Cut the Crap - 5 Reasons to Give Up Processed Foods

Since I was a little girl I’ve had asthma and lots of terrible allergies that came with it. Sometimes the attacks were so bad that my parents had to take me to the doctor in the middle of the night because I simply couldn’t breathe. I’ve been on asthma medication, several inhalers, for prevention and attacks, my whole life. Until….. I decided to give up processed foods and all my asthma and crazy allergy symptoms disappeared like snow in the sun.

As this couldn’t be a coincidence, I started reading about the effects that processed foods can have on your body and I was shocked. It can trigger many allergic reactions, cause serious health issues, and result in the behavioural changes we often see in kids.

What are processed foods?

Processed foods have been altered from their original, natural state for safety or convenience reasons.

Processed foods carry a bit of a stigma these days, but not all processed foods are unhealthy. To put things in perspective: a nice healthy homemade green smoothie with whole foods sounds good. But it actually becomes a processed food as soon as you hit the power button on the blender.

Some examples of common and not-so-good processed foods:

microwave meal

candy

soda

crisps

breakfast cereals

sauces

cheese

canned foods

ready-to-go baking mixes

Why I decided to give up processed foods

I know processed foods are just so darn convenient. And I didn’t really want to give them up at first. But I had to, after I had a massive health scare in 2009. This health scare was the start of my health and wellbeing journey.

I totally understand where you’re coming from, I am a very busy woman and don’t always have time to cook a meal from scratch either. But hear me out… processed foods contain lots of additives, sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats. And I know from experience what a big impact they can have on your health and wellbeing.

5 reasons to give up processed foods

1. Additives

The difference between healthy and unhealthy processed foods is that healthy processed foods are mechanically processed and don’t contain any additives. Unhealthy processed foods are chemically processed and contain artificial flavours, colours, and preservatives. You know… all those numbers or hard to pronounce words on the nutrition label on the back of the product.

Some products are so chemically engineered that they’re rewarding for the brain. It switches off the signal that makes us feel full and causes overeating. How sneaky!

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

One of the most famous additives in our food is MSG. This is a flavour enhancer that overstimulates our nervous system. Reports mention that it causes headaches, upset stomach, burning sensations in the mouth, head and neck, weakness of the arm or legs and hives, or other allergic skin reactions.

Dr. R. Blaylock, a neurosurgeon and nutrition expert from the USA, even mentions in his book “Excitotoxins” that MSG damages the nervous system and that it’s carcinogenic.

Hidden MSG

The food industry has noticed that consumers are more wary of MSG and that they’re trying to avoid products that contain this additive. They are using clever ways to mislead the consumers by using other names for MSG:

Glutamic Acid (E 620)

Glutamate (E 620)

Monosodium Glutamate (E 621)

Monopotassium Glutamate (E 622)

Calcium Glutamate (E 623)

Monoammonium Glutamate (E 624)

Magnesium Glutamate (E 625)

Natrium Glutamate

Yeast Extract

Calcium Caseinate

Sodium Caseinate

Gelatin

Textured Protein

Soy Protein Isolate

Whey Protein Isolate

Vetsin

Ajinomoto

Anything hydrolysed and any hydrolysed protein

Food is information

Food is information. It talks to the cells in our body and can change the expression of our DNA.

No matter how often government bodies tell you these additives are safe to consume – your human cells don’t understand the information in the chemically engineered foods. This is why we need natural whole foods that actually nourish our bodies and provide them with proper nutrients, instead of increasing the toxic load.

2. Sodium

Most of the sodium intake in an average diet comes from the consumption of processed foods.

Foods that contain large amounts of sodium are microwave meals, canned and powdered soups, sauces, lunch meats, bacon, sausages, pizza, processed cheese, baked goods, chips, crackers, etc.

Too many salty foods can lead to high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. By consuming these products you’re putting your own health at risk.

3. Sugar

It’s no secret that sugar is very unhealthy. Some research points out that that sugar consumption is strongly associated with degenerative diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. It’s also leading to something even more noticeable: an obesity epidemic.

The worst thing is that we aren’t aware of how much sugar we’re actually consuming on a daily basis. It’s hiding in our processed foods.

Clever food companies are ‘hiding’ it by using different names for sugar like high fructose corn syrup, honey, dextrose, sucrose, malt syrup, rice syrup, fruit juice concentrate, agave nectar, barley malt, etc.

You can read more about hidden sugars and where to find them in my blog post here.

4. Fats

Fats are essential for your body to function properly… healthy fats that is. Processed foods usually contain cheaper fats like refined seed and vegetable oils. These fats contain lots of Omega-6 fatty acids that can cause oxidation and inflammation in your body.

When these fats are hydrogenated they become even more unhealthy as they turn into trans fats. Consuming trans fats significantly increases the risk of getting heart disease. Trans fats can be found in a variety of foods: baked goods, snacks, fried food, coffee-creamer, and margarine.

5. Low in nutrients and fibre

Processed foods are usually made up of simple, empty carbohydrates. They lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels and provide very little nutrition for the body. Consuming foods like these will leave you overfed but undernourished. Providing your body with proper and the right amount of nutrients is extremely important to survive and stay healthy. By consuming lots of processed foods you’re also seriously compromising your digestive health, as these foods are low in fibre.