Processed Foods
Foods prepared
with physical or chemical treatments are considered as processed foods. They
are almost always high in salt, which is their main negative point. While salt in high quantities is unhealthy,
small amounts are actually good for you and crucial for the function of all of
our organs. However, the salt has its antibacterial properties, which make it
ideal for preservation. Humans have been
preserving foods for centuries. Your ancestors used to dry, freeze, can or
pickle foods to extend their shelf life. Now with an increase in packaged foods
also came an increase in different preservation methods. Chemical preservation
is used to delay spoilage, enhance colour and flavour, and maintain consistency
and texture of foods. The common preservative in many cured or smoked meats,
such as bacon, jerky, deli meats and smoked salmon is sodium nitrate which
helps to reduce colour changes.
Sodium nitrate in
processed meat can damage the blood vessels around your heart, which can cause
them to harden and narrow, which makes it more likely that you will develop
heart disease. Eating regularly sodium nitrate with food you also increase the risk
of developing type 2 diabetes in additional to these your chances of developing
certain types of cancer increases too.
Processed
foods include synthetic additives; E numbers are codes for substances that are
permitted to be used as food additives for use with in EU] and Switzerland. They are commonly found
on food labels. Example cereals are very often fortified with
calcium. Whenever cereals are refined the vitamins and minerals are removed and
the companies must replace them later by law. This process is called
“fortifying”. The nutrients that
have been added to foods afterward they are less effective synthetic substances
and often harder for the body to absorb but they are still better than nothing and
they can provide an important way for us to get certain vitamins and minerals.
For instance, someone who has a lactose intolerance might use a water fortified
with calcium. Meanwhile fortification is the only way that vegetarians can get
vitamin B12 in their diet, which is highly important for brain function and
nerve health.
Often
the reason that foods are fortified and processed is to improve the taste Often
they will taste fresher after a longer amount of time.
Many of
the processed foods we get from fast food chains have added saturated fats and
trans fats. While these aren't good for us, they do make us feel full for
longer due to their slowest digestion.
Generally
the processed foods are not as healthy as getting fresh foods and nutrients by
controlling your diet closely.
Some
foods are worse for you than others and are increasing your risk of many
conditions and diseases. While cancer is one of the worst, regularly eating the cancer causing foods can
also lead to heart disease, diabetes, chronic inflammation, and so much more.
Here is the evil food list: canned foods, refined sugar, salted,
pickled and smocked foods, grilled red meat, carbonated beverages, white flour,
hydrogenated oil, microwave popcorn.
