Why spend an hour or more rinsing, chopping, cooking, and cleaning up food for a nice home cooked meal, when you can pop a packaged container in the microwave and get a fast, simple dish? Even if you don’t go the microwaved route, most of us eat some form of processed food throughout the day, be it cereals, lunch meats, or some other preserved or prepared item. However, these processed foods have lots of chemical additives, and many more reasons for thinking about ditching them altogether.
Processed Foods Are Packed With Sugar
Almost all processed foods are high in sugar or its chemically derived partner, high fructose corn syrup. In fact, one study found that almost 90% of the added sugars in a typical American diet come from these processed foods. These added sugars are nothing but empty calories, and can lead to many health problems like diabetes and heart disease.
Chemically Altered To Be Addicting
Ever crave something salty, and instead of eating just a few chips you wind up finishing the whole bag? Certain processed foods like potato chips are actually chemically altered to make your brain release the reward and pleasure inducing neurotransmitter, dopamine. This is why some people feel they can’t put down the packaged food. Or worse- have even grown a food addiction.
Unrecognizable Ingredients
The next time you go to a grocery store, try looking at the labels of processed foods and reading all of the ingredients aloud. How many can you recognize and actually pronounce? We’re guessing very few. That’s because most of these items are loaded with artificial chemicals to make them last longer and enhance the taste. However, our bodies are designed to eat real food, not fake ingredients! For this reason, many people find they have digestive issues from eating too many processed foods.
Processed Foods Slam You With Sodium
Humans need some salt in our diet to retain fluids and ensure our liver and kidneys function properly. However, too much is extremely detrimental to our health. A diet high in sodium can contribute to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and kidney stones. Processed foods are a prime source of this dangerous amount, as companies add salt to improve the foods’ shelf life and taste. Some foods like processed meats having up to 48% of the recommended daily intake in just one serving!
Problems With Sleeping
Many of us are guilty of heading to the kitchen cabinet for a simple midnight snack. However, these processed foods can make you have trouble falling asleep at night. The high levels of sugars and refined carbohydrates make your blood sugar spike. To keep your stomach satisfied and also avoid tossing and turning in your sleep, you should munch on a natural snack instead.
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