Are (Highly)Processed Foods Good or Bad for Health

Most people these days ask how good or bad are processed foods for health? As, all nutritionists these days would reiterate the fact that one should avoid processed foods.

In order to understand if processed foods have positive or negative effects on the health, we need to first understand what are processed foods.
Processed food is any food other than the raw natural agricultural commodity. Essentially, any change made to an edible food that changes it in any manner any way from its natural state bestows on it the title of processed. Therefore, many foods which are usually considered as natural can also be processed.

So, 4 food categories have been suggested by scientists, based on the degree of processing done:
1. Unprocessed or minimally processed foods
2. Processed culinary ingredients
3. Processed foods
4. Ultra-processed foods and drinks (UPFDs)

Minimally processed foods are the vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes which are prepared without adding much to them or have minimal refining. These may have undergone light processing such as drying, boiling, freezing, etc. whereas the UPFDs are defined as a mix of several ingredients such as sugar, salt, oils and fats along with certain ingredients otherwise not used in culinary preparations such as flavours, colours, sweeteners, emulsifiers, and other additives, which may imitate the sensorial qualities of the unprocessed food or may help to disguise the unfavourable qualities of the finem product.

The Good About Processed Foods:

• Canned and processed foods add to the total overall nutrition of people
• Many processed foods that are canned or packed during their peak of ripeness are comparable in nutrition
• These are convenient to use such as chopped fruits and vegetables
• These are also quicker to cook due to addition of certain ingredients or due to being pre-cooked
• Many a times they are fortified with vitamins and minerals

Examples of Good Processed Foods

• Pasteurized Low fat dairy products
• Frozen fruits and vegetables which do not contain added sugar, salt, colours, sauces, etc.
• Dried fruits and nuts
• Whole grain bread, pasta, noodles, breakfast cereals, oatmeal etc.
• Canned minimally processed fish such as salmon and tuna
• Roasted savouries, nuts and seeds with minimum or no added salt

The Bad about Processed Foods:

• Highly processed foods are generally calorie dense as they may have high concentrations of sugar or fructose corn syrup
• May have additives which are not good for health
• May have high salt content
• Contain artificial flavours and colours
• Are generally high in saturated fats or oils and
• High in refined carbohydrates

Examples of Bad Processed Foods Are:

• Packaged or canned soups
• Packaged or canned red meats
• Packaged fruits or vegetables with added sugar, salt or sauces lie canned beans, fruits canned in sugar syrup, etc.
• Highly salted and fried nuts, wafers, etc.
• Packaged cakes, cookies, etc.
• High calorie snacks such as fried savouries, candies, etc.
• Ready to eat gravies and other foods

Health Organizations, world over, have reported that UPFDs are designed to satiate food cravings, they are often habit forming as they are hyper-palatable and are even at times are quasi addictive, certain characteristics and additives in these foods affect the digestive system and the brain that signal satiety and appetite, leading to overconsumption. This can cause weight gain and other chronic health problems, as these foods are generally, calorie dense, have high amount s of sugar, fats and salt, etc.