Processed foods have the advantage of saving time and this makes them tempting to people who have a busy lifestyle and for those who don’t particularly like to cook. Most processed foods also come with a low price tag that is hard for many consumers to resist. However, at some point, we really need to look at the hidden costs that processed foods have on our health.
It is no secret by now that the vast majority of processed foods are not healthy. In general, they are very low in nutrients, especially micronutrients like antioxidants and vitamins, while simultaneously being high on calories. They also contain industrially engineered ingredients that can be very harmful to the human body.
Eliminating all processed foods from your diet may be quite difficult. However, you can significantly improve your health by eliminating the worst of the processed foods. Below, you will find a list of the seven most unhealthy processed foods.
Chicken nuggets
Like hot dogs, chicken nuggets are at the pinnacle of industrialised foods. While you may think that chicken nuggets are mostly protein, the typical chicken nugget, including the famous chicken McNuggets, are more than 50 percent fat and they contain more carbs than protein. Keep in mind too, that the carb portion is made of very unhealthy carbohydrates found in the fillers and breading.
Most chicken nuggets are deep fried, often in oil containing trans fat. Trans fat causes cell membrane deformities that contribute to the development of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Most chicken nuggets also contain many unhealthy additives such as monosodium glutamate and tertiary butylhydroquinone.
Soda pop
There is nothing nutritional about sodas; they are empty calories. Moreover, they contain substances that can hurt you. As if sugar wasn’t bad enough, almost all sodas today use high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener and this is even worse than sugar. High fructose corn syrup has been shown to be damaging to the liver as well as causing blood glucose spikes even worse than normal table sugar would.
Soda pop is also one of the most powerful acid-producing substances we can put into our bodies. As such, they cause our naturally alkaline body pH to become acidic. Cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment and can’t survive in an alkaline environment. An acidic body is also much more susceptible to viral and bacterial attacks since it weakens the natural defenses of the body’s immune system.
Hot dogs, processed meats
Hot dogs have been a staple of the American diet for decades. And, lunch meats like bologna also have similar ingredients. The vast majority of hot dogs and other highly processed meats on the market contain loads of salt, MSG, sodium nitrate and other preservatives, artificial flavours, cheap unhealthy fillers, and mechanically separated meat and poultry.
Most people don’t realise that mechanically separated meat has been so highly processed under extreme heat and pressure that whatever nutritional value it had, to begin with, is lost in the processing. For example, proteins become denatured under these extreme industrial conditions. If you have an absolute craving for a hot dog, look for nitrate-free organic hot dogs with no preservations, artificial flavours, or meat byproducts.
Cookies, cake, muffins, crackers
Cookies, cake, muffins, and crackers have all been lumped into a single category because the health issues associated with them are similar. Beyond the obvious high levels of sugar and salt, most of these products also contain trans fat. Trans fat is added in part because it is much cheaper than healthy fats and this makes them more profitable. However, trans fat is also added to prolong shelf life and to improve the texture.
To determine if a product contains trans fat, you should not go by what it states on the front of the label. To know for sure if a product actually contains trans fat, you need to look at the ingredient list and look for the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated.” If these words appear, then the product contains trans fat.
Breakfast cereals
Do you want to know why so many breakfast cereals are “fortified” with vitamins and minerals? The reason is because otherwise, they would be so devoid of nutrition, no one would want to buy them. ‘Fortified’ means that the vitamins are artificially added during the processing of the food. For example, these fortified cereals often add a form of vitamin D that is not easily used by the human body.
Most breakfast cereals are also loaded with sugar, or worse, high fructose corn syrup. If they contain corn, as many do, then you can bet it is genetically modified corn because this type of corn is much cheaper and this increases their profit. GMO corn has been shown to cause tumors in rodents in a recent study conducted in Europe.
Granola bars
While you may be surprised to see granola bars on a list of the seven most unhealthy processed foods, this is actually one of the reasons they are listed here. The marketing of granola bars are exceptionally deceptive. They are usually marketed as an exceptionally healthy food when, in fact, they are just the opposite.
Almost every brand of granola bar contains high fructose corn syrup. Even if they say they are made with honey or maple syrup, read the ingredient label. Some will put a tiny bit of honey or maple syrup for flavor, but most of the sweetness is still derived from high fructose corn syrup. They are also sometimes loaded with fat, including trans fat, and lots of sodium too!
Condiments, salad dressings
Most condiments and salad dressings contain high fructose corn syrup, as this is a really cheap way food manufacturers can add bulk to their product and improve the flavour with very little cost. Many also contain trans fats and food additives like MSG.
Another factor that makes them so unhealthy is that we tend to not think about what’s in condiments when we apply them to our food. Even a healthy fresh vegetable salad can quickly become an unhealthy meal if an unhealthy dressing is added.
In conclusion, one of the healthiest steps you can take to improving your health is eliminating, or at least significantly reducing, the processed foods you eat. It is also important for you to carefully read the ingredient label when shopping and not just depend on what it says on the front of the package.
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