have been altered from theirnatural state for convenience and for safety reasons.
Itis mainly to increase shelf life, so that foods stay fresh longer. If it'sboxed, bagged, canned or jarred it is processed.
Whatare the methods used to process foods?
Canning,freezing, refrigeration, dehydration and aseptic processing. In Asepticprocessing, the food product and the package is sterilized separately. Incanning, both the item and package are sealed as one and unit and sterilizedtogether.
Whatare some examples of processed foods?
Examplesof processed foods:
1.Cannedfoods (usually with a lot of sodium in it)
2.Whitebreads and pastas made with refined white flour, not whole grains.
3.Packagedhigh calorie snack foods- chips and cheese snacks.
4.Highfat convenience foods- cans of ravioli
5.Frozenfish sticks and frozen dinners
6.Packagedcakes and cookies
7.Boxedmeal mixes
8.Processedlunch meats (one of the worst)
Whatis so bad about these foods?
Thesefoods are not as healthy as fresh foods. They contain bad fats (trans fats ),saturated fats and a large amount of sodium and sugar, or ?empty calories?.
Whatelse is in processed foods?
Artificial
?colors
?stabilizers ( used to give the food aneven texture)
?emulsifiers (to create a pleasing,consistent blend between
?water soluble and oil solublecomponents)
?bleaches ( to disinfect)
?texturizers (too keep things crispy andcrunchy)
?softeners (to keep bread nice and soft)
?preservatives
?sweeteners
?flavorings
?chemicals to hide odors
Whatdoes all of this have to do with cancer ?
Freshfruits and veggies contain cancer fighting phyto-chemicals that are lacking inprocessed foods. These natural phyto-chemicals work synergistically to preventoxidative damage that can lead to free radical production and cellular death.Free radicals cause membrane damage and communication between cells becomeshindered. A single cell does not receive the signal to stop, and it begins todivide and spread, leading to cancer. Processed food lack natural vitamins andminerals that ensure proper growth, vitality, health, prevention or even cureof many chronic diseases such as cancer. Some vitamins and minerals act asantioxidants or are part of antioxidants that occur naturally in our body.
Whatabout the sugar in processed foods?
Sugarfeeds cancer cells and also reduces immunity. One teaspoon of sugar reducesimmunity by three hours. cells arebeing formed everyday, but are removed naturally from our body. Immune cellscan not remove cells that are not functioning optimally, including those cellsthat have been infected by bacteria and viruses. Some bacteria and viruses areknown to have a direct link to cancer.
Whatabout the sodium in processed foods?
Highsodium has been shown to increase hypertension and cancer. Reducing sodiumalone does not work, and one needs to increase potassium intake also. Normallywe get twice the amount of sodium than potassium. A ratio of 5:1 potassium tosodium is recommended.
Whatabout the other additives in processed foods?
Otheradditives in our foods have also been directly linked to many different typesof cancer. These additives in processed food lead to allergic reactions andtoxicity in our bodies. A good intake of water is one way to cleanse thesetoxins out of our body.
Whyis water intake so important?
Withdehydration, the blood becomes thick and saturated with toxins. The toxicwastes accumulate and create an acidic medium. Acidic environments are bad.Since the cells do not have proper oxygenation and nutrition, they change inform and function to survive. They live by fermentation rather than normaloxidative mechanisms and cancer.
Insum:
Avoidingprocessed foods as much as possible prevents not only , but a host of other diseases.A DASH diet is recommended ( dietary approaches to stop hypertension). Thisdiet focuses on whole food diet made up of vegetables, legumes, and wholegrains which are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates, and high in fiber.
Thisdiet prevents not only cancer , but hypertension. It is an excellentalternative to processed foods. Fresh fruits and veggies are actually lessexpensive than processed foods.