By Mary O’KEEFE

A recent study in the UK found that eating ultra-processed foods may increase the risk of cancer. Breakfast cereals, mass-produced bread, ready meals, ice cream and ham were among the foods in the study.

The study was funded by Cancer Research UK and the World Cancer Research Fund and researchers were from Imperial College London.

Of course there is more research required but the study gathered extensive data from about 200,000 people in the UK.

When I was a kid in the Midwest I felt my parents and grandma were being unfair because they rarely let us eat store bought cookies and we often had homemade bread rather than Wonder bread. Our canned food was usually my great grandmother’s preserves.

When TV dinners were the big thing, Dad went out and bought TV trays so we could eat dinner and watch television. It was so exciting; we all got to pick out our own individual dinner. My grandma, Bobby, read the instructions and baked them up. Dad took a bite, said, “nope” and took all our meals away. My grandma went in the kitchen, Mom folded up the trays and we all went back to having our meals prepared fresh and ate at the table as a family. Although as a child I was not happy to keep those traditions, I am now very grateful that my grandma lived with us and was a great cook.

When I became a parent I continued habits learned in my upbringing and, although my kids were not always happy with my helicopter mom food traditions, they are … or at least will be … grateful for my culinary obsession.

Unfortunately, due to the very busy lives we live processed foods are just a necessity and, although it may be difficult to do, I think this new research is a warning that we do have to pay attention to what we eat and what that food is made from.

But processed and ultra-processed food may not only be harmful to our bodies, it is also harmful to the Earth.

“An increasingly prominent ‘global diet,’ characterized by an abundance of branded ultra-processed food products made and distributed on an industrial scale, comes at the expense of the cultivation, manufacture and consumption of traditional foods, cuisines and diets, comprising mostly fresh and minimally processed foods,” according to the National Library of Medicine.

Agrobiodiversity is “the variety and variability of animals, plants and microorganisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture,” and is crucial for resilient and sustainable food systems.

“The contribution of ultra-processed foods to agrobiodiversity loss is significant, but so far has been overlooked in global food systems summits, biodiversity conventions and climate change conferences,” according to the National Library of Medicine.

So once again we can see how the health of our own bodies is linked to the health of our Earth which, of course, brings me to “Soylent Green.”

The 1973 film “Soylent Green,” was loosely based on the Harry Harrison novel “Make Room! Make Room!” The film looks to the future – 2022 – and what overpopulation and climate change has done to the Earth. Temperatures have risen to nearly unbearable heights. Of course the rich live in luxury apartments with women they own/hire, referred to as “furniture.” [Another topic for another time.]

In this tale the rich and powerful have food – real food, not the processed soylent substance produced by the Soylent Corporation. The poor have choices, though: soylent red and soylent yellow, both advertised as packed full of high-energy vegetable concentrates. The new product – soylent green – is made from high-energy plankton, or so the corporation states.

I know it has probably been a minute since you’ve seen this film, but it is worth revisiting. You’ll marvel how the examples of climate change that were shown were during a period when even mentioning the term was taboo. If you haven’t seen it, it’s time.

“When I was a kid food was food,” said Sol Roth, portrayed by Edward G. Robinson – another reason to watch this film.

Those who have seen it will get this reference; when the planet can no longer sustain its growing population and has polluted the soil, air and water so nothing can grow as it did in the “good old days” then desperate times call for desperate measures.

(Spoiler alert: If you have not seen this movie, stop reading now; watch the film and then come back. The ending is worth the surprise.)

The desperate measures this company takes is about money, power and control. For some ultra rich people, the power they crave gets them to overlook morality. When I first saw this film I regarded it as a cautionary tale. I thought, “There is no way humanity would go this far.” Now that I am older and have seen how far those with money and power will go to stay in control I have looked at “Soylent Green” as a real possibility. Maybe not exactly converting people into food but desperate times …

We do have an opportunity though to help our planet and ourselves, and all it takes is a look to the past. When my kids were little I did watch everything we ate. I planned menus, made preserves, fresh pasta and bread. I traveled with the kids for my job so all this fresh food preparation was done from hotel rooms. But now, with the kids out of the house, I regularly stop at fast food places. I still don’t eat many canned goods but I have stopped canning my own preserves. So I make a pledge and hope you join in: I will be more aware of what processed and ultra-processed food is and limit eating it everywhere I can. I will shop local for fresh fruits and veggies. I will be as cautious with the food I eat as I was with the food I gave my children. And doing this will not only be good for our health but lessen our carbon footprint, if only by a small step – and every step counts.

The upcoming weather looks like a good time to plant a garden for those homegrown foods. The temperatures will be warmer with the highs in the mid 70s today and Friday, then dipping into the high 50s through next Tuesday.

There may be some slight Santa Ana winds today into Friday but nothing too windy beyond that. The northerly winds expected this week turned to the northeast, reducing our area winds, according Ryan Kittell, NOAA meteorologist.

Kittell added there is some rain expected on Saturday but less than an inch.