Processed Foods Good Or Bad ?

Processed Foods Good or Bad

 Processed foods or convenient foods are containing added sugar, high fructose corn syrup, high amount of sodium, fats. We all know that consumption of excess sugar gives harmful effect to our body. And as we all know sugar contain empty calories and has no nutrients, but it gives a large amount of energy.

Most of the foods are processed, but there is a difference between mechanical processing and chemical processing. If any food ingredient stored or packaged with no added sugar then this food ingredient called Real Food.

Generally chemically processed, refined food ingredients  and artificial substances are known as Processed Food.

Processed Foods Can Badly Affect Our Health:

• Processed foods contain artificial chemicals which are added for various purposes. It contains artificial preservatives, flavour, spices, and sweeteners. Example: pasta sauce, salad dressings, cake mixtures etc.
• Processed foods contain a high amount of sugar & high fructose corn syrup. Consumption of excess sugar leads to the harmful effect in our body. It contains empty calorie no nutrients. As a result, it leads to insulin resistance, the increase bad cholesterol, triglycerides, fat accumulation in the liver & abdominal cavity. It also leads to heart disease, obesity, cancer.
• Processed foods contain a high amount of refined carbohydrate. Refined carbohydrate means a simple form of carbohydrate. Which easily broken down in the digestive tract, leading to rapid increase in blood sugar & insulin levels. Consumption of high amount of refined carbohydrates is associated with many chronic health diseases.
• Most of the processed foods are low in essential nutrients and low in fibre.
• Processed foods contain a high amount of Trans-fats which is unhealthy. Trans-fats lead to heart diseases.
• Some processed foods like packaged soup, chips, canned vegetables, fast foods, bacon, ham, turkey etc. contain a high amount of added salt. Some amount of salt is always good to regulate blood pressure, maintain body fluidity etc. But excess salt is not good for health.
• Some synthetic chemicals are added in the processed foods which are carcinogenic.

Processed Foods Need To Avoid:

• Chicken Nuggets – These are deep fried & most of the oil contain trans-fat. And also contain Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG) & Tertiary Butyl Hydro Quinone (TBHQ).
• Hotdogs, Sausage & Other Processed Meats – These types of foods contain salt, MSG, Sodium Nitrate, some other preservatives, artificial flavours etc.
• Avoid cake, cookies, muffins, crackers because it contains a  high amount of sugar & trans-fat.
• Avoid salad dressings because it contains fructose corn syrup, trans-fat artificial flavour, food additives, MSG.

Processed foods are sometimes giving beneficial effect to our diet. Like sometimes breakfast cereals are processed by added fibre, milk and juices are fortified with calcium & vitamin D, minimally processed food like precut vegetables are sometimes good.

So most of the processed foods are bad, and most of the people are gaining fat due to consumption of these processed foods. But sometimes process foods are good due to fortification with good nutrients.