Processed Foods You Should Avoid
By Sara Butler
In a perfect world, you could shop at the local farmers market each day for farm-fresh vegetables, fruits, and protein – but it’s not a perfect world. You lead a busy life with a lot to juggle and sometimes when it comes to meal time, you just want something easy and convenient. Enter processed, pre-packaged food! But not all processed food is bad for you. Pre-chopped vegetables, for example, are good for you, as are canned fruits in their own juice. The food you really need to stay away from is the stuff full of hidden fat, sugar, and sodium. Here are a few processed foods you should try to always avoid!
Bacon
Yes, bacon is delicious. But it’s also incredibly high in sodium as well as saturated fat. Sodium is linked to high blood pressure while saturated fat is linked to obesity and heart disease. Plus, the preservatives bacon contains are related to about every single health concern under the sun, from cancer to migraines. Just say no to bacon!
Granola Bars
Granola bars are deceptive because they seem as if they’re a healthy choice when they’re not. They’re a wolf in healthy sheep’s clothing! Those sunrises or mountains on the box may make you think wholesome but they should really be avoided.
Granola bars are loaded with highly processed grains that have had all the fiber stripped from them, plus loads of sugar. They won’t fill you up and will leave you hungry a short time after you gobble them down. They’re simple carbohydrates trying to masquerade as health food, so avoid them!
Instant Ramen Noodles
Ramen noodles were just fine when you were in college and lived off of $5 each week. Now, you can do better.
The American Heart Association recommends between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. One packet of ramen has a whopping 2,000 milligrams of sodium. That’s terrible for your blood pressure and your heart! When you throw in the simple carbohydrates making up the rest of the ramen, then you’ve got a meal that somehow manages to have nearly zero nutritional value. It’s time to say goodbye to your ramen!
Dried Fruit
Another simple carbohydrate bomb pretending to be healthy! Dried fruit is obviously a better option than a handful of candy, but you have to be careful of portion size. Even a small amount of dried fruit can contain loads of sugar – so tread lightly or avoid them altogether!
Watch out for processed foods and the things hiding in them!
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Long Beach, Calif.