Do you find yourself constantly around processed food? By the end of this article, you will gain an understanding of what processed foods are, and why they are unhealthy for you.

The Gist

Processed foods are unhealthy for you, and it doesn’t take that much work to figure out which food, in general, is unhealthy. There are telltale signs that you can use to determine which processed foods are unhealthy for you, and why. You also have the power to choose which healthy foods and ingredients to put inside you.

The Science

The main issue with the diet most westerners follow is that most of it is processed. Processed foods are usually stripped off of their Iron, fiber, and vitamins, which is why it is so unhealthy for you. This is done for the texture and to lengthen its shelf life. What makes this food resistant to rot is the fact that pests are not attracted to it due to its lack of nutrients. If these are so innutritious that even pests don’t show any interest to them, how are they healthy for us?

One of the best ways to tell whether a diet is healthy or not is by who cooked it. Food cooked by big corporations tend to be unhealthy, as they usually cook food in not the most healthy ways. These companies typically use excessive amounts of sugar, fats, and salt, which are very unhealthy for you. More than that, the ingredients they use are usually not the best quality to save funds. Their business revolves around taking low-quality food and fixing it up with sugar, fat, and salt. 

Another way you can determine whether certain foods are healthy for you is by looking at their nutrient density. The nutrient density is something akin to nutritional value, which includes its vitamins and minerals, and dividing that value by the energy content. To put it into perspective, a glass of soda has so many calories for so little nutritional value, making it one of the worst choices to consume. These kinds of food are usually called energy-dense food. On the other hand, a bundle of spinach has so many nutrients compared to its calories, which makes it amazing for your diet.

Fast food is usually cheaper than fresh food because fast processed food has lower cost-per-calorie compared to natural food. Instead of looking at the value of food in terms of calories, it’s much better to look food in terms of their nutrient density. Getting more nutrients than calories is the best choice. It is imperative that we start lessening our empty calories, especially in the middle of an obesity problem.

One of the main reasons processed food has more calories compared to natural food is the excessive amounts of salt, sugar, and fats. Other substances, such as preservatives, food coloring, and flavorants, are also included in the recipe to trick customers into believing that there is variety in supermarket aisles.

The last thing you need to keep your eyes out for are processed foods that trick you into thinking they are healthy. These foods are full of synthetic nutrients that are added after being processed. Remember that the most nutritious food don’t come in packages.

The Takeaway

Unhealthy food is pretty easy to spot. Some healthy foods may cost more than their processed counterparts, but they will always be a bang for your buck, especially because they are not empty calories. Processed foods are bad for you because of the amount of unhealthy ingredients they add to make it “enjoyable” for eaters.