Processed Foods are virtually in any food you locate inside the grocery shop that's not in its raw, natural state. Anything which is frozen, canned, pasteurized, dehydrated, and even cooked is widely known as 'processed food'. Should we be eating so much of our food like this? Let's have a look at several of the details.

The reason we process a lot of our food is to keep it totally free of harmful bacteria so it can keep longer. Consider it nearly all our food is processed. Salting meats and canning preserves wasn't anything pioneers did for entertainment; it was necessary for survival. And to this day we still put jelly on a sandwich and consume salted bacon even though we have refrigerators that keep our food fresh. But the companies that process our foods care much more about cutting costs than our well being, and so the processed foods you consume today aren't nearly of the same high quality food that Laura from the Little House books got to eat.

Listed here are just some of the reasons why processed foods are bad for you:

* Vitamin and mineral loss: Processing may make your fruits and vegetables keep longer, but it cannot keep them from losing nutrients. The second the inner part\flesh of a fruit or vegetable is exposed to the air, it starts losing valuable nutrients. Processing accelerates this loss, which means that these canned tomatoes might have little, or perhaps none of the vitamins that you simply would get from eating a non processed one.

Low-quality ingredients: As a way to save cash, companies will generally only make use of the cheapest and normally least wholesome a part of the natural item becoming processed. By way of example, orange juice concentrate contains none from the fiber or antioxidants in the fruit. You're receiving pretty much pure fructose. And also you have no idea what conditions the foods were grown in, how old they had been prior to being processed, or any other information you might typically need to know about before you place something within your mouth.

Toxins from packaging: BPA, a typical chemical employed in creating plastic, can get into processed foods from packaging. This nasty sucker has been connected to cancer, fertility troubles, decreased immune system function, and much more.

High-sugar content: Processed foods tend to contain a lot more sugar than fresh food. Eating processed foods can result in diabetes and obesity, amongst other things.

We all know it is less complicated to grab a box of potato flakes off the shelf as an alternative to mash fresh ones, or eat a fruit cup at your office cube rather than a messy, juicy apple. But is the price for your well being is just not worth the time you will spend. And let's be sincere; isn't the joy and satisfaction we feel from consuming a home-cooked meal or fresh food worth the bit of added time we put into it? We spend so a lot time trying to save time, and not adequate enjoying the very good issues in life. It's time we began taking pride in the food we put into our bodies, instead of basically shoving whatever is fast and easy into our mouths just to quiet our bellies. Trust me, the body will thank you for it.

Do you rely on processed foods? Or do you try and stick to fresh food and home cooked meals? Share your story inside the comments beneath!