Processed foods have the advantage of saving time and this
makes them tempting to people who have a busy lifestyle and for those who don’t
particularly like to cook. Most processed foods also come with a low price tag
that is hard for many consumers to resist. However, at some point we really
need to look at the hidden costs that processed foods have on our health. It is no secret by now that the vast majority of processed
foods are not healthy. In general, they are very low in nutrients, especially
micronutrients like antioxidants and vitamins, while simultaneously being high
on calories. They also contain industrially engineered ingredients that can be
very harmful to the human body. Eliminating all processed foods from your diet may be quite
difficult. However, you can significantly improve your healthy by eliminating
the worst of the processed foods. Below, you will find a list of the 7 most
unhealthy processed foods.
Like hot dogs, chicken nuggets are at the
pinnacle of industrialized foods. While you may think that chicken nuggets are
mostly protein, the typical chicken nugget, including the famous chicken
McNuggets, are more than 50 percent fat and they contain more carbs than
protein. Keep in mind too, that the carb portion is made of very unhealthy
carbs found in the fillers and breading. Most chicken nuggets are deep fried, often in an oil
containing trans fat. Trans fat causes cell membrane deformities that
contribute to the development of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
Most chicken nuggets also contain many unhealthy additives such as MSG and
tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ).
Soda Pop
There is nothing nutritional about sodas; they
are empty calories. Moreover, they contain substances that can hurt you. As if
sugar wasn’t bad enough, almost all sodas today use high fructose corn syrup
(HFCS) as a sweetener and this is even worse than sugar. HFCS has been shown to
be damaging to the liver as well as causing blood glucose spikes even worse
than normal table sugar would. Soda pop is a primary contributor to the obesity
problem in the United States. Soda pop is also one of the most powerful acid producing
substances we can put into our bodies. As such, they cause our naturally
alkaline body pH to become acidic. Cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment
and can’t survive in an alkaline environment. An acidic body is also much more
susceptible to viral and bacterial attacks since it weakens the natural
defenses of the body’s immune system.
Hotdogs & Other Processed Meats
Hot dogs have been a
staple of the American diet for decades. The National Hot Dog and Sausage
Council reports that Americans eat about twenty billion hot dogs a year. They
also report that ninety-five percent of all American homes serve hot dogs. Of
course, lunch meats like bologna also have similar ingredients. The vast majority of hot dogs and other highly processed
meats on the market contain loads of salt, MSG, sodium nitrate and other
preservatives, artificial flavors, cheap unhealthy fillers, and mechanically
separated meat and poultry. Most people don’t realize that mechanically
separated meat has been so highly processed under extreme heat and pressure
that whatever nutritional value it had to begin with is lost in the processing.
For example, proteins become denatured under these extreme industrial
conditions. If you have an absolute craving for a hot dog, look for nitrate
free organic hot dogs with no preservations, artificial flavors, or meat
byproducts.
Store Bought Cookies, Cake, Muffins, and Crackers
For the
purpose of this article, cookies, cake, muffins, and crackers have all been
lumped into a single category because the health issues associated with them
are similar. Beyond the obvious high levels of sugar and salt, most of these
products also contain trans fat. Trans fat is added in part because it is much
cheaper than healthy fats and this makes them more profitable. However, trans
fat is also added to prolong shelf life and to improve the texture. In fact,
there are whole “food science” labs devoted to figuring out how to use trans
fats and other industrial foods to achieve the perfect texture in these types
of products. To determine if a product contains trans fat, you should not
go by what it states on the front of the label. The USFDA actually allows
manufacturers to label their products with “zero trans fat” if each individual
serving contains less than 0.05 grams of trans fat. Many manufacturers simply
reduced the size of a serving to reach this magic number. So, instead of a
serving size being three cookies, they might say it is one cookie so they could
put a “zero trans fat” on the label. To know for sure if a product actually
contains trans fat, you need to look at the ingredient list and look for the
words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated.” If these words appear, then
the product contains trans fat.
Many Popular Breakfast Cereals
Do you want to know why so
many breakfast cereals are “fortified” with vitamins and minerals? The reason
is because otherwise they would be so devoid of nutrition, no one would want to
buy them. Fortified means that the vitamins are artificially added during the
processing of the food. It’s no better than taking a crunchy vitamin, and in
fact, usually a low quality vitamin. For example, these fortified cereals often
add a form of vitamin D that is not easily used by the human body. Most breakfast cereals are also loaded with sugar, or worse,
high fructose corn syrup. If they contain corn, as many do, then you can bet it
it is genetically modified (GMO) corn because this type of corn is much cheaper
and this increases their profit. GMO corn has been shown to cause tumors in
rodents in a recent study conducted in Europe.
Research studies have been limited in the United States and other countries
because Monsanto and other biotech companies threaten scientists with lawsuits
if they conduct research with their patented seed. However, there have been
many anecdotal cases showing cattle and other farm animals getting sick and/or
dying from eating GMO corn.
Granola Bars
While you may be surprised to see granola
bars on a list of the 7 most unhealthy processed foods, this is actually one of
the reasons they are listed here. The marketing of granola bars are
exceptionally deceptive. They are usually marketed as an exceptionally healthy
food when in fact they are just the opposite. This means people tend to eat
more of them thinking they are actually eating a super convenient, tasty,
healthy food when they really are not. Parents also tend to feel good about
giving granola bars to their kids but they really aren’t any healthier than a
candy bar. Regardless of what you see on the front of the packaging or
hear in the commercials, almost every brand of granola bar contains high
fructose corn syrup. If you don’t believe this fact, try going into any
supermarket and finding a box of granola bars that don’t contain this harmful
ingredient. You’ll be hard pressed to find one! Even if they say they are made
with honey or maple syrup, read the ingredient label. Some will put a tiny bit
of honey or maple syrup for flavor but most of the sweetness is still derived
from high fructose corn syrup. They are also sometimes loaded with fat,
including trans fat, and lots of sodium too!
Pre-Made Condiments and Salad Dressings
Most condiments
and salad dressings contain high fructose corn syrup as this is a really cheap
way food manufacturers can add bulk to their product and improve the flavor
with very little cost. Many also contain trans fats and food additives like
MSG. Another factor that makes them so unhealthy is that we tend to not think
about what’s in condiments when we apply them to our food. Even a healthy fresh
vegetable salad can quickly become an unhealthy meal if an unhealthy dressing
is added. One way to eat healthier is simply to make your own
condiments and salad dressings where you can control the ingredients. You can
usually store salad dressings and homemade ketchup for at least a week in the
refrigerator.
In conclusion, one of the healthiest steps you can take to
improving your health is eliminating, or at least significantly reducing, the
processed foods you eat. It is also important for you to carefully read the
ingredient label when shopping and not just depend on what it says on the front
of the package.
Source : http://www.epyk.com
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