Think Before Consuming Fast Food
A lot of the foods we eat today are packaged and ready to eat processed foods . In the fast and busy life, especially in metros , it is a natural choice for youngsters particularly when both partners are at work . If both partners are working in IT sectors and doing high pressure jobs they are under pressure to meet the deadline , they rush for fast packaged processed foods . Some foods may be somewhat processed and some may be ultra processed .
Even if we are taking processed foods we must be careful and watch the label closely to get info about the ingredients . Most products claim healthy nutrients but some are healthy ones and some are additives and nutrients which we do not need and might be unnecessary . Some preservatives are added to keep them fresh while some are added to make it more appealing ( like colors ) or to enhance its texture and flavor .
Processed foods are not just microwave foods and ready to eat meals . A processed food is any food that has been altered in some way from its natural state during preparations like freezing , canning , baking , dying etc. All processed foods are not unhealthy but they may have higher levels of sugar , salt , and fat . Some foods need processing to make them safe for consumption e.g. milk is pasteurized to free it from harmful bacteria , pressing seeds to extract oil .
What Processed foods we usually take - Breakfast cereals , tinned vegetables , cheese,bread , drinks including milk , sodas and soft drinks , snacks like chips , cookies , sausages , pies , pastries ,rolls , ready meals . meat products , cakes , biscuits , candies , ice cream , instant noodles etc.
Sugar , salt and fats in processed foods make them unhealthy . Sometimes we get tempted by their taste and consume more . They have more easy calories due to sugar and fats .
Even if packaged food becomes a necessity we must be careful about the followings -
1 . Added Sugar - Added sugar is a type of refined sugar which is added during processing to make the food tasty . But the truth is that this sugar has no nutritional value at all . It also causes spikes in blood sugar level. On the other hand it is not necessary to totally eliminate added sugar but we need to watch the label about the quantity of added sugar and ensure it is within healthy limits .
This sugar is empty calorie which leads to weight gain and possibly inflammations too .Actually the cells in our body absorb and react differently to processed foods than they do to natural foods . Our body is designed and programmed to utilize and metabolize the nutrients , vitamins and minerals that our natural foods provide and which are essentials for functioning of our body . But the sugar ,fats and even spme grains that are present in the processed foods are a different story . They are neither needed nor our body knows how to react with them , particularly when they are eaten in large quantities . Higher levels of refined sugars , fats and carbs are toxics for our body and they directly or indirectly are the cause of inflammatory diseases .
Thumb rule for adults for sugar -
High - more than 22.5 gm per 100 gm of serving
Low - less than 5 gm per 100 gm of serving
2 . Saturated Fats - Fats are one of the most misunderstood and the most controversial nutrients . While Saturated foods may be taken in limited quantities, Trans fats should be avoided in totality . Saturated fats are naturally present in many animal foods like red meats , chickens etc. While all fats are not bad we should know which fat does not raise our cholesterol level particularly LDL, which can cause serious heart disease . Saturated fats should be limited between 12 to 16 gms a day .
Thumb rule for adults for Total Fat -
High - more than 17.5 gm per 100 gm of serving
Low - less than 3 gm per 100 gm of serving
Thumb rule for adults for Saturated Fat -
High - more than 5 gm per 100 gm of serving
Low - less than 1.5 gm per 100 gm of serving
3 . Sodium - As most of us know consuming too much salt or sodium leads to rise in blood pressure level which is not good for heart health . Usually the daily limit of sodium is 2300 milligrams . It is very easy for us to cross this limit because nearly 70 % or even more sodium is added during processing and manufacturing of packaged foods . Foods like canned soups , beans , seasonings etc. contain too much sodium . While choosing such foods we should look at the labels and ensure it contains reduced or low sodium or even very low sodium . Some manufacturers put No Salt on the label .
Thumb rule for adults for Salt -
High - more than 1.5 gm salt per 100 gm of serving ( or 0.6gm sodium )
Low - less than 0.3 gm salt per 100 gm of serving ( or 0.1 gm sodium )
4 . Big List of Ingredients - Many processed food producers put a long list of ingredients in their products . Most of them are not necessary nor do they have nutritional value. The smaller the list the better it is as a smaller list usually means lesser processing . For example we can see more than a dozen ingredients on a bag of chips and bread . But a longer list is not always bad . Sometimes manufacturers add some good herbs and / or vitamins and minerals .
5 . Big or small in Size - Even if the packaged food you choose carefully has fats , sugar or sodium within limits, the serving size of many of such packets are bigger in size . On the other hand some may be unreasonably smaller in serving size. So we need to look at the serving size of the packet and choose as per our individual needs of calories and carbohydrates . Keep in mind that Processed foods have refined carbs, quick calories , low fiber contents and relatively low nutrients .
6 . Additives we should avoid -
a . Sodium nitrite - It helps stabilize , color , flavor , meat and prevent growth of harmful bacteria . But when heated at high temperature or combined with stomach acid sodium nitrite produces Nitrosamines which might cause risk of pancreatic cancer or colorectal cancer .
b . Sulfites - It is a preservative and many people are sensitive to it as Sulfites can easily aggravate asthma . Products containing sulfur dioxide , potassium bisulfite , sodium bisulfite should be avoided .
c . Trans Fat - It is harmful as it increases risk of heart diseases . Manufacturere use these partially hydrogenated oils to improve shelf life and consistency of packaged foods like cookies, crackers etc.
d . MSG ( Monosodium glutamate ) - This is used to increase flavor and texture in foods like soup etc. Some people are sensitive to it and they can feel nausea or breathing problems . Besides, extra sodium in it might raise blood sugar .
e . Coloring agents ( like FD & C yellows ) - These artificial coloring agents are added to candy , cereals which can cause allergic reactions to asthma patients and might possibly cause hyperactivity in kids .
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