Listen to “Why Eating Ultra- Processed Food Is Bad For You”.
As food has become more industrialized and globalized, eating habits have changed and so to have our diets. Where once everyone would have sat down as a family to eat freshly-made food, in today’s fast-paced world, foods have grown to favour efficiency over quality. The result is highly palatable, easy to eat, easy to prepare, but ultimately very unhealthy processed foods.
Ultra-processed foods are mostly made from substances derived from other foods, preservatives, and additives, which are cleverly designed to create convenient and long-lasting products.
However, people must realize that the longer the shelf life of the food they eat, the shorter their lives become. Here’s why:
What are Ultra-processed foods?
Ultra-processed foods contain formulations of several ingredients that, besides salt, sugar, oils, and fats, include food substances not used in traditional culinary preparation. In particular, flavours, colours, sweeteners, emulsifiers, and other additives are used to imitate the sensory qualities of unprocessed or minimally-processed foods. These additions aim to mimic the quality of culinary preparations and disguise the undesirable qualities of the final product.
Processed foods are addictive, chemical-laden foods usually sold in jars, boxes, and bags, and armies of well-paid food scientists make it their mission to come up with recipes that appeal to your taste buds, even if it means causing havoc to your health.
Recent research has linked diets that include a lot of foods considered ‘ultra-processed’ – such as soft drinks, instant soups, and chicken nuggets – to an increased risk of obesity, high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, and even cancer. Now, two new studies published in the British Medical Journal have found a link between high consumption of these foods and the risks of both cardiovascular disease and early death. You may be spending hours in the gym exercising, but you won’t get the results you want unless you watch what you eat.
Freshly prepared meals are health insurance
Establishing a healthy lifestyle that isn’t reliant on willpower and brute force is possible. It starts with learning to love yourself.
The first step to loving yourself is valuing yourself enough that you want to do whatever it takes to be healthy.
When you really start wanting to take care of yourself and begin your journey of learning, you’ll discover some of the most delicious foods you’ve ever eaten. What’s more, you won’t feel hungry or deprived of food.
Instead of pumping your body with processed carbs additives and sugars, you’ll be nourishing your body with foods that complement your health intentions. This will promote longevity and is a decisive step in a wonderful direction towards a healthier and happier life.
Eat less from a box and more from the Earth.
To get you started on your journey to cutting out ultra-processed foods, you can bin the boxes and incorporate whole foods like:
- Fresh veggies: sprouts, asparagus, bell peppers, cucumber, onion, broccoli
- Fresh fruits: apple, banana, strawberries, watermelon, blueberries, papaya, orange
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, cashews
- Beans and legumes: black beans, lentils, soybeans, tofu
- Organic white meats: Chicken, fish, turkey
- Herbs & spices: cilantro, parsley, cloves, cinnamon
Try to avoid eating anything that has a long shelf life. If it’s been sitting on a shelf for a long time, it’s not good for you.
