What are processed foods?What are Processed Foods?
Processed foods are any types of foods that have been deliberately changed before they become available for people to eat. The meaning of processed is to perform a series of mechanical or chemical operations on something in order to change or preserve it. There are different degrees to food processing, not all foods undergo the same degree of food processing. The most simple way to categorize processed foods is by separating them into two groups, chemical and/or mechanical processing. Types of Food Processing Mechanically processed foods aren’t really “processed”. Freezing meat, slicing an apple and washing and packaging fruits is mechanical processing. So, for example, if you’re at home and you’re feeling hungry, and you want to eat an apple, for example, washing and slicing that apple is mechanical food processing. There is only one category for mechanically processed foods. Minimally processed foods are the only type of mechanical food processing. Minimal forms of processing include washing, peeling, slicing, and juicing. Fruits, vegetables and nuts are often sold in minimally processed food forms. Foods sold as such are not essentially changed from their natural “unprocessed” form and they also possess most of their nutritional properties. Chemically processed foods are divided into two categories:
Processed food ingredients include flours, sugars, oils, fats, sweeteners, starches, and other ingredients. The most common examples include high fructose syrup and vegetable oil. Processed food ingredients are rarely eaten alone, because they are commonly used in manufacturing/cooking highly processed foods. To create processed food ingredients, starting materials, such as grains and oilseeds, may be milled, crushed, refined, or exposed to chemicals. Contradictory to minimal forms of of processing, these techniques thoroughly change the nature of the original raw materials, they tend to be nutrient-poor and are high in calories relative to the amount of vitamins, minerals, and other dietary nutrients. Highly processed foods are foods made with a mix of unprocessed, minimally processed and processed food ingredients. Many highly processed foods are designed with consumer convenience in mind. They are often portable and can be eaten anywhere (for example while working or driving etc...). They also require little or no preparation. In the popular media, when people discuss processed foods, they are usually referring to products in this area. Some examples of Highly Processed Foods:
With the wide variety given of foods that could qualify as highly processed, and the lack of any clear universally accepted principle for defining them as such, it is Fats in Processed Foods Processed foods are often high in trans fats, processed vegetable oils, and unhealthy fats. They usually contain cheap fats and refined seed and vegetable oils (like soybean oil) that are often hydrogenated, which turns them into trans fats. The Harmful Effects of Processed Foods on People: Effects on Pregnancy There are three types of processed foods that affect pregnancy the most and they are Commercially Processed Foods, Refined Sugars, Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Oils. How do each of the following kinds affect pregnancy? Commercially Processed, is normally made with unfermented white flour, which has nearly no nutrition, and is difficult for your body to digest. Refined Sugars, cause your blood pressure to skyrocket, and a bit after taking them your energy level will drop and your blood pressure will crash. Hydrogenated Oils, if your food is stuffed with unhealthy fats from hydrogenated oils, you are going to experience unhealthy effects, including coughing and congestion. Harmful Effects of Processed Foods: Processed foods aren’t really all that great. In fact they cause a lot of different types of diseases. Various types of cancers are linked to the consumption of processed foods. Junk food diets are what cause the increase in these diseases. Some of theses diseases include: - Colorectal Cancer - Multiple Sclerosis - Alopecia - Asthma - Various types of heart diseases - Diabetes - Increase in obesity Colorectal Cancer Colorectal cancer (colon cancer, rectal cancer, or bowel cancer) is the build up of cancer from the rectum or colon, which are parts of the large intestine. A Cancer Research UK review of the research suggested that 1 in 10 cancers is linked to an unhealthy diet. A group of researchers were recording a large group of people for some years. European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) started in 1992 and produced some reports about bowel cancer. EPIC found that high fibre diet reduces risk of bowel polyps and bowel cancer. An analysis also showed that a high intake of dietary fibre (mainly cereals and whole grains) reduces the risk of bowel cancer. The increased risk is stronger when eating red and processed meats. Asthma Asthma is a respiratory condition pronounced by spasm attacks in the bronchi of the lungs, which causes difficulty in breathing. Asthma is usually linked to allergic reactions or other forms of hypersensitivity. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, even though there isn’t really absolute evidence to the connection between diets and asthma, specific foods are common to trigger asthma symptoms. The reason is because these foods contain sulfites, which is a preservative used in certain foods. Some of these foods include: - Beer - Dried fruit - Processed Potato - Wine Heart Disease The food you eat, your diet, and what it consists of plays an important role in the development and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Diet is one of the main keys that you can change that will impact all the other cardiovascular risk factors. Compare a diet with low saturated fats, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables with the usual diet of someone living in this time. According to the World Heart Federation, for the first diet (healthy diet), there is a 73% reduction in risk of getting any major heart disease. Diabetes Oral advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) promote insulin resistance and diabetes. AGEs are found in processed and grilled foods, and the problem is that people develop insulin resistance in which the body’s tissues ignore the insulin. This drives up glucose levels, and in some cases it leads to type 2 diabetes. The tasty chemicals in processed foods (AGEs) trigger: - Inflammation - Trigger oxidative stress in the body - Damage tissues That causes insulin resistance. The researchers hoped to find mechanisms by which a diet heavy on AGEs promotes insulin resistance and diabetes. They tested it on normal laboratory mice. The researchers performed this experiment on two groups of mice and they were fed the same amount of calories. For one group, the diet contained AGEs. They monitored the insulin resistance, the weight, and the antioxidant defenses. The results showed that mice on AGE diets had lower levels of antioxidants, increased inflammation. They had more body fat, than mice fed AGEless diets. AGEs also promoted premature insulin resistance in mice. However the study was done in animals and AGE effect may be different in humans. Dr. David Hafler, the Gilbert H. Glaser Professor of Neurology, professor of immunobiology, chair of the Department of Neurology, and senior author of the Yale paper, stated: “These are not diseases of bad genes alone or diseases caused by the environment, but diseases of a bad interaction between genes and the environment.” |