Many people eat diets consisting mainly of processed food. This can be convenient, but it isn't necessarily healthy. Cutting out these foods will leave more room for the fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains that improve your health and lower your risk for diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
Unhealthy Ingredients
Processed foods tend to contain lots of salt, sugar and saturated and trans fats, as well as chemical additives that aren't good for you. When reading nutrition facts on the labels, pay particular attention to hydrogenated oils, which is another name for trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, saturated fat and salt content.
Possible Health Risks
Consuming processed foods may increase your risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, dental disease, cancer and osteoporosis, according to a 2003 article on the BBC News website. A study published in 2009 in the "British Journal of Psychiatry" also found that people who ate diets high in processed foods were more likely to suffer from depression than people who ate diets consisting mainly of whole foods.
Recommendations
The World Health Organization recommends limiting the amount of processed foods you eat. Added sugar should account for less than 10 percent of your calories, fat for less than 30 percent and saturated fat for less than 10 percent, with salt intake less than 5 g per day. Limit high-calorie foods and eat more plant-based and ocean-based foods.
Considerations
It can be hard to totally cut out processed foods from your diet. Start with eliminating those with the most added sugar, saturated fat, trans fat and salt. Fresh produce is best, but frozen produce with no added ingredients is a close second, followed by low-sodium and low-sugar canned alternatives. The further away a food is from its natural form, the less healthy it is likely to be.
References
- CBN.com: How to Avoid Processed Foods in a Healthy Diet; Lorie Johnson; Sept. 22, 2010
- BBC News: Depression Linked to Processed Food; Nov. 2, 2009
- American Heart Association: Trans Fats; Oct. 29, 2010
- Mayo Clinic: Low-Sodium Diet: Why Is Processed Food So Salty; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
- BBC News: Eat Less Processed Food, Say Experts; March 3, 2003
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