Processed Foods You Should Avoid
By Sara Butler
It’s easy to say you should avoid processed foods, but it can be far more difficult to know specifically which foods should be avoided! The truth is that processed foods are popular because they’re convenient. But if you’re going to avoid the worst offenders on the processed foods list, you have to know what they are. Here are the top processed foods you need to avoid for your health.
Why Avoid Processed Foods?
Look, not all processed foods are bad. Technically, chopped and frozen vegetables are processed and you should feel free to eat those! Fruit canned in its own juice is another great example of something processed that is OK. The processed foods discussed here should be avoided because they are full of hidden fat, sodium, and sugar – and that’s never good news!
Bacon
It’s a sad day to learn that bacon isn’t good for you but you probably already knew that. The truth is that bacon has high levels of salt and that can lead to high blood pressure. But high salt content is just the tip of the bacon iceberg.
Bacon is full of saturated fat. Saturated fat has been linked to obesity and heart disease. Plus almost all bacon has a ton of preservatives, making it related to serious health concerns such as cancer. In the future, though it may hurt, you need to walk away from the bacon.
Granola Bars
Granola bars are sneaky. They appear as if they’re healthy because they usually contain fruit, nuts, and oats. Plus, there’s that healthy looking sunrise on the box! It’s natural!
Well, all that is misleading, because granola bars are a highly processed food you need to stay away from. They’re loaded with sugar and have so little fiber that they don’t help you stay full for longer. They’re simple carbohydrates that will do nothing for your health.
Ramen Noodles
Ramen is cheap and has provided sustenance for more than one broke college student. But eating this food is a habit best to leave behind in your youth because it is a ticking time bomb of bad nutrition!
Just one package of ramen has over 2,000 milligrams of sodium. The American Heart Association recommends that people eat no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, so you can begin to see why this is a problem. When you combine that with the amount of simple carbohydrates in ramen, it's become almost staggering to understand how unhealthy such a small package of food can be!
You have to keep a keen eye on your diet to keep processed foods out! If you focus on lean proteins, healthy whole grains, and fresh vegetables and fruits, then you should be just fine!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Queen Creek, Ariz.