Is there one thing in your diet you could change that would make a measurable difference to your health? The answer is simple: Eliminate ultra-processed foods, replacing them with more whole, fresh food.
What are Ultra-Processed Foods?
- Sugary beverages include sweetened coffee and tea, energy drinks and soft drinks.
- Deli meats, hot dogs and sausages.
- Frozen pizza and frozen meals.
- Packaged snacks such as chips, cookies, crackers and baked goods.
- Most breakfast cereals.
- Canned or instant soups.
Why?
Ultra-processed foods are manufactured to taste good while appealing to the convenience factors associated with our time-poor lifestyles. They often contain high levels of saturated fat, salt, and sugar, fuelling our craving for more, plus preservatives to extend the product’s shelf life.
Are Additives and Preservatives Bad for You?
When you consider many of the plant-based milk we have with our coffee contains an array of additives, including sugar, vegetable proteins, maltodextrin, acidity regulators, vegetable gums, and lecithin; our breakfast cereal or toast may also contain different sugars, emulsifiers, colours, preservatives and more; the salad dressing may not be just extra virgin olive oil and vinegar but have antioxidants, sugars, colours, flavours and food acids in the mix.
The marketing concept behind the ingredients in processed foods sold to us is to make them taste good and encourage customers to come back and buy more.
One of the most harmful effects of preservatives in ultra-processed food is their ability to transform into carcinogen agents. Some of the food items consist of nitrosamines, a preservative that has nitrites and nitrates, which mix with the gastric acids and form cancer-causing agents.
The resulting inflammation and other gut issues send signals to our brain, leading to weight gain and affecting our heart, mental health, and even brain function.
What are the Alternatives?
Buy fresh fruit and vegetables (organic preferably) and eat a balanced Diet.