What is highly processed food and how does it affect us
Heavily processed foods include artificial colors and flavors, high levels of added sugar, sodium, and fat. These ingredients make the food taste better, however, too much of it leads to an 10% overall estimated risk for physical health issues such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes; among with mental health issues such as mood disorders, anxiety, depression, and increased risk of cancer, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Why? In this article I will be discussing what is highly processed food and what to look out for. Monday I will be sharing with you the many risks on your physical health: according to studies it caused more deaths than tobacco.
- In the 21st century, highly processed foods have become part of most people’s eating habits. According to the medical news report in 2020, the global consumption of highly processed food accounts for 20–60% of a person’s daily meals.
- Furthermore, according to the Fast-Food Statistics 2021 report, in the US, 23% of adults eat fast food meals three or more times a week, while 34% of children aged 2 to 19 years eat fast food daily, and 80% of Americans visit a fast-food outlet once a month.
What is Highly Processed food?
According to the NOVA classification system, processed foods are categorized into 4 types reflecting their extent of change:
- Minimally processed foods, meaning it has been slightly altered for preservation but which do not substantially change the nutritional content of the food.
Examples include cleaning and removing inedible or unwanted parts, grinding, refrigeration, pasteurization, fermentation, freezing, and vacuum-packaging. This allows the food to be stored for a greater amount of time and remain safe to eat.
Many fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, meats, and milk fall into this category.
- Processed culinary ingredients extracted by pressing, refining, grinding, or milling.
These are: oils, fats, salt, and sugars used (in moderation) for seasoning and cooking foods.
- Processed foods come from either of the two previous groups but have added salt, sugar, or fats.
This includes: fruits in sugar syrup, some canned legumes, vegetables, and fish, tomato extract, pastes or concentrates, some cheeses or bread, cured meat or fish, and some fermented alcoholic beverages.
- Then, we have the most problematic one of all, Highly processed foods. These are industrially made entirely or mostly from substances extracted from foods (oils, fats, sugar, starch, and proteins), derived from food constituents like Hydrogenated fats and modified starch, or synthesized in laboratories from food substrates such as flavor enhancers, colors, and several food additives used to make the product hyper-palatable. Manufacturing techniques include extrusion, molding, and preprocessing by frying.
Highly processed foods include:
- Premade and frozen meals
- Some Packaged snacks
- Some Frozen desserts
- Confectionery sweets
- Carbonated drinks, energy, and sports drinks
- Canned, packaged, powdered, and other instant soups, noodles
- Sauces, and some seasonings
- Sweetened and flavored yogurts, flavored milk
- Sweetened juices
- Margarine and spreads
- Some breakfast cereals and bars
- Some infant drinks
- Some Meal replacement shakes,
- Some pre-made pastry mixes,
- Some alcoholic beverages.
- All baked products that are made with added ingredients such as hydrogenated vegetable fat, sugar, yeast, whey, and emulsifiers.
The idea that unhealthy food leads to only weight gain and not unhappiness, disease, and death remains a permanent myth that penetrates society.
We need to make clear that the issues are far more than just about waistlines, they are about lifelines.
This article is part 1 of 7 on The Truth Behind Processed Food.
New Articles on Monday & Thursday This month on the series The truth on Processed Food (Monday) and How To Find Yourself (Thursday)
Make sure to Subscribe to not miss out on this life changing information!
Sending you Good Vibes! Thanks for reading — Gabi💗
Stay Updated for the latest Content!
Gabriella A. Edwards 
Leave a comment