Food Myths

• For the most part, today’s society looks for convenience and simplicity when it comes to the next meal. Along with such convenience and simplicity come processed foods to satisfy the appetite.
• Potatoes didn’t come in a box in the old days. Mashed potatoes were actually peeled, washed, cut up, and boiled until ready to add the fresh whole milk and butter. Yes, that was butter – not the imitation spread in a tub labeled with a promise of unsaturated fat.
• With cancer and heart disease all around us, researchers are now studying the dangers of processed foods which are more of a staple in our home than a loaf of bread or carton of milk.

Today’s society looks for convenience and simplicity when it comes to the next meal. Along with such convenience and simplicity come processed foods to satisfy the appetite. Drive-thru fast food restaurants can be found at almost every corner serving foods fried in trans and saturated fats. The freezer section at the grocery store is sometime larger than the fresh produce department. Although the snack aisle has some chips made with trans fat free products, the popular fattening and tasty chips are most popular. Anything you can think of eating may come in a can or jar these days. With this diet, our society is consuming an astonishing amount of unhealthy meals without a thought of the dangers of processed foods.

Looking back to the days of our parents and grandparents, food was bought fresh from the market on a daily basis. Potatoes didn’t come in a box in the old days. Mashed potatoes were actually peeled, washed, cut up, and boiled until ready to add the fresh whole milk and butter. Yes, that was butter—not the imitation spread in a tub labeled with a promise of unsaturated fat.

Our taste buds have been trained to crave foods which are sweet, salty, spicy, and probably unhealthy. With cancer and heart disease all around us, researchers are now studying the dangers of processed foods which are more of a staple in our home than a loaf of bread or carton of milk.

If the label of the can, box, bag or jar has ingredients listed which you can hardly read, you can be quite certain there has been some processing going on to keep that food fresh to a distant date in a certain appetizing color with a particular artificial flavor to satisfy the demanding taste buds and appetite. Then, there are the different kinds of fats; trans fat, trans fat free, polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats. Although some products are promised to be made with trans fat free oil, saturated and trans fat is in abundance of most products. If counting food calories, processed food is what you don’t want to eat.

Although the threats of processed foods are numerous, knowing the 10 top dangers of processed foods may be enough to rethink your next meal or snack.

1. CANCER – Some cancers are known to be caused by carcinogenic properties which are included in processing foods.

2. OBESITY – Processed foods are most often high in fat, sugar and salt. If counting food calories, these are the perfect ingredients to cause excessive weight gain.

3. HIGH CARB CONTENT – Most processed foods include an overabundance of carbohydrates and not nearly enough protein.

4. HEART DISEASE – The trans fat in many processed foods will spike the cholesterol level and lower the HDL.

5. HYPERTENSION – Blood pressure is elevated by the high salt and fat content in foods.

6. DIABETES – The high sugar products and fast acting carbohydrates will raise the glucose to unhealthy levels.

7. FOOD ADDITIVES AND UNKNOWN EFFECTS – For color, consistency, taste, shelf life and more, processed foods include additives while the effects are unknown.

8. UNKNOWN FILLERS – Several foods like hot dogs and processed meats are filled with unknown parts.

9. LACK OF NUTRIENTS – If processed foods are the main part of the diet, the body will be lacking the nutrients needed to fight disease.

10. ARTIFICIAL VITAMINS – Synthetic vitamins, which lose their potency during processing, are added to some processed foods like bread.

The list of the dangers of processed foods can go on. Back to basics with home cooking using wholesome, nutritious, and unprocessed foods may add healthier years to your life.

Tags: counting food calories, dangers of processed foods, saturated and trans fat

Posted on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 11:46 am | Food Myths