Dangers of Eating Processed Foods

Dangers of Eating Processed Foods

The US food processing industry generates about $750 billion in revenue. In comparison, the worldwide sales for processed food hit the $2 trillion mark a few years ago. This equals to 37.5 percent of total sales.

This is a huge number which shows the need to educate people about the dangers of eating processed foods.

A couple of reasons why people use processed food is due to the convenience it offers and the fact that it’s cheap, compared to quality whole food. Unfortunately, most people are not aware of the side effects.

Let’s look at some of the potential dangers:

#1 Processed Foods Contain a Lot of Sugar

Most processed foods contain a lot of added sugar or high fructose corn syrup, which are both bad for your health.

Excessive sugar intake can lead to many negative side effects and an increased risk of diabetes. It can also be detrimental to your organs, increase unhealthy body fat, and lead to other unwanted problems.

Consuming sugar has also been linked to metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.

#2 Contain Artificial Elements

Processed food is usually cheaper, which makes it more affordable. However, the low price is due to the presence of artificial ingredients which can be toxic for your health.

These artificial ingredients are added for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common artificial elements used in processed foods include:

• Flavor: Used to enhance flavor.
• Preservatives: Used to prevent rotting.
• Texturants: Used to improve texture.
• Colorants: Used to improve color.

Sadly, a lot of artificial ingredients are not even mentioned on the labels and some of them can be very harmful to consume.

It is best to stay away from foods that contain artificial elements, but sadly almost all processed foods contain some form of artificial ingredients.

#3 Can Lead to Overconsumption

We are born with taste buds that help us decide what’s tasty and what isn’t. However, these taste buds appear to have a mind of their own. Unfortunately, they like foods that contain a lot of trans fats, salt, and sugar. Sadly, such foods are usually low on nutrients.

The problem is that these three elements are found in abundance in most processed foods.

Manufacturers want to produce food that sells and we want to buy food that our taste buds like. In the end, we end up having a lot of unhealthy foods, often more than necessary.

In fact, some experts believe that processed food is engineered for overconsumption. Even marketing material pushes consumers to over consume processed food.

Studies have proven that taste and marketing material can make us consume more food than necessary even if it results in health issues. The concept is called the “food reward hypothesis of obesity.”

In addition to this, food addiction is also a common problem when it comes to processed foods. Once you have it, you cannot stop having it. Some foods can hack our brain biochemistry, thus preventing us from saying no to them.

It can be a bad situation which can even lead to eating disorders.

Hence, it is best to stay away from processed food if you do not want to indulge in over consumption and harm your body.

#4 Can Lead to Weakness

We eat to get the energy we need to perform our daily tasks and live a healthy life. While processed foods are often rich in energy, they do not contain healthy nutrients, hence it is not very uncommon for regular consumers of processed foods to have a weak immune system.

They may contain minerals and vitamins but they’re usually synthetic, and not very useful.

In addition to this, natural foods, which are nutrient dense, contain a lot of elements that are not even found in processed foods. When your body doesn’t get these vital elements, it starts to show signs of weakness and fatigue.

#5 Can Make You Sick

This may come as a surprise but there is proof that processed foods can increase the risk of several diseases.

This mainly happens due to the presence of harmful toxins and chemicals that are foreign to your body.

Other than this, processed foods also contain a lot of trans fats which makes them unhealthy.

These fats can lead to inflammation and increased oxidation. The condition can be painful and even lead to serious problems if not taken care of early.

Reports indicate that consuming unhealthy trans fats can also lead to cardiovascular diseases.

To sum it up…If you want to lead a healthy and fit life then say goodbye to processed foods and turn to natural foods. The convenience of processed foods isn’t worth the issues and potential health risks. One more problem with process foods that I haven’t mention yet.

The toxins and chemicals found in processed foods will increase estrogen and lower testosterone in your body. This will make it extremely difficult if you are trying to lose weight or build muscle. Eliminate the processed food from your diet and you will have a much easier time achieving these Goals!