise your risk of diabetes, among many other health problems. Trans fats and vegetable oils including soybean oils interfere with basic cell membrane function, which can pave the way for cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. And just one artificial flavoring can originate from as many as 50 different chemicals.

This means that when you choose processed foods, you basically are eating a chemical, sugar-laden soup. The best way to avoid toxic chemical additives is to consume only fresh whole foods — and if you or someone you know has trouble swallowing, mash these foods yourself.

Replace refined carbs with healthy fats and moderate amounts of protein, including as much high quality healthy fat as you want. Your body needs saturated and monounsaturated fats to stay healthy, in appropriate quantities, as they provide many beneficial effects, contrary to what you have probably been told.