Whatever you do, no matter how appealing the outside cover looks, how tempting it smells, or how sweet it tastes, don't eat it.
Especially if you have Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease or Acid Reflux.
Before going further into the fight on why these "foods" worsen your GERD, and for purposes of clarity and simplicity, processed foods are simply defined as anything that you put in a box, bag, can or jar, with ingredients that are hard to pronounce.
Slightly humorous but true, these "foods" are unlike real foods.
You can call them things if you will because food is the farthest thing they would become.
If you had any idea how insulting they are to your body.
You're obviously intelligent enough to know that a good number of processed foods have an indefinite shelf life and they don't spoil within a few days - something that is a trademark of real food.
Oh yes, they may start out with real food ingredients.
But along with it are added ton loads of chemical preservatives which just spoil the whole thing.
Then they have to go through certain processes (bleaching, drying, heating, freeze drying, evaporating, etc.
) and the last thing they would ever resemble would be your grandmother's best home-cooked meal.
Though they may claim that it tastes that way.
Don't be fooled by the label that says they're healthy; on the contrary, they are in every way harmful - especially to your esophagus which badly needs time to heal itself from acid reflux.
1.
Processed foods have no water.
- If you are suffering from acid reflux, water should be one of your best friends.
It is responsible in transporting nutrients and disposing of wastes from the body.
But munching down on a bag of chips or a box of popcorn only worsens the situation.
Void of water, they add up to the garbage pile, making you more toxic and increasing the chances for more diseases to develop.
2.
Processed foods have no nutrients.
- Equally important as the first thing mentioned, these "things" literally have nothing to help your body with, except maybe serve as an emergency food purpose.
But for acid reflux patients, even that is not a good thing, as all it does is consume a good deal of digestive energy and then turn to waste.
3.
Processed foods make you more hungry.
- Well, there goes the "emergency food" excuse.
This is brought about by your body's hunger for real food and not just something to occupy its stomach for the time being.
Try finishing a box of chocolates and observe an hour later how you feel and you'll know what I mean.