Home Lifelines Archive The Many Health Risks of Processed Foods
Between thepaleo diet, theketo crazeand thedebateover whether low-carb or low-fat diets are better for your health, deciding what to eat can seem more complicated than ever. One issue that health experts seem to agree on is that we should all be eating fewer processed foods. What exactly are processed foods, why are they so bad for our health and how can we replace them in our diet?
What Is Processed Food?
Processed foodis any food that’s altered during preparation to make it more convenient, shelf-stable or flavorful. Some foods are much more processed than others. A bagged salad or pre-cut green beanstechnicallycount as processed, but it’s onlyminimally processedbecause its natural state hasn’t changed. In other words, it looks pretty much the same as you’d find it in nature. A box of macaroni and cheese or a microwavable dinner, on the other hand, are consideredheavily processed(also called ultra processed) because they’ve been chemically altered with artificial flavors, additives and other ingredients.
Most foods we eat have been processed in some way by the time they reach our plates. However, the concern aboutprocessed foodisn’t over items like canned tomatoes or canned tuna, which are processed to lock in freshness and nutrients. The concern is over more heavily processed foods like crackers, jarred pasta sauces and cake mixes. And we eat alotof these foods – it’s estimated thatmore than half the caloriesin the average American diet come from ultra processed foods. In Canada, the percentage is slightly lower, at48 percent.
Health Risks of Heavily Processed Foods
There are many potential health effects of ultra processed foods, including:
- Increased cancer risk.A five-year study of over 100,000 people found that every10 percent increase in consumptionof ultra processed food was associated with a 12 percent higher risk for cancer.
- Too much sugar, sodium and fat.Heavily processed foods often include unhealthy levels of addedsugar,sodiumandfat. These ingredients make the food we eat taste better, but too much of them leads to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease,high blood pressureanddiabetes.
- Lacking in nutritional value.Heavy processingstrips many foodsof their basic nutrients, which is why many foods today are fortified with fiber, vitamins and minerals.
- Calorie dense and addicting.It’s very easy to overindulge in unhealthy food and consume more calories than we realize. For example, an Oreo cookiecontains about 50 calories, while anentire cupof green beans is only 44 calories. Processed foods like these are also designed to stimulate our brain’s “feel-good” dopamine center, making us crave more of them in the future.
- Quicker to digest.Processed foods are easier to digest than unprocessed, whole foods. That means ourbodies burn less energy(hint: calories) digesting them. It’s estimated we burn half as many calories digesting processed foods compared to unprocessed foods. This fact combined with the calorie density of processed foods in general can make it easy to pack on the pounds.
- Full of artificial ingredients.There are about5,000 substancesthat get added to our food. Most of them have never been tested by anyone other than the company using them. Thatincludes additivesto change color, texture, flavor and odor as well as ingredients like preservatives and sweeteners.
Reducing Processed Foods in Your Diet
Even if you wanted to, it would be very difficult to remove all heavily processed foods from your diet. That would mean not eating out at most restaurants and skipping that hot dog at the family barbeque. However, there aremany things you can doto reduce the amount of processed food you consume:
- Check the label.The longer the ingredient list, the more processed a food is. If most of the ingredients are hard-to-pronounce chemicals instead of actual food, it’s a safe bet that food is heavily processed.
- Shop the outside aisles at the grocery store.The center aisles of most grocery stores are full of packaged items and ready-made foods that are heavily processed. Aim to buy more foods from the produce and dairy aisles.
- Opt for minimally processed meats.Choose meats that have been minimally processed (e.g., seafood, chicken breast) while avoiding heavily processed meats (e.g., sausage, cured meats like bacon).
- Start slowly.It’s okay to slowly replace processed foods in your diet with more fresh foods. In fact, it may make you more likely to stick to these changes long-term.
- Cook more meals at home.You mightnot always be in controlof your diet while traveling, but you are at home. Make your own frozen meals by cooking a larger batch and freezing the leftovers, or whip up your own salad dressing.
While many aspects of our health can be complicated, eating less processed food doesn’t have to be. When in doubt, just start with real food.
[Nick Fox]
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