Why You Need To Start Watching Processed Foods

What are processed foods?

Food that contains refined ingredients and artificial substances with very less nutritional value is called chemically processed food or ultra-processed food. Some ultra-processed foods include the frozen meal, baked goods, instant cup noodles, sodas, processed cheese, etc. 

Processed food contains ingredients that could lead to health risks if consumed in excesses, such as added sugar, saturated fats, and salt. Processed foods contain less dietary fiber and very few vitamins. Due to less nutritional value, it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, impaired memory and learning, dementia, weight gain, and heart diseases.

Reasons why processed foods are not good for your health

1. Artificial ingredients: There are some unrecognizable substances like artificial coloring, chemical flavoring, or preservatives that are present in processed food which makes it tastier. Often manufacturers don’t even mention the combination of artificial flavor. 
2. Added sugar: Added sugar never contains essential nutrients but still is high in calories. Regularly consuming excessive added sugar can lead to obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes (type-2). You can cut down on processed beverages by consuming sparkling water. 
3. Refined carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are one of the major nutrients. Our body breaks down refined carbohydrates very quickly, that leads to rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin level, increasing the risk of type-2 diabetes.   

Reasons how processed food leads to weight gain?

Researches have proved that a high level of sugar content is available in processed food, which can lead to inflammation. Consumers nowadays are choosing more cheaper and convenient food that is also highly processed. 

When a person eats more of these processed foods in a shorter period, they consume more calories. In this way, there is an increase in the chance of taking in more calories because of the temptation and this leads to unintentional weight gain. 

If you're one of them, suffering from obesity, we would recommend you the following steps to control it:

1. Avoid processed food.
2. Consume lean protein, in the form of chicken, tuna, turkey, etc. eating food high in protein can help your body to burn more calories, and helps you build and maintain muscles.
3. You may go for a walk, swimming or cycling. But now that the pandemic has occurred, people are relying more upon Virtual Personal Trainer. Which is equally good, as we provide regular hints to help you stay fit and healthy. In the COVID-19 situation, it’s better to workout at home than relying on someone’s location and schedule.   

How processed foods affect our minds?

We suffer from a mood disorder, as sugar and processed foods can lead to inflammation throughout our body and brain. People feel depressed and stressed they either try to eat too much or little. The wrong food pattern cycle is vicious. If we eat too much it leads to weight gain, and if we eat less then we feel exhausted. One must eat fresh fruits and avoid processed food to feel fresh and healthy. Dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, lentils, and beans, in particular, are brain protective. 

Latest thoughts

These are the most fundamental reasons why we all need to start watching, if we did not yet, processed food consumption. Diet plays a vital role in your overall wellness. You need to replace processed food with healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (fish) and proteins. With the right exercise and right diet, one can come over the issues they’ve faced due to overconsumption of processed foods.   

First Edited in May 2021 (By Simar Nagi,

Writer Collaborator)