10 Most Common Processed Foods To Avoid And Healthier Alternatives
The world is under an epidemic of processed food. Recent studies show that more than half
of the calories in the American diet is coming from ultra-processed food. Fast lifestyle,
comfort, or whatever the reason is processed food have become a part of our lives,
but is it healthy? Not at all; many health problems like obesity,
hypertension, and heart issues are on the rise due to their prevalence.
Another problem is most of them are under the disguise of healthy food and harming our health.
To make things easy for you, we will share with you a list of the 10 MOST
COMMON PROCESSED FOODS YOU SHOULD AVOID AND THEIR HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES.
#1. Bacon Who doesn’t like crispy,
chewy bacon, but sadly they are not healthy. I know they contain protein, but what comes
along with protein is making it harmful for you. According to USDA, one pan-fried slice of bacon
contains 190 mg of sodium; just eating one bacon slice can account for 8 to 13 percent of
our recommended sodium intake. Plus, it is high in saturated fats, which further increases your
risk of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. To improve the shelf-life and color, adding food
additives like nitrates is a common practice, while many scientific studies indicate the
association of nitrates consumption with cancer. Try adding tofu, beans, fish, and avocado to your
diet to get high-quality protein and essential fats without putting your health at risk.
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#2. Flavored nuts Are you munching nuts instead of unhealthy snacks
to achieve your fitness goal? You certainly should stop eating them if they contain additives, sugar,
syrup, or any other flavor. Aisles of stores are full of different kinds of flavored nuts, and they
get sold as healthy snacks. But what makes them unhealthy is added flavor. Maple-flavored nuts,
wasabi, and soy sauce dusted, toffee coated, all such kinds of nuts are full of sugar,
salt, and additional calories and can harm your body instead of providing nuts benefits.
Spicy almonds from a famous brand give you 260 mg of sodium (11% of DV) and 12g fat
(19% of DV) in just one serving of 28g. Stick to the unflavored nuts to enjoy a
healthy treat without consuming an abundance of fat, sugar, and salt.
#3. Microwave popcorn One leading microwave popcorn vendor
sold about 404.49 million U.S. dollars for the 52 weeks in 2020; this shows how common it is, but is
it healthy? Microwave popcorn is full of salt and hydrogenated oils, which can cause hypertension,
heart diseases, and obesity. There is more; manufacturers usually cover the lining of the
microwave popcorn bags with chemicals to keep the fat and other ingredients from soaking through the
paper bag, and these chemicals can cause cancer. Some researchers also found that butter-flavored
compounds used in microwave popcorn are respiratory toxins; can cause lung disease.
The good thing is popcorns can be a healthy, whole-grain snack; if prepared in the right way.
Buy some corn kernels and pop them on the stove to enjoy the healthy version of your favorite snack.
#4. Margarine Many people use margarine to avoid saturated
fats from butter, but what margarine gives you is far worse than butter. It contains a high
level of trans fats; These fats are highly toxic and can increase the risk of diabetes,
heart problems, and many other diseases. Unlike butter, margarine doesn’t contain any natural
vitamin or mineral to benefit you; moreover, manufacturers add various chemicals to it for
increasing shelf life and enhancing flavor. One common preservative is butylated hydroxyanisole
(BHA). BHA is associated with liver damage and several other health issues.
Try using mashed avocado or yogurt instead of margarine in your foods.
#5. Fruit snacks Just because they contain the word Fruit in
their name, many people think of them as healthy fruit alternatives, but the reality is different.
They are full of added sugar, corn syrup, and fructose, so basically, they are candies
disguised as healthy fruit snacks. A 100g strawberry-flavored fruit snack contains about
62g of sugars and zero fiber, and that’s the case with most commercially available fruit snacks.
Instead of buying these processed snacks, go for actual fruit. Eating natural fruits gives you
vitamins, phytonutrients, fiber, and much more, plus they are filling and lowers your appetite.
#6. Instant ramen We all have eaten instant ramen noodles at
some point in our lives. They are cheap, readily available, and easy to make, but the issue is,
they are harmful to your body. First of all, all, and I mean all instant ramen noodles, are insanely
high in sodium. According to USDA, one pack of instant noodles (64g) contains 1280mg of sodium,
that’s 53 percent of the daily value of sodium, which you are getting from just
one pack. Studies have linked instant noodles consumption with Cardiometabolic risk factors.
Zucchini noodles can be used as alternative food as they are low in calories and sodium.
#7. Frozen dinners No doubt, frozen dinners are
a convenient and easy option in today’s fast lifestyle. But what makes them harmful is the
unhealthy quantity of additives, salt, sugar, and fats. To increase their shelf life and keep
them flavorful for a long time, manufacturers add plenty of food additives to frozen meals.
One Banquet frozen meal with steak patties and mashed potatoes contains 2220 mg of sodium
(93% of DV) and 14g of saturated fats (70% of DV). To avoid these unhealthy options,
you can prepare homemade meals and freeze them according to your need.
It will require some planning and hard work, but your health will thank you for this.
#8. Ketchup Ketchup is the number one
condiment used worldwide. Statistics show that 308.39 million Americans used ketchup in 2020.
But the sad news is it is not healthy at all. The main ingredient in ketchup (No,
I am not talking about tomatoes), high fructose corn syrup, increases your blood sugar level and
puts you at risk of obesity, cardiovascular issues, diabetes, and more health problems.
It is also high in salt; According to USDA, one small pack (17g) of ketchup
contains about 150 mg of sodium (7% of DV) and 3mg of sugar (7% of DV). Try making homemade
ketchup and sauces with less sugar and salt as a healthy alternative for your meals.
#9. Granola bars Despite all the marketing claims, granola
bars are not a very healthy option for you. Most commercially available granola bars contain loads
of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate, and calories. A 35g serving of granola
bar gives you about 9g sugar (KROGER) while 20g of wafer bar gives you 8g sugar (NATURAL NECTAR), so
what is the point of choosing healthy? If you want to eat healthily, go for homemade granola bars,
they are easy to make, and you can adjust the ingredients depending on your taste. Another
thing you can do is read the nutritional label, opt for a bar with less added sugar and trans fat.
#10. Dried fruits Dried fruits are undoubtedly
a better option than skittles or candies, but you have to pay attention to your portion size.
Even a handful of raisins or prunes can give you a lot more calories than you expected. Due to the
removal of water, they shrink in size, and sugar and salts become concentrated in them. If eaten
in large quantities, they can provide you with additional calories and even make you gain weight.
Eat dry fruits in small portions and consume your daily fruits intake with fresh fruits.
The more you eat food closer to their natural form, the more beneficial they are.
Even if you consume processed foods, make a habit of reading the label, opt for foods low in sugar,
salt, and trans fat and pay attention to the quantity of food you are consuming.
Eating healthy is like investing in health, today it may seem like a hard thing to do,
but it surely will benefit you in the future.
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