Processed foods - what are we eating?
I recently read this Washington Post article about processed foods (this may be behind a paywall if so, copy the link and try opening it in an incognito or private window) and it made me wonder, just what are we eating? Over the years, I have tried to whittle down the number of processed foods my family consumes - but it is no easy task because they are everywhere and unfortunately, appealing and convenient.
Three Kinds of Food
Ultra-processed foods
Any food with added oils, sugars, additives, or ingredients made in a lab. The ingredient list on these foods is usually very long with items you are not familiar with. A few examples are:
muffins in cellophane wrap
frozen pizza
lunchable cracker meals
Processed foods
The ingredient list is usually shorter and more recognizable - ingredients you may or may not use in your own kitchen. A few examples are:
Triscuits
Frito corn chips
Spaghetti sauce (check the ingredients as it varies greatly from brand to brand)
Whole foods
Whole foods are non-processed - or anything still in its natural state. An ingredient list of one. Any fruit, veggie, legume, nut or similar food. This is the category to focus on as these foods offer fiber, minerals, and vitamins that are not added (like in processed foods) but simply in the food. Eating a variety of whole foods gives balance to a diet that is hard to find in any packaged food.
About 25 years ago, a friend and I challenged each other to not eat anything with trans fat (or partially hydrogenated oils) as an ingredient - we were both shocked at how many foods contained this one, detrimental ingredient. Triscuits were my cracker lifeline and they had partially hydrogenated oils - there are only three ingredients in the crackers, so how could it be they were using trans fats as one of those three? Turns out trans fats enhance taste, shelf life, and texture - what’s not to love? Other than being a contributor to heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome it is a great ingredient! In 2018, the FDA banned the use of all trans fats in the food supply, thereby helping Americans avoid a treacherous ingredient that many people had no idea was even harming them.
This leads us back to processed foods. What is in that box of Cheez-Its? Or Oreos? Or Cheese Whiz? Pretty much nothing beneficial for your health. According to a study in the article, the body breaks down processed foods differently from whole foods and the outcome is that typically when people only eat processed foods, they are at a higher risk of gaining weight because they consume more (empty) calories.
Are you eating a lot of processed foods? Have you let them sneak in without realizing how many you consume? Can you switch from ultra-processed foods to processed foods to whole foods? A great way to raise awareness about what you are eating is to simply read the ingredient list on any packaged item you buy. Some people have a rule that if a product has more than five ingredients or ingredients they wouldn’t find in their own kitchen, then they will not purchase the item.
Ready to raise your awareness? Start by checking what is in your pantry, and decide if the ingredients sound good to you - if you are okay with everything on the list, then keep it. If the ingredient list has too many strange, hard-to-pronounce things, rethink how you want to proceed. Maybe you can find a better product with fewer ingredients. Spaghetti sauce is a fun place to start - the different products offer very different ingredients.
Need help deciding what you should eat and what you should leave on the shelf? Contact me and I would be happy to help you move closer to a whole foods lifestyle while letting you decide what the priorities will be moving forward. Start feeling better today!