FOOD
“ The health problems associated with ultra-processed foods are ten-fold , with researches linking genetically modified organisms ( GMOs ) with cancer and infertility .”
Whether you are caught up in the annual January rush of recommitting to your health or are looking to continue to grow your dedication to your fitness , somewhere down the path you must have come across the ‘ clean eating ’ movement .
The crux of the matter It is a deceptively simple concept . It is not a diet that focuses on eating more or less of any specific thing ; rather it is a lifestyle choice that asks you to eat better – i . e . whole foods , that which is either not processed or as minimally processed as possible .
Essentially , processed food covers anything which involves additions of any kind – everything from salt to flavour , even preservatives – changing the form of natural food through , say , stirfrying , and any foods with components manufactured in a lab which is all the stuff on the label you cannot pronounce .
In this vein , processed food includes everything from a churro to the jar of organic peanut butter in your cabinet , even the instant coffee .
The thing to keep in mind is that not all processed food is bad . In fact , often processing make certain foods more edible by removing toxins from them that can be harmful to us , or makes foods more enjoyable ( kale !) by altering the flavour , or gives us access to food that are off-season through canning or freezing .
Though , while you may be munching on canned vegetables , pasteurised milk , or even instant oatmeal , these foods are not on the same level as items like sodas and doughnuts – what the experts like to call ultra-processed – and big no-nos in the eating clean movement .
“ But they taste so good ,” you say .
Well , the health problems associated with ultra-processed foods are ten-fold , with researches linking genetically modified organisms ( GMOs ) with cancer and infertility . In fact , studies have also shown these foods to be laced with chemicals that encourage your appetite rather than satiate it , pushing you to eat more and more . On top of everything , these highly-processed foods are also stripped of nutrients needed for overall health , leaving them of absolutely no use to you , in any way .
You have also , undoubtedly , come across a number of such products with new packaging sporting an overall ‘ healthier ’ look ; less sodium , no trans fats , vitamin-enriched , and low cholesterol , to name just four , tricking you to believe that eating more of this is not as bad now because it ’ s healthier but all this does is convolute your perception .
So what do you eat ? Well , unprocessed foods include fresh fruits and vegetables , dried legumes , nuts , and farm-fresh eggs while minimally-processed ones include unrefined grains ( whole wheat bread and pasta for instance ), frozen fruits and veggies , oils , and hormone-free dairy .