Processed Food - The hidden truth

Processed, packaged, ready-made and add water presto foods aren’t your best options when considering how you can get bang for your buck with nutritional QUALITY. That is when we compare calorie intake to actual nutrient intake.

Aside from containing many non-food items like chemicals, colours and flavours, preservatives, stabilisers, thickeners, anti-mould agents, anti-caking agents aaaaaand the list goes on and on!

Whilst many of these are tested for safety as single additives, most have not been tested cumulatively meaning tested altogether at the same time in one food. There is even research now showing that emulsifiers in foods which keep them smooth by breaking down the cell walls in the food, also does this same thing inside our gut… No surprise really but this was never considered in the processed food world and continues to be used in many products. Gut problems anyone?

Almost all of these types of foods also contain excessive amounts of sugar and salt. We’ll get a sugar in the later but as for salt, this is what allows this type of food to have a long shelf life. Salt is an essential nutrient however; it is so high in processed food that majority of people are consuming op over the safety limit every day.... I am not exaggerating either! Safety limits are set based on how much is too much to start contributing to health problems and chronic diseases.

Excessive salt increases blood pressure and calcium losses from the body. For the kidneys to get rid of salt out of our systems it must bind with calcium for it to be excreted. Many people don’t consume enough calcium, and this coupled with processed food further reduces calcium levels in the body, which becomes to affect the bones and other body functions over time.

Levels of vitamins are also decreased through many of the processing methods as well as food that is just sitting around for long periods of time, especially the water-soluble B and C vitamins.

These vitamins are essential for healthy mental function, keeping energy levels balanced and to support the immune system. When grains like wheat and rice are processed into white flour breads and pasta or just plain white rice, all of the vitamins and minerals are removed! Yes, you heard me correctly are REMOVED, including the germ of the grain which contains all of the vitamins and the bran part, which contains all of the fibre.

I will save the magic fibre story for another day....