We are always told that processed foods are
bad, but few people ask why. Foods often need processing to make them
digestible, with different methods and techniques available to preserve food,
add flavour to food, and make food production safer and more consistent.
However, despite these obvious benefits, food processing has also been linked
with numerous health problems. Let's take a close look at the complex
relationship that exists between food processing, nutrition, and human health. Food processing is an integral part of the human story. Cooking itself is an act of processing, as are many agricultural techniques, fermentation practices, and preservation methods. The early days of food processing helped humanity to expand by giving us a safe and reliable source of food during migration events. With humans less bound to time-consuming hunting and gathering practices, we were free to farm, fight, and explore the Earth with a full belly.
Food processing has a big place in today's world, with various methods used to stabilise food, store food, and extract new taste sensations. Modern processed food has developed a bad name, however, with processing practices now synonymous with high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt diets. We have developed a range of new and very powerful processing techniques, with colours, flavours, and preservatives added to food without upping its nutritional value. While these additives may have cosmetic, sensory, or economic value, they share little resemblance to real whole foods.
The situation is not clear cut, however, with lots of processed food products offering a healthy nutritional profile. Food packages highlight vitamins, protein, and fibre content, and published figures are mostly accurate due to public health guidelines. Healthy food is about more than nutrients, however, with the antioxidants, flavonoids, and polyphenols in whole foods often taken away during processing. Even when nutrients are added back in, like they often are with cereals, they're unlikely to work in the same way.
There is another important factor to consider, with processed ingredients often changing the nature of food consumption. Eating ultra-processed food on a regular basis changes your physiology and behaviour, with delicious and finely-tuned foods leading to more cravings. Consuming these foods can increase the hunger hormone, which means you don't feel full and eat more as a result. Due to increased sugar and fat content, along with refined taste profiles, people generally eat processed foods faster than whole foods. This can also be a problem, because you eat more before you start to feel full.
Processed foods vary widely, both in their nutritional profile and the additives they contain. If you're going to eat these foods, and most people do, it's important to make smart decisions and be clear about what you're consuming. While a diet high in ultra-processed foods is not recommended, irregular processed food consumption is unlikely to risk your long-term health. At the end of the day, a healthy diet is all about balance, with tasty processed foods best treated as an occasional "additive" to a healthy whole food diet. ; ; ;
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