With the exception of fresh fruits and vegetables, the remaining ready-to-eat food options are generally highly processed and lack nutritional quality. When food is processed, much of the nutritional value depreciates with cooking, and with the addition of sodium, sugar and preservation with chemical additives. According to Le Cordon Bleu, a world-renowned culinary school, ready-to-eat foods can also mean fillers, carbohydrates, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners providing empty calories rather than energy.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
High fructose corn syrup has been the topic of heated debate, due mostly to its influence on obesity and chronic health problems. In an article published in the 2004 "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," researchers discovered that the consumption of high fructose corn syrup contributes significantly to the obesity epidemic in America. Apparently, high fructose corn syrup differs in its role in digestion, absorption and metabolism compared to other sugars, contributing to increased energy intake and ultimately weight gain.
Preservatives
Preservation of foods begins with the addition of sugar and salt, and extends to artificial chemicals created in a laboratory. Over the past decade, concerns have grown regarding the significant health drawbacks and the role preservatives play in chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and certain cancers. The Harvard School of Public Health suggests that the battle against ready-to-eat foods begins with controlling what companies are permitted to use. For example, by challenging beverage makers to create soft drinks with 70 percent less sugar, it would not only lower obesity and diabetes rates in one year, but could also prevent upwards of 150,000 deaths in the United States in just one year.
Artificial Colors and Sweeteners
In addition to high fructose corn syrup and table sugars, some ready-to-eat foods also include artificial colors and sweeteners to make the products more appealing to the consumer. The Food and Drug Administration defends the addition of artificial colors and sweeteners as a means to improve taste, texture and appearance, stabilizing the shelf life of foods that can be sold as fat-free or sugar free. While the jury is still out on whether or not artificial colors and sweeteners promote behavioral problems and contribute to obesity, proponents of fresh over packaged food would suggest limiting the intake of products containing them.
Trans Fats
Trans fats, or trans fatty acids, are harmful natural and artificial fats used to keep ready-to-eat foods fresh and tasting good. While they occur naturally in beef and dairy products, they are also made in a laboratory with a combination of hydrogen gas and oil. The University of Maryland Medical Center warns that this process is incredibly dangerous, as consumption of foods containing trans fats is the leading cause of clogged arteries and obesity. While naturally occurring fats can be harmful, the artificial form of trans fats increases total cholesterol while depleting healthy cholesterol that helps protect the heart.
References
- Le Cordon Bleu: The Benefit of Fresh Food Vs Packaged Food
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Consumption of High-Fructose Corn Syrup in Beverages May Play a Role in the Epidemic of Obesity
- Harvard School of Public Health: Public Health Takes Aim at Sugar and Salt
- Food and Drug Administration: Food Ingredients and Packaging, Food Ingredients and Colors
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Feature Stories, Trans Fats 101
Member Comments