Like many Americans, you may be concerned with what you are putting into your body. This completely legit concern is not surprising, considering the fact that obesity rates and chronic diseases have been on the rise in both children and adults. One of the first steps to take in the fight against an unhealthy America is to avoid eating the foods that are contributing to illness—referring to processed foods. Then, discover why it is better for your health to eat organic foods in Poplar Bluff, MO!
What are processed foods?
What are processed foods, and are they really that bad for you? Processed food is a term used to label any food that has been changed in some way to either make it convenient for consumers or due to food safety concerns. To alter a food means that it is no longer in its natural state.
For example, pre-packaged food from store shelves and “food” from fast food places. However, it is important to reference the fact that some processed foods are more high processed than others. Your goal should be to buy only unprocessed or minimally processed foods.
Avoiding processed foods
If you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you need to avoid as many processed foods as possible and shift your focus to consuming whole, unprocessed foods, like organic and antibiotic-free meats and fresh organic vegetables.
Food in cans, bags and boxes that come pre-packaged from a factory have more likely than not been processed to create a longer shelf life. Preservatives and additives—usually these are the ingredients you cannot pronounce—are commonly found in such packaged foods. The salt and sugar content is greater and daily-required vitamins and minerals could be lacking.
A great example is white bread that’s not freshly baked in the shop’s bakery, packaged into plastic bags. This white bread gets its white color when the flour is bleached; this process strips it nearly of all its nutrients and fiber, both important in a healthy diet. Instead, manufactures add back in unnatural vitamins and fiber, and fat, sugar and salt are added in mass to give it some flavor. If you don’t want to bake your own bread, buy unbleached and not enriched whole-grain bread.
Do your research
Read food labels! An easy rule to remember is the more ingredients listed on a label, the greater possibility it’s processed. You will be shocked to see the length of some labels—some ingredient lists cover the entire backs of packages. Be wary of labels with more than five ingredients, especially ingredients you cannot pronounce or that look to be from a science lab. These could indeed be indicative of chemicals or harsh additives.
Avoiding processed foods is very doable. If you want to switch over to eating organic foods in Poplar Bluff, MO, get to searching the Internet for home cooked recipes to help you start a shopping list of healthy ingredients. Need assistance? The food experts at Bee Hive Natural Foods can point you toward quality organic and natural foods for your newly found healthy lifestyle.