Processed Food

While whole foods are usually fresh, in a raw, unaltered state, processed food have gone through some type of manufacturing process, stripping them from valuable nutrients and replacing them with ingredients which extend their shelf life. Typically most packaged or canned food go through a high heating process, which kills all nutrients and enzymes found in the raw state. The final product will contain very little, if any, of the benefits of the whole food. Instead the ingredients included to give flavour and texture increase the risk for various health issues and diseases.

Most of the processed foods contain preservatives such as

• Trans Fats

Trans Fats should be avoided at all costs. They are created when hydrogen is added to oil. Most vegetable oils like canola, corn etc. contain some amount of trans fats. Margarine as well. Most fast-food use cheap quality oils to deep fry foods so you should avoid fried chips, chicken nuggets and any such food.

• Sodium Nitrite

Sodium nitrite is typically found in processed meat like salami, ham, sausages etc. Sodium nitrate has been linked to cancer and other health issues. Nitrite is an easy way to give a pink shade to processed meats. Nitrite reacts with the meat myoglobin to cause colour changes, first converting to nitrosomyoglobin (bright red), then, on heating, to nitrosohemochrome (a pink pigment). 

In the meat-packing industry, nitrite is used to prevent botulism. Historically, salt has been used for the preservation of meat. The salt-preserved meat product was usually brownish-grey in colour. When sodium nitrite is added with the salt, the meat develops a red, then pink colour, which is associated with cured meats.

Through research in the early 1900s, sodium nitrite has been found to give taste and colour to the meat and extended storage life.

• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

MSG is created from a chemical called glutamate. It enhances the flavour of savoury dishes (e.g. Chinese food and fast food). There have been many reports of people having reactions such as headaches, flushing, sweating, numbness, heart palpitations, nausea and more.

• Food colouring

Most food have some percentage of colouring and should of-course be avoided.

• High Fructose Corn Syrup

The king of additives. A very cheap flavour enhancing compound which is added to most packaged food to provide the sweet taste consumers want. It is hidden in so many foods and adds to the daily sugar intake without people being aware.

• Aspartame

Another sweetener found in many sodas, chewing gums and more. It is 200 times more sweet that normal sugar! Stay away from it!

Other additives are Sodium Benzoate, BHA and BHT, Sulfur Dioxide, Propylparaben.