We’re talking about foods that appear healthy on the label, but are actually not so healthy on the inside. Food Processors tend to fudge their product descriptions to make you think they’re healthier than they really are. Take Whole Grain Bread, for example…
Real, homemade Dark Rye Bread with no additives or processed ingredients.
You couldn’t tell whether any processing had been done just by looking…
The maker lists whole grains and other basic foods on the label. But if the loaf is factory-made, you can be pretty sure that the basic foods used in the product have been processed until they screamed!
The good news…
According to a new study by Researchers from France’s INRAE National Research Institute for Agri-culture, Food and Environment: “Adults who consumed more plant-based foods of higher nutritional quality (lower in fat, sugar, and salt) and with minimal industrial processing had about a 40 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those who ate fewer nutritious plant-based foods and more animal-based products.”
However…
“People who ate larger amounts of plant-based foods that were nutritionally higher quality but ultra-processed, including items such as [commercial] wholemeal breads, store-bought soups, ready-made pasta dishes, or [pre-made] salads with dressing, did not experience a reduced cardio-vascular risk relative to individuals who consumed fewer of these products and more animal-based foods.”
What it means…
In plain English, that means the baker of the commercial Dark Rye Loaf may have started with basic whole grain, but processed the bejaysus out of it during manufacturing. Not to mention loading it up with additives, salt, fat and sugar. And that made it just as bad for you as other Processed Foods that are obviously ‘manufactured’.
My take
The connection between heart health and processed food may well be the most damning finding against Processed Foods – Ultra-Processed Foods in particular – to surface yet.
My questions to you:
How much of your diet is made up of Processed foods?
If you should be eating more fresh, non-processed foods, what’s holding you back?
- Cost?
- Availability?
- Preference for the processed stuff?
If food prices were lower, would you choose more fresh, unprocessed foods?
Muse on that…
~ Maggie J.