Love processed foods? They impact your body negatively: Here's how
In this age of overwhelming schedules and fast-paced urban life, most of us rely on a variety of processed food items as they are readily available, fast to prepare, and tasty to consume. However, there are a lot of downsides to it which can pose multiple health problems in the long run. Here's why you should steer clear of processed foods.
They contain high amounts of added sugar
Most processed foods feature a significantly high amount of added sugar for flavoring as well as to increase their shelf life. This makes them high in calories, further triggering health conditions like obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and many inflammatory diseases. A single 300 ml can of Coca-Cola has 39 gm of sugar, which is equal to 10 teaspoons of it!
They feature many artificial ingredients
The processed food industry uses a considerably high amount and variety of artificial ingredients to maintain the flavor, color, aroma, and shelf life of the food/beverage. These may include preservatives, texturing agents, chemical compounds, etc that can result in chronic and fatal conditions like cancer. What's more? Well, they also lead to high blood sugar levels, allergic reactions, and food hypersensitivity as well.
Their nutritional value is slim to none
Processed foods score pretty low on their nutritional value, which is one of the biggest reasons why you should avoid consuming them. During processing, many important nutrients are destroyed or removed. And to cover that up, many manufacturers add synthetic vitamins and minerals to replace the lost nutrients. With that said, such food items offer nothing good that one can nutritionally enjoy.
They are unreasonably high in trans fats
For the uninitiated, trans fats can increase your cholesterol levels and inflammation in the body, making it more susceptible to both acute and chronic diseases. Research has linked consuming trans fat in great quantities to increased risk of strokes, heart diseases, and type 2 diabetes. Ultra-processed foods like ice creams, cereals, flavored yogurts, instant soups, etc score exceptionally high on such trans fats.
They are addictive in nature and promote overeating
Processed foods are made to taste delicious and look mouth-watering. With that, one may consume them more than recommended or even get addicted to them since they are affordable, easy to cook, and instant to consume. As a result, they can act on the same parts of the brain as drugs like cocaine, blocking the feeling of being full.
