Why are Processed Foods Bad?

When trying to eat healthier most people know that cutting out processed foods is a good idea, even if they don’t know why processed foods are bad. Taking some time to learn what it is about processed foods that make them bad will help you make better food choices.

Preservatives

One of the biggest reasons that processed foods are bad is because of all the preservatives that are added to ensure a longer shelf life. These are almost always artificial chemical compounds that help to prevent spoiling. Ingredients like Butylated Hydroxyanisole, sulfites, sodium benzoate, and many others are very common. While they are very effective at keeping foods from spoiling, they are also known to have a variety of negative effects. Many studies have linked these preservatives to anything from high blood pressure to cancer. Reducing preservatives you consume, or better yet, eliminating them all together, is essential to healthy eating.

Taste Enhancers

Another reason why foods are processed is to make them taste better. Companies can make more money by selling more of their products. Most people will, of course, buy more foods that taste better. The most common taste enhancer is going to be sugar (or a sugar substitute). While some natural sugar (found in fruits, etc) is necessary, processed foods have far more than is healthy. Even foods you wouldn’t normally think of as sweet are often loaded with sugar. Things like bacon, ketchup, sausages and many others are loaded up with sugar. In addition to sugar, most processed foods have a lot of salt too. Salt helps to bring out the other flavors in foods, which is why processed food almost always has a lot of it. While processing, a lot of the natural flavor is lost so adding in extra salt can make them taste better. Salt can also act as a preservative.

Added (Unhealthy) Fat

While this technically could be listed as a taste enhancer, it really deserves its own section. A lot of processed foods are very high in unhealthy fats such as saturated fat and trans fat. These types of fats are easier to work with (for the manufacturer) and less expensive, which is why they are so popular. Companies can add them in to improve the overall flavor of a product without resulting in higher costs. In addition, these types of fats last longer on the shelves than other options. While some fat in your diet is good for you, the types used in processed foods can cause unnatural elevation cholesterol and many other problems too. Enjoying healthy fats that are naturally occurring in fresh meats, nuts, and other foods will allow you to get all the fat you need in your diet.

Choose Unprocessed Foods

Now that you know some of the most important reasons why processed foods are bad, you can work on choosing unprocessed options. This information may also help you to identify processed foods by looking at the labels and identifying ingredients like added sugar, preservatives and more. While it may take some adjusting, you’ll enjoy the benefits of eliminating processed foods for the rest of your life.