The Hidden Danger in Processed Food
Have you ever gone grocery shopping with young children? The most appealing foods are right at their eye-level, decorated with a rainbow of colors, funny animals and other kids playing. It would seem that those boxes they eagerly pull off the shelves are harmless fun and wholesome nutrition.
But ask your pre-schooler to pronounce the ingredient list, and he won't make it far before stumbling across seven-syllable long words that bring back your Chemistry 101 memories..
These chemicals are what defines processed foods, food that has been altered from its natural state to make it grocery-store friendly. The chemicals add color, flavor, texture, and shelf-life. They create an artificial state where we can eat seasonal fruite year-round and make entire meals by just adding water.
The health effects of eating neon-green puffed corn that tastes like limes aren't that hidden; they are encoded right there on the ingrediet list.
Scientific studies of those synthetic chemicals and food additives have found many carcinogenic properties. The many ways of saying "sugar" means a higher risk for diabetes. The trans fatty acids in many processed foods raise cholesteerol level, clog arteries and can cause heart disease. Salt is a natural preservative, but is overused to preserve processed foods; high sodium is linked to high blood pressure and risk of stroke. The sugar, fat and salt are addictive and can lead to weight gain to the points of obesity.
As we become more used to the artificial taste of processed foods, the taste of fresh and raw fruits and vegetables will seem more blaned. We will become more reliant on junk food made artifiacially nutritious with synthetic vitamins and minerals, instead of seeking out its natural source.
Cheap processed food is convenient to our modern lifestyle, but the long-term effects our healthy can be costly. Don't make your child guess which combination of artificial color and flavor chemical names means "grape;" let him hold the real thing in his hands and eat the natural way.
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SMART BITES TO GO
Healthy eating should be a convenience, not a chore, Smart Bites takes the complications of meal planning off your plate delivering an entire day's worth of meals and snacks right to your door
But ask your pre-schooler to pronounce the ingredient list, and he won't make it far before stumbling across seven-syllable long words that bring back your Chemistry 101 memories..
These chemicals are what defines processed foods, food that has been altered from its natural state to make it grocery-store friendly. The chemicals add color, flavor, texture, and shelf-life. They create an artificial state where we can eat seasonal fruite year-round and make entire meals by just adding water.
The health effects of eating neon-green puffed corn that tastes like limes aren't that hidden; they are encoded right there on the ingrediet list.
Scientific studies of those synthetic chemicals and food additives have found many carcinogenic properties. The many ways of saying "sugar" means a higher risk for diabetes. The trans fatty acids in many processed foods raise cholesteerol level, clog arteries and can cause heart disease. Salt is a natural preservative, but is overused to preserve processed foods; high sodium is linked to high blood pressure and risk of stroke. The sugar, fat and salt are addictive and can lead to weight gain to the points of obesity.
As we become more used to the artificial taste of processed foods, the taste of fresh and raw fruits and vegetables will seem more blaned. We will become more reliant on junk food made artifiacially nutritious with synthetic vitamins and minerals, instead of seeking out its natural source.
Cheap processed food is convenient to our modern lifestyle, but the long-term effects our healthy can be costly. Don't make your child guess which combination of artificial color and flavor chemical names means "grape;" let him hold the real thing in his hands and eat the natural way.
----------------------------************************---------------------------
SMART BITES TO GO
Healthy eating should be a convenience, not a chore, Smart Bites takes the complications of meal planning off your plate delivering an entire day's worth of meals and snacks right to your door
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