Site navigation and social media links
Processed Foods
Blog | January 03, 2015
Processed foods are cheap and convenient. They can also last a very long time without spoiling. In fact, I’m sure Top Ramen and Twinkies could survive a nuclear winter. Unfortunately, these are not necessarily good things. Convenience and a long shelf life are not aspects we want to really consider when eating and drinking, especially when it comes to our health and wellbeing.
Avoiding processed foods can be difficult. Packaging and advertisements can throw the best of us off if we fail to read the actual ingredients. Sure, that sandwich may sound like something a rustic Italian farmer may have prepared just for you, but the truth is, it was put together in a factory and has been sitting in a truck for a couple of days. Add to that a hectic schedule and it’s easy to see why many of us run to places like our neighborhood Starbucks on our lunch breaks to grab a sandwich or a snack.
Still, I don’t think it’s necessary to consider processed foods to be the equivalent of rat poison. Often such an overzealous approach tends to stand upon somewhat shaky research as this recent NPR article points out. Nonetheless, processed foods are not the healthiest choice and are, more often than not, loaded with so many artificial ingredients and sodium that they resemble a laboratory experiment more than actual food.
The main thing to consider is that almost all prepackaged food sold in cafes and restaurants are loaded with sodium and other preservatives. Why? Transportation and shelf life are two big factors. Sodium alongside other chemically sounding ingredients allows food products to not spoil as quickly as natural, wholesome foods. This allows them to have a longer shelf life. In other words, your health and wellbeing are not the major concern for many of these restaurants, but sales and productivity.
Startlingly enough, 80% of the sodium consumed in the American diet is from processed foods or restaurant foods according to The Harvard School of Public Health. As many of you already know, consuming too much sodium has a direct link with high blood pressure and heart disease.
Limiting the food we eat outside and refocusing on cooking and preparing meals at home are two major steps we can take to avoid the avalanche of salt, sodium and artificial ingredients that plagues much of the American diet. Try planning ahead and preparing meals on the weekend if you’re facing a busy week.
How often do you eat out? Are you actively aware of the nutritional information when grabbing food on the run?
Private Member |
seattle, washington
I find with owning my own business there are weeks I have virtually no time to make meals. So I have been eating sandwiches made at a deli in a grocery store or soups and buffet items from Whole Foods. I try to check out the ingredients but they don’t make it transparent at either place.
Private Member |
Thanks for sharing the NPR article.
Private Member |
la valette-du-var, france
I don’t eat processed food, but sometimes I find it funny to look at the labels, and if it’s not packed with really bad stuff, it’s full of water ! And the “healthy” versions are usually really poor in calories and … kind of everything, but surprisingly rich in carbohydrate and sugar … anyway I’m not interested in these kind of products even if it’s not as much time consuming as cooking 🙂
Private Member |
oakland, ca, usa
We never ever eat out since I eat and cook a paleo diet. It’s too hard to eat out without being a pain. I love controlling what we put in our mouths.
Private Member |
vranov nad topľou, slovakia
I´m a vegetarian and I try to be a vegan so I have to cook meals home becouse very often I don´t have a lot of choices in restaurant in our city. I live in small town in Eastern Slovakia and here a lot of people actualy don´t know what it is “vegan” becouse they think meat is the best healthy meal on the planet 😀 So I have to plan my meal but I´m okay with that 🙂
Private Member |
ohio, united states
People tend to become anti social and a pain in the neck if they become too militant about it. My grandfather is 99. He still cooks, but he used to smoke cigars and I also remember him taking us to mcdonalds after a day out on his boat.
Private Member |
Z,
This question is sort of off topic, but what macro nutrient profile do you target. I know you limit your carbs, but by how much. What is a good target Protein/Carb/Fat ratio? Also could you provide some typical profiles for say men vs women, generally fit vs performance/chiseled-cut-goddess (i.e. you).
Thanks! Love ya! Bye!