Processed Foods

by Ms H

Foods prepared with physical or chemical treatments are considered as processed foods. They are almost always high in salt, which is their main negative point.  While salt in high quantities is unhealthy, small amounts are actually good for you and crucial for the function of all of our organs. However, the salt has its antibacterial properties, which make it ideal for preservation. Humans have been preserving foods for centuries. Your ancestors used to dry, freeze, can or pickle foods to extend their shelf life. Now with an increase in packaged foods also came an increase in different preservation methods. Chemical preservation is used to delay spoilage, enhance colour and flavour, and maintain consistency and texture of foods. The common preservative in many cured or smoked meats, such as bacon, jerky, deli meats and smoked salmon is sodium nitrate which helps to reduce colour changes.

Sodium nitrate in processed meat can damage the blood vessels around your heart, which can cause them to harden and narrow, which makes it more likely that you will develop heart disease. Eating regularly sodium nitrate with food you also increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in additional to these your chances of developing certain types of cancer increases too.

Processed foods include synthetic additives; E numbers are codes for substances that are permitted to be used as food additives for use with in EU^] and Switzerland. They are commonly found on food labels.  Example cereals are very often fortified with calcium. Whenever cereals are refined the vitamins and minerals are removed and the companies must replace them later by law. This process is called “fortifying”. The nutrients that have been added to foods afterward they are less effective synthetic substances and often harder for the body to absorb but they are still better than nothing and they can provide an important way for us to get certain vitamins and minerals. For instance, someone who has a lactose intolerance might use a water fortified with calcium. Meanwhile fortification is the only way that vegetarians can get vitamin B12 in their diet, which is highly important for brain function and nerve health.

Often the reason that foods are fortified and processed is to improve the taste Often they will taste fresher after a longer amount of time.

Many of the processed foods we get from fast food chains have added saturated fats and trans fats. While these aren't good for us, they do make us feel full for longer due to their slowest digestion.

Generally the processed foods are not as healthy as getting fresh foods and nutrients by controlling your diet closely. 

Some foods are worse for you than others and are increasing your risk of many conditions and diseases. While cancer is one of the worst, regularly eating the cancer causing foods can also lead to heart disease, diabetes, chronic inflammation, and so much more.

Here is the evil food list: canned foods, refined sugar, salted, pickled and smocked foods, grilled red meat, carbonated beverages, white flour, farmed fish, hydrogenated oil, microwave popcorn.

Raw Food Weight Loss - What It Is and Why It's Not a Bad Idea

By Cornell Dayne  

  

Years ago, if you told someone you were only eating "raw food," or that you were on a "raw food diet," they probably would have assumed that you were a blood sucking vampire. But today, with society being a lot more knowledgeable about the benefits of eating raw foods, those same people would likely pull up a chair and trade raw food weight loss tips with you.

If you're interested in weight loss with a raw food diet, take a look at the FAQ below and see if it is a good fit for you and your lifestyle.

What is raw food?

Raw food dieting is a life styles choice, and it has absolutely nothing to do with eating cold, bloody lamb shanks with dry pasta. Instead, it's a diet that centers on unprocessed, organic plant foods eaten in their natural form. Advocates of the raw diet lifestyle believe that consuming foods in their natural form gives the dieter access to the full benefits of the food's enzymes and nutritional value, which is otherwise, believed, lost once they are cooked.

Why is raw food good for weight loss?

It's good because the diet is extremely fruit and vegetable based. That means that your fiber intake will skyrocket and it will also mean that you cut out processed food, junk food, complex sugars, alcohol, and a lot of other stuff that encourages weight gain. By changing the way you eat and incorporating raw foods more into your daily diet, your body is going to be able to get rid of all the toxins and excess fat you're carrying around.

So... everything is, like, cold?

Not necessarily. You're not eating straight out of the fridge-unless of course you want to. You can allow refrigerated foods warm to room temperature, and you can warm up foods to no more than 104 °F (40 °C). Any hotter than that, and you won't be getting the full nutritional content that the food has to offer. You can also have some herbal tea, or pair hot spices like cayenne and garlic with your meals to warm them up.

Is it just about eating a plate of uncooked vegetables for every meal?

Absolutely not! Well, not unless you decide to extricate guacamole, lasagna, cheesecake, smoothies, and pancakes from your diet. Raw food diets are enormously popular, and there is no lack of delicious recipes you can use to create amazing meals that won't leave you hungry, or dissatisfied.

How do I get started on a raw food weight loss plan?

Well, there are a couple of ways you can start. You can throw out everything in your house that's not raw and replace it with the food and ingredients you need to make the change. You can gradually eliminate non-raw foods, and work your way to an all-raw diet. You can also choose one day a week to "go raw", and increase that weekly until you're eating raw foods seven days a week. Couple this with some intense cardio, and you'll be dropping weight in no time.

Be among the few women this year that will actually lose weight and live longer, healthier lives.

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Healthy Foods & Drinks

Food and drinks are necessary for survival and the gathering and preparation of foods and beverages consumes a large portion of our daily lives and consists of a large portion of the economy. People have become accustomed to easy access processed foods. Whereas the viewpoint of food was once "eat to live", it is now "live to eat".
Among other things, this change in philosophy seems to have correlated with the increased size of the American population. The ease at which food can be obtained, the multitude of food choices, the speed of both food production and preparation has all contributed to the growing waistline and declining nutritional values. As of 2010, approximately 66% of adults over age 20 are overweight to obese. Diabetes and childhood obesity are on the rise. Is it possible in this world of convenient fast meals and processed foods to live to eat without gaining weight, raising our cholesterol levels and increasing our risk to diabetes?
Healthy eating in the new century is easier than ever. Rather than turning to processed foods and drinks, buying high fat fast foods or eating sugary snacks people can use the convenience of today's markets to make healthy food and drink choices. The trend toward healthy eating is spreading. Grocery stores now offer many fresh snacks, ready-made meals, energy drinks and even post easy to see nutritional information. Fast food chains are now cooking with healthier oils, eliminating saturate fats, offering lower calorie meals and offering non-sugary beverages in children's meals. Farmers markets offering fresh local organic produce can be found in most cities. All of these changes have happened quickly so a review on what exactly is healthy eating and drinking may be needed for the benefits to take place throughout the population.

Many people are familiar with the U.S. guidelines for proper nutrition whether it is knowledge of the four basic food groups or familiarity with the food pyramid. Advances in research have led the U S Department of Agriculture and the U S Office of Health and Human Resources to update the guidelines for healthy eating. Now these guidelines will be updated every five years. New guidelines will be published April 20, 2010 based on the latest research. The old guidelines recommended four food groups and the amounts people consume have been changed. There are now six food groups and recommendations are made not based on specific serving sizes of each group, but on a nutrient dense plan. Recommendations are made for special groups including children, women, those over fifty and even vegetarians or other special diets.
The new food groups are: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat and beans, oils and discretionary calories. Currently the departments suggest a healthy diet include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat or fat-free milk products. Include but in moderation lean meats, fish, beans, eggs and nuts. Limit saturated fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.
An all-around healthy diet includes nutrient dense foods from a variety of the food groups. Emphasis is on colorful vegetables and fruit, limit intake of animal proteins and use oils sparingly. Variety and individuality in diet is important. No two people have the same nutrient needs; each should examine their own eating plan and adjust accordingly.

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