HOW PROCESSED FOOD TOOK OVER!

Is the healthy, “really healthy”?

Cereal-Bread-Soya-Sugars-GMO-Meats-it’s all in the label.

Back in the day, cereal was considered to be a simple grain which had to be boiled in order to make porridge. Enriched with fiber and other nutrients, it gave us enough energy to carry out all our daily activities at full speed. Now the grain is puffed with added vitamins (why would it need added nutrients if it’s full of nutrition on its own?). We are unaware of the fact that it’s the synthetic version, which is highly processed with added sugars, preservatives & oils.

The same goes for bread. It’s no more a simple recipe of flour, water, salt and yeast. It is full of added fats, sugars, corn syrup and other preservatives and hydrogenated oils. Glucose naturally forms in the body, in every living cell. Fructose on the other hand isn’t produced naturally and has no physiological need. If fructose is taken in moderate amounts, e.g from fruits, the liver can metabolize it but if sugars are taken in excessive amounts, the pressure on the liver leads to diseases.

The next health hazards in the processed food industry are the hydrogenated oils, which are highly processed through chemicals and preservatives factually turning them into unstable fats. Extremely harmful for the body, yet widely used in the industry, they have almost zero nutritional value and they wreak havoc on the natural systemic digestion inside our body. Fast food contains high level of sodium, oils and processed meat.

Fast food alert

Fast food is a billion dollar industry which spends a fortune on its marketing and advertising campaigns. A number of studies have linked fast food to health problems, including an increased risk of obesity, poor nutrition, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

An Experiment with Meat

Several very interesting experiments are carried out to judge the alarming synthetic results of processed meats and packaged items. The most famous test is to put McDonald’s meals out of the box and leave them for a couple of days/months. Even after months of air exposure, the food still won’t go bad. Imagine the damage it can do to the body as it doesn’t decompose.

Have you ever wondered why is it necessary to add flavorings to natural chicken meat when it should have its own flavor? When the same question was asked from the CEO of a top notch food company, he claimed that modern chicken has no flavor. They grow them so fast (thanks to antibiotics, hormones, cages and artificial diet) that the chicken doesn’t develop any flavors on its own. Corn syrup is added and boiled with de-oiled soya bean and then neutralized with hydrochloric acid, leaving the final chicken product with excessive amount of sodium. After that different flavorings are added for our taste buds to feel divine.

If a store-bought flavored, packaged, fully cooked and ready-to-eat chicken is left out for some period of time it would change its consistency and unlike the raw meat going bad it will either become a gooey liquid or shrink up without bearing any result near to the natural raw meat.

Processed food is a billion dollar industry with research carried out every day in lieu to cost cutting of raw material thus enhancing the profitability of all these big food giants. It’s reported that processed foods on an average consist of 70% of our diet.

Breaking the odds

A story mentioned in the book Pandora’s lunchbox by Melanie Warner is worth reading and sharing here. Darcy and her husband Shawn have 4 children, namely Cameron, and his 3 sisters Taylor, Emma and Greyson. Cameron had behavioral issues since he was 7 and gave a tough time to his mom with eating anything which he didn’t like. As he grew older he was not a happy kid and it was hard to get him to smile. He used to be angry all the time and complained of stomach ache. The doctors put him on ADHD medications for several months but the condition got worse instead of improving. Then one night Darcy stumbled on a website which was a breakthrough for her family. It was a 10 day challenge to give up all processed foods. She cooked meals from scratch, bought organic vegetables and meat. To her surprise, on the morning of the seventh day something unexpected happened. Cameron’s behavior changed, his stomach felt better and he had a smile on his face. After 10 days the family celebrated and had victory cupcakes. They were so many welcome changes to be noticed. Cameron’s stomach ache was gone, his Dad lost 15 pounds without any exercise, the daughters stopped complaining about any constipation issues and Darcy embraced the healthy lifestyle which was missing in their diet.

The bottom line is one can eat whatever but in moderate amounts and firmly accept the fact that processed foods are bad. Try to minimize them in your diet incorporate healthy alternatives.

Contributed by Farah T. Hanif.