The Ultra Challenge is a series of running, jogging, and walking events across Great Britain that has raised more than $20 million for more than 300 U.K. charities.

The word “ultra” means “beyond”or “extreme,” but when it's applied to fun and social sporting activities, it means you've found a great way to get in shape and give back to your community. However, when the word is applied to processed foods, the opposite is true.

Unfortunately, studies show that 58 percent of an American adult's total diet comes from ultraprocessed foods. These are manufactured products that, in addition to added salt, sugars, and unhealthy fats and oils, include additives used to imitate the taste and texture of healthier whole foods.

What does that mean for your health? A report published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that when ultraprocessed foods made up 30 percent of a person's diet, over seven years each 10 percent increase was linked with a 14 percent higher risk of death.

Junk food isn't just fuel for obesity, high blood pressure, wrinkles, impotence, and cancer, it also ups your risk of an early demise.

Detoxing from ultraprocessed foods is a process. You can begin by removing all sugar- and syrup-added beverages from your diet, and opting for one added serving of a fresh vegetable and fruit each day.

One bite at a time, you'll get healthier. Your tastes will change so that you love the food that's good for you — and the foods that love you back.