“Processed Food” – Is It A Healthy Option ??

In today's life, eradicating every pleasure in life is not the goal, nor it is realistic. All of us enjoy some sort of junk/ processed foods like burgers, pizzas, readymade soups, ready-to-eat foods etc.

But have you ever realized, that what could be the consequences if we make an Occasional treat to a Mainstay of our diet ?

Processed food is actually made from real food that has been  put through chemical processes and is infused with chemicals & preservatives . That is food that has been altered from the way in which nature presented it to us, in some kind of factory.

Three major queries that come to our mind when we go for these foods are :

• What is added to them ? ,
• Is it providing good nutrition?  and ,
• Is it safe to consume?

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Let's discuss about these Queries ....................

It is amazing how many varieties of additives are added to food. Look at the label on any processed food can or jar, and see if you can recognize what is there in it, like:

• Aspartame, Saccharine - Artificial Sweeteners
• Benzoates, a Preservative found in juices, carbonated beverages
• Colouring agents derived from coal tar
• MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate ) - Flavoring agent for Chinese food lovers
• Nitrates/Nitrites - Preservatives

And many more...

They actually help to keep food last longer and to make it tasty, look and smell simply great! But do we ever think that how problematic it can be? They may cause nausea, allergic reactions, headache, mood swings, hyperactivity, depression, or even cancer.

In nature, if a food is stored long enough, it loses its nutritive qualities & is no longer fit for human consumption i.e. it spoils....  or insects & germs consume it. However, when the additives are added, the insects and germs find the food too poisonous and toxic therefore it would kill them if they ate it, so they don't. The result is food does not "spoil". It remains as it is until we eat it. But the fact remains that the food value is gone.

Now, What is removed, during the processing or "refining" process?  Is much of the fibre and other nutrients. Vitamins, minerals etc are destroyed in the high heat used in the processing. Now you must be thinking that what are we eating then?

So, what are you waiting for ?? Begin to eliminate all these processed foods from your diet,  stay away from any food in a can, jar, packet or bottle on the shelf of a store. Either eat your food raw(salads) or cook it at home. Avoid anything that has gone through a factory since you don't know what all has gone into it.

Start enjoying the real food -  Eat Healthy - Be Healthy....

Ms. RUCHITA VERMA

DIETICIAN

MAX HOSPITAL , PITAMPURA