The Dangers of Processed Foods and How to Avoid Them

Processed foods are foods in a different state than their natural state, which gets packed and manufactured. Simply, the Man Made process of marketing food. Processed food can not be considered harmful because some products like washed fruits and vegetables also come under this stereotype.

The primary food process is transforming natural products into foods or converting from pre-existing ones. The foods can be canned, frozen, preserved, added with nutrition, etc. Food processing comes under specific processes like pasteurization, canning, smoking, cooking, drying, pickling, baking, etc.

Even in the olden days, different countries had different food processing methods. Some foods processed in the old days were wine, meat, pickle, cheese, etc.

It is said that it ages over hundreds of years since people started to process their food. There were also specific facts that people tended to eat only processed food regularly because of its taste at the time of its discovery.

Nowadays, processed foods lead humans to the danger zone because of certain unhealthy food or overconsumption of particular foods. The preservatives and chemicals added to the food make them unhealthy to consume.

Effect of Processed Food

Processed food paves the path to many diseases and health issues for humans. Some of them are,

• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Heart Diseases
• IBD

and so on. Those processed foods also have high calories, less nutrition, unhealthy ingredients, and hard-to-digest materials.
Obesity is a common disease nowadays. Every human, even children, faces obesity problems in their life. Obesity is a disease when the human body gets filled with a load of fat in them. It leads to many further complex issues like Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and physical imbalance. Many children get affected nowadays because of the overconsumption of processed food in their day-to-day life. It also passes on to the generation as a genetic disease.

Diabetes is a complex disease, but people get used to living with Diabetes in their daily life. There are two types of Diabetes. They are type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It gets divided under the influence of insulin content and its role in the human body. This complex disease can lead to vision loss, kidney failure or diseases, Heart disease, etc. The average sugar level in the human body is 99 mg/dL. Diabetes occurs when the normal range either drops down or flows up. Processed foods lead to Diabetes because of their high sugar content.

Heart Diseases can occur because of the high cholesterol level and bad calories in processed foods. These factors block the proper blood supply to the heart so that it can be reflected as a complex disease like a heart attack. It blocks the path of blood to nature, even specific essential organs of the human body. High cholesterol leads to artery hardening. Such issues are known as atherosclerosis.

Consumption of processed foods with high cholesterol and calories level can also lead to cancer.

IBD stands for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Two conditions come under this disease. They are Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis. This condition can affect people when the gastrointestinal tract gets damaged, or any abnormalities in the part can cause this disease. Some common symptoms of this disease are Abdomen pain, Fatigue, Weight loss, and Diarrhoea, to name a few. Taking processed food can affect our immune system, paving a clear path to IBD.

Some Processed Food

Processed foods which are no harm are listed below,

• Yogurt
• Packed Salads
• Pickles
• Milk

though these foods are processed, it does not affect the health conditions of the human body. Unless food products like,

• Tinned fruits and vegetables
• Cereals
• Canned fish and meat
• Cakes
• Biscuits
• Cool Drinks
• Instant food products.

And so on. Many processed foods are unhealthy for the human body. Overconsumption of such foods results are noted above.

Ways to Avoid Processed Foods

By getting back to natural methods. Instead of having more preservatives consumed in food. Having a bite of natural food sources as a snack is healthy, like vegetables, carrots, beetroot, Fruits, and some seeds and nuts.

The world is so busy that people often have processed foods because preparing and tasting a feast consumes less time. Though it tastes wonders, the effects of processed foods are more complex.

The best swap is drinking water or Fresh juice instead of soft or aerated drinks. Aerated drinks contain high amounts of sugar, soda, etc. These raw materials can affect the human body with a High risk of soft disease, Tooth decay, Diabetes, etc. Instead, Water and Fresh juices help us maintain hydration level, refreshment the body, and provide proper health conditions because it contains loads of minerals, vitamins, fibers, proteins, and so on.

Try to avoid instant food items. Though it consumes less time, It results in complex diseases. Simple, the less you consume food, the less time you have for your healthy life. Preparing your dishes reflects rich sources of nutrition and freshness, which the body seeks.

Instead of refined oil, you can your natural oils like castor oil, coconut oil, and sesame oil, to name a few. Refined oil consists of more chemicals, fatty acids, etc. These materials play a huge role in spoiling the human body’s health. It leads us to Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, and Reproductive issues and affects Immune and intestinal normalities.

A very important way to avoid processed food is to fill your kitchen and fridge with less processed food. Your shopping plays a vital role. Pick something wholesome in minerals, vitamins, and proteins, drop the instant foods, and give away candies, cakes, and other snacks. Choose fresh fruits and vegetables, have whole-nutrient foods for snacks like seeds and nuts, and try to prepare homemade snacks; having a proper diet plan will help avoid processed food with the help of your controls.

Giving away processed food in this technologized life is not an easy course. It takes much time and control to get over the taste of attraction. But controlling our food habits gifts us a double trophy with good health and prosperous life in the present and future.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What kind of diet plan should we follow?

There is no need for a diet plan as long as you consume natural food products based on your cravings and health condition. And drinking plenty of water per day helps you with a wholesome life. And eating your food at the right time also helps you with the proper health condition.

2. What kind of natural snacks can replace the kids craving processed foods?

Processed foods attract kids mentally and physically because of their taste and texture. You can use fruits and vegetables or some grains to cook homemade snacks for the children under their need of taste. You can also try to decorate the foods with a different cute animal structure that attracts them to eat them despite their taste.

3. Do all processed foods unhealthy?

The answer is no. Because cleaned food materials like fruits and vegetables, pasteurization of milk, pickling, and many natural processes also come under processed food, it is necessary to be a picky eater when it comes to processed foods.