Processed food and health!
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Apr 19, 2019
- 4 min read
Introduction:
We all know that there is amajor concern about processed food consumption and health effects.
Some basic food processing is necessary to ensure the safety of perishable items, such as fresh meat or dairy, the concern lies with products considered to be highly processed.
These are the convenience foods that dominate the center aisles of your typical grocery store and include: ready-made meals, cereal, canned goods, cookies, chips, sodas, candy, sweets, and other packaged items.
In addition, many types of meat and cheese products, such as bacon, sausages, hot dogs, lunch meat, and cheese slices or spreads are also considered highly processed foods. Unfrotunately, these processed food contributes to the majority of calories of diet of many people.
Sometimes, avoiding of processed food may seem impossible but there is a need to understand the health effects of high consumption.
Highly processed foods are also chemically treated with additives or preservatives to improve their taste, texture, or to extend shelf-life. An easy way to identify any processed food is to take a look at the label; if there is a laundry list of ingredients with unrecognizable, complicated names it is safe to say it's processed food.
Here are six ways overconsumption of processed food could be affecting your health:
Obesity
Processed food are loaded with added sugar that has been linked to obesity. Sugar is not the only word that describe its prescence in processed food. The most common names are corn syrup, fructose, glucose, sucrose, malt or maltose, honey, molasses, or nectar.
They are known as empty sugar as they offer no nutritonal value instead they offer only extra calories and lead to cravings and hunger.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends added sugars should be limited to no more than 10 percent of daily calories. This equals about 12 teaspoons of sugar per day, which sounds pretty generous until you put into perspective that the average can of soft drink contains about 10 teaspoons alone.
Metabolic Syndrome Includes Cardiovascular Disease and Type 2 Diabetes
Processed food consumption has been linked to metabolic syndrome which is defined as a group of risk factors that can lead to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed when any three or more of the following five risk factors are present:
· Increased waistline also known as being “apple-shaped” with abdominal obesity
· Elevated triglycerides, or needing medication to lower triglycerides
· Low HDL (healthy) cholesterol levels, or needing medication due to low HDL levels
· High blood pressure, or needing a medication to treat high blood pressure
· High fasting blood glucose or needing a medication due to high fasting blood glucose
Sugar are the preffered fuel by the body unfortunately excess intake will lead to extra sugar and fat storage eventually. One common problem with sugar is high insulin level which lead later on to insulin resistance and high level of triglycerides.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Processed foods can also play a role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease, also known as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. The effect comes from emulsifiers used to extend shelf life and hold shape and texture of food. They are found in nearly every processed food product, including breads, peanut butter, cake mixes, salad dressings, sauces, yogurt, pudding, processed cheese, ice cream, and desserts.
It may be surprising to know that the emulsifiers used in processed food are similar to those also found in your household soaps or detergents. This is because the primary function of an emulsifier is to allow water and oil to stay mixed, whether it’s for the purposes of removing grime and stains, or for holding together food substances that normally would separate.
In a recent studies, emulsifiers in processed food lead to change in gut bacterium and then inflammatory bowel disease.
Autoimmune Diseases:
They are defined as abnormal reaction of immune system toward its own cells. There are over 100 different autoimmune diseases, but the more common ones are type 1 diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. In these diseases, the immune system confuses healthy cells as unhealthy and prompts an attack on the body it is meant to protect.
A leaky gut may be a reason behind autoimmune disease and this is due when tight junctions become compromised, they weaken the body’s defense and can allow the exposure of harmful antigens into the body by increasing intestinal permeability.
According to studies many additives used in processed food have been linked to autoimmune disease as they compromise tight junctions and increae flow of toxins. The seven additives identified are glucose, salt, emulsifiers, organic solvents, gluten, microbial transglutaminase, and nanoparticles—all of which are commonly used in processed food products.
Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer has been linked to high consumption of processed meat like lunch meat, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and beef jerky or any other meat product that has been chemically treated in order to stay preserved.
The risk also includes consumption of red meat such as beef or pork. Eating as few as 50 grams of processed or red meat daily, which is roughly the equivalent of a small hot dog or two slices of bacon, has been found to raise the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent. The effect of processed meat comes from the preservatives used or even cooking process which lead to highv carcinogenic substances.
Anxiety and Depression
Diets high in processed foods are also linked to increased rates of anxiety and depression. One theory explain that added sugar affects gut health and lead to imbalance and low level of serotonin the neurotransmitter responsible for mood improvement.
In addition, added sugar will lead to sugar spike, insulin resisntace and then hyperactivity followed by leathargy. Not that added sugar could be addictive.
Conclusion:
It is important to notice that high processed food consumtpion is usually replacing real food and result in low vitamins and minerals intake. In addition, consumption may affect both mental and physical health. It is important to stop consumption of processed food and at least if you dont want to stop you need to be midnful about the amount consumed.
Sources:
Comments