Have you ever been advised to avoid processed foods? What are processed foods and why should you avoid them? Let’s take a look.
Processing refers to all the ways food can be prepared prior to buying it. This can range from a simple process such as cutting, roasting, or canning, to the more involved process that makes ready-to-eat meals. Some basic food processing is necessary to ensure the safety of perishable items, such as fresh meat or dairy. The concern lies with products considered to be highly processed.
Minimally processed foods have a place in healthy diets. For example, low-fat milk, whole-grain or wheat breads, precut vegetables and fresh-cut greens are considered processed foods. Also, milks and juices may be fortified with vitamin D and calcium, while breakfast cereals may have added fiber. Canned fruits packed in water or natural fruit juice can be part of a healthy diet when fresh fruit isn’t easily available.
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, processed foods are ranked from minimally to mostly processed:
- Minimally processed foods, such as fresh blueberries, cut vegetables and roasted nuts, are simply prepped for convenience.
- Foods processed at their peak to lock in nutritional quality and freshness include canned tomatoes or tuna, and frozen fruit or vegetables.
- Foods with ingredients added for flavor and texture, such as sweeteners, spices, oils, colors and preservatives, include jarred pasta sauce, salad dressing, yogurt, and cake mixes.
- Ready-to-eat foods, such as crackers, chips, and deli meat are more heavily processed.
- The most heavily processed foods often are frozen or premade meals, including frozen pizza and microwaveable dinners.
Consider processed foods as it relates to its initial or original food source. For example:
- Potato chips are made from potatoes that are peeled →cut→deep fried→preserved with salt and other chemicals→packaged.
- Chicken nuggets are made from various parts of a chicken→ground up→mixed with flavoring such as salt and other preservatives→molded into shape→breaded→deep fried→packaged…
Highly processed foods are typically chemically treated with additives or preservatives to improve their taste, texture, or to extend shelf-life. They are made for convenience for both the consumer and the producer/seller. However, convenience is not always good for our health. The more processed a food is, the fewer nutrients it contains. The additives are usually highly concentrated forms of sugar, fat, and salts. One easy way to identify any processed food is to read the label. If there is a laundry list of ingredients with unrecognizable, complicated names, it is safe to say it’s a processed food. Another way to spot a highly processed food is to consider how the product looks compared to its natural source (remember the potato chip and chicken nugget).
Diets that contain large amounts of highly processed foods have been linked to obesity, colorectal cancers, autoimmune disorders, metabolic syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease.
In today’s environment, it is difficult to completely avoid eating highly processed foods. However, choosing fresh fruits and vegetables with most meals can help balance a diet. Choose foods that look close to their natural state (how it is found in nature) as possible.
REFERENCES:
https://www.verywellfit.com/processed-food-3898404
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/processed-foods-what-you-should-know
All Blogs are written by Professionals in the fields of Nutrition, Human Development and Diabetes.