Processed foods: Good or bad? Here's what you need to know

In order to lead a healthy lifestyle, it is important for us to avoid eating processed food. But what are processed foods exactly? Any food which is altered during its preparation in order to make it more convenient, flavourful or shelf-stable is known as processed food. A bagged salad or pre-cut green beans will be technically considered in this category, but it’s only minimally processed as its natural state hasn’t been changed. Most of the foods we consume get processed in some way by the time it reaches our plates. But the concern here is not for the processed food like canned tomatoes, which are altered to lock in nutrients and freshness. The concern is over heavily processed food items like jarred pasta sauces, crackers and cake mixes.

There are many potential health risks of eating ultra-processed foods. Some of the health effects are mentioned below:

These food items contain a lot of calories and are addictive.
It’s very easy to overeat unhealthy food items and end up consuming more calories than we realise. For instance, an Oreo cookie has about 50 calories, while an entire cup of green beans contains only 44 calories. These processed foods are also designed to stimulate our brain’s “feel-good” dopamine centre, which makes us crave these food items more.

Eating processed food increases the risk of cancer.
According to the Laborers’ Health & Safety Fund of North America (LHSFNA), a 10 percent rise in the consumption of ultra-processed food is linked with a 12 percent higher risk of cancer. This result was found after a five-year study on over 100,000 people.

Processed food items lack nutritional value.
Heavy processing leads many foods to lose their basic nutrients.

There is too much sugar, fat and sodium in these food items.
The food may taste good, but it can lead to serious health consequences like obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. These items have unhealthy levels of sodium, sugar, and fat.

These foods are quicker to digest.
Processed foods are easier to digest than unprocessed foods. So, it implies that the body spends less energy while digesting them. This fact, combined with the calorie density, can cause you to gain more weight.

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