Is Processed Food Really Bad?

Written by Debra Wyatt (last updated July 19, 2021)

1

While people normally tend to think that processed foods are bad for us some even go as for as calling processed foods "junk food." It seems that the common way of thinking about processed foods is that they are full of artificial ingredients so they must be bad.

To understand if processed food is really bad you must first understand what processed food is. Basically, processed food is food that has been altered from its natural state for reasons of safety or convenience. There are different methods that are used for processing food some of these include canning, freezing, refrigeration, and even dehydration.

In reality there are a lot of foods that are processed that really aren't unhealthy. A good example is pasteurized milk. When milk is pasteurized the process kills the bacteria. It is then homogenized so that the fats don't separate. There are those who do drink raw milk, but most of us prefer to drink the milk from the store that is processed. There are many other examples of processed foods that are considered to be healthy, such as frozen fruits and vegetables. While we know that fresh fruits and vegetables are healthy for us there are times that it is not feasible for us to obtain fresh fruits and vegetables, especially when they are out of season. The next best choice is to use frozen food. Freezing fruits and vegetables preserves vitamins and minerals, which we can then choose to have any time of the year.

Canned foods usually have a high content of sodium and have lost some of their nutritional value by being processed at high temperatures. You can buy foods that are low in sodium, but you usually pay a little higher price for them.

There are still some processed foods that are not as healthy as what the fresh food would be. These are the foods that are generally referred to as "junk food." It really isn't hard to find the foods that are generally processed with high amounts of sugar and sodium as well as trans fats and saturated fats. These types of food are usually made in factories and are loaded with calories and a lot of artificial ingredients.

Beware of some of the processed foods. One of the worst processed foods would be processed meats, which includes packaged lunch meats, sausage, bacon, ham, bologna, and hot dogs.

If you are going to eat some of the processed foods, read the labels so that you are choosing the ones with the least amount of calories and are low in sodium.

Author Bio

Debra Wyatt

Deb has a communications degree and applies her talents to her position as Marketing Specialist at Sharon Parq Associates. In her spare time she spends time with her children and grandchildren and devotes time to her church. ...

MORE FROM DEBRA

Declutter Your Bedroom

Has your bedroom exploded with stuff, leaving behind a cluttered mess? The ideas in this tip will help you handle the ...

Discover More

Fantastic Yard Sale Ideas

You have de-cluttered your home, and are wondering what should you do with all that excess stuff? Don't put it into ...

Discover More

Different Kinds of Hair Styling Products

With all the different types of hair styling products available it can be overwhelming. There are only four basic hair ...

Discover More
More Cooking Tips

Ways to Reduce Carbs in Recipes

Carb-counting is the trend in today's world and so you may want to be able to cook low carb. Here are a few ideas to get ...

Discover More

Creating a Well-balanced Meal

Sometimes it can seem overwhelming to eat the foods we need to stay healthy. Eating a balanced diet isn't so difficult, ...

Discover More

Low Fat Salads

To make a low fat salad more interesting, use a different low fat dressing each time you eat a salad. There are thousands ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is two more than 1?

2014-11-30 01:33:30

Linda Jackson

I have gout really bad in my lower back and my big joints, so I've been eating a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, and drinking fresh lemon juice(water and fresh squeezed lemons). I was glad to hear I could buy frozen because fresh doesn't last a long time.