We say life is becoming easier due to the many innovations and inventions of the Modern Age. The privileges and luxuries that the modern world and its many innovative ways have brought are known to the world quite well but what we are beginning to realize is that the monolith of easy and comfort which we assign to these things might be having a down side effect on other areas of our lives. They say we are becoming more materialistic and more developed but the quality of our life isn’t increasing all that much if we see the abrasions we impose on our health and hygiene. Processed and packaged food is one of such “innovative” ways to make our lives comfortable.
It’s a busy world and many of us don’t have the time or the required asset of cooking our own food or get home cooked meals and in such conditions packaged food have become a very common place thing. The advertising companies too have played their part well in making up covers which claim to be “Nutrient-rich” and contain “the goodness of home.” With such tempting propositions being put out there it’s hard to look beyond what’s being claimed and venture into the reality behind these food products. Although they pass through all the regulations put in by the Food and Agriculture Departments around the world, what people don’t know is the amount of specific ingredients that these “nutrient-rich” food products contain might actually be a bit too much for our systems to take in. So here are 10 Reasons why you should avoid Eating Packaged Food, starting today.
1. Health disease rates increase
Health is very harshly affected due to the over consumption of packaged items. As mentioned before they are so very addictive that it can be quite a task to eliminate them for one’s life for good. Plus the increasing popularity have made the criticism fade away in the background somewhere but the prevalence of health diseases like heart problems and obesity problems are wide and often attached to these products. Insulin dependent diabetes can also stem from consumption of these things. From problems related to the oral hygiene and oral infections to that of the Gastro intestinal tract, it’s so obvious that these things are all related to the increasing consumption of these food products.
2. Fresh foods are cheaper
A lot of companies have been trying to woo the customers by advertising the cheaper cost of these packaged food items on their pockets. They say that these food products provide the same nutrients as the fresh ones and they cost not even the same but less! These exaggerated figures and propositions are hardly true. Preparation of a home cooked meal costs much less in terms of per serving as has been shown by many independent bodies working to promote the cause of organic food products.
3. Aluminum leaks
As if the bisphenol-A (BPA) controversy wasn’t enough to prove the inefficiency of the manufacturing companies in keeping up with the larger welfare of the people, most people aren’t aware of the leaks that can happen from aluminum in the packaging. When they pack food in aluminum items they have to reheat it to ensure the packaging but during the process a lot of leaching of these chemicals into the food items takes place. A prolonged intake of these packaged items can lead to Alzheimer’s disease, as has been reported by independent research labs.
4. Less nutritious
If you can get it fresh in the market, the point of buying vegetables and fruits in cans and packaged ways might be a lost not only because these lose some very important nutrients while they are being processed but also because the other ingredients that are added during the process makes the final product particularly low in nutrition levels. A closer look at the ingredient and nutrition list might provide cues to the ways in which these companies have managed to pitch their products to people. The chemicals are all mentioned in 4 type fonts too small to be read by a normal eye!
5. The truth behind the preservatives.
The FDAs might issue statements claiming that preservatives are all so friendly and harm free to human cells the core of the matter is these are non-compounding molecules which need heavy amount of salts to keep the “Freshness” intact and as mentioned earlier this just adds to the already existing high content of salt in these food products.
6. They are addictive
Once you get used to using these products it’s very hard to get off them. The comfort and the ease of availability are very tempting. For example packaged juices have become a very quintessential breakfast option instead of squeezing out fresh juice even though it’s very well-known that freshly squeezed juice offers many more advantages and that packaged juices are high in fructose which can lead to multiple problems if continued for a long time period. Sometimes people get so addictive and used to these packaged food items that they can go on for months without having anything else.
7. Health risks during productions
The packaged food phenomenon has become so huge that their production has started even in developing and underdeveloped countries. Here the strict laws and preventive health risk measures are not so efficient when compared to the European or American countries and thus every once in a while we hear of contamination in these packaged food items. Therefore it’s best to avoid them altogether. And even the items which are imported from the first world to these countries are often of low quality since they are manufactured specifically for export.
8. Very high sugar levels
Most of the packaged food items have a high quantity of sugar in them. Juice is one such example where the sugar comes in the fructose form. Cereal is another and more so because it has become a very important part of the breakfast around the globe. But cereals generally are just corn syrup and some genetically modified plant matter. This syrup is high in sugar and amounts to high percent of sugar intake both in boys and girls. It’s said these are one of the contributory factors to obesity and high blood pressure levels.
9. The chemicals in the lining
Many people don’t know that food stored in cans – plastic or metallic can be very risky when it comes to your health. Because these materials often release chemicals which go into the food and thus in your system. There has been a huge controversy over the kind of lining these cans are using as well. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is one of the main components of these linings even after it is said to be interfering with our hormones and endocrine system.
10. They are high in sodium and salt
Packaged food items are the highest consumed form of junk food over the world. The high salt content in most of these is a serious issue when it comes to health and well-being. They contribute to blood pressure problems which may lead to heart diseases and even diabetes at some point. And in a world where obesity and overweight and becoming common problems these packaged foods just act as a deterrent to better health and health consciousness.
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