It’s easy to assume that since some packaged food is unhealthy, all packaged food must be unhealthy. When you hear the term ‘packaged food,’ you likely think of highly caloric meals that are loaded with trans fats, artificial sugars, and tons of carbs. But not all packaged food is made equally.
My Fit Foods is here to break down the myth of packaged food and show you why convenience doesn’t have to be a bad thing in cooking.
What Is Packaged Food?
Technically, packaged food is anything that has been wrapped up. However, the term is usually used to refer to food that you buy pre-prepared. The degrees of preparation can vary based on the food product. Canned soups are further along in their preparation than chicken stock, but both count as packaged foods.
The point of packaged food is to make your life easier. Plenty of people spend all day at work or school and simply don’t have the time to make labor-intensive meals for everyone at the end. Plus, many natural ingredients cost a lot, and it’s difficult to get what you need when you’re on a strict grocery budget.
With packaged foods, they’re already somewhat prepared, which saves you time and money. Instead of buying separate ingredients and slaving away over a stove, you’ll be making meals in minutes and keeping everyone fed in your tight schedule. But despite this convenience, you need to be careful what kinds of packaged foods you get.
Many food manufacturers take advantage of their low prices and convenience in packaged food to serve their customers low-quality ingredients that can harm their health over a long period. It’s always vital to investigate the ingredients of your foods, packaged or not, before purchasing to ensure that you’re putting the right foods into your body that help you eventually reach your nutritional goals.
Packaged Food vs. Ultra-Processed Food
Many people confuse packaged foods with ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods are often quite unhealthy for reasons that we address in the next section. However, packaged food doesn’t have to lack the means to achieve your nutritional goals! Just check outour packaged meals. We use natural ingredients to make eating right affordable and convenient for people who don’t have hours to spend on cooking.
The Issues of Ultra-Processed Food
According to theUS Department of Agriculture, any kind of modification automatically makes food count as processed. Simply slicing carrots would make them processed carrots, even though they weren’t altered in any other way. However, sliced carrots are a far cry from ultra-processed foods.
Ultra-processed food has undergone much more than just being wrapped up. All foods undergo some sort of processing to make them edible, but when there is too much going on in your food, it can start to become unhealthy.One study even found that too many ultra-processed foods can lead to an increased risk of heart issues. We cover some of the most significant and challenging issues with ultra-processed foods in the sections below.
Refined Carbs
Despite what some fad diets would have you believe, carbohydrates are an essential part of any diet. The danger is when you rely too heavily on carbs for your daily nutrition or don’t differentiate between the different types of carbs. Carbohydrates from whole grains are more healthy than refined carbs, but refined is the primary type you’ll see in ultra-processed foods.
It’s easier for your body to break down refined carbohydrates. That might sound like a good thing, but it isn’t really. When your body doesn’t have to put carbs through the normal cycle of digestion, they can be converted into sugars faster which can lead to the sugar highs we mention in the next section and weight gain.
Plus, when your blood sugar drops after a few hours, you’ll be left feeling hungry and weak. This tiredness can make you less productive throughout the day or entice you to eat more than you normally would to make up for the carbohydrates that your body has finished processing ahead of schedule.
Too Much Sugar
Everyone has heard about high fructose corn syrup, and it’s no secret that many ultra-processed foods add plenty of that syrupy sugar to make their foods taste good. But that excellent taste can come with a steep cost to your health. Sugar is very caloric and provides almost no nutritional value. It is basically like eating ‘empty calories.’
Even if you don’t need to lose weight, sugar isn’t something that you want to consume on a regular basis. The reason that kids get so hyper and then cranky on Halloween is that sugar highs can make you out of control and then lead to a crash within an hour or two of consumption. The most common example of sugary ultra-processed foods is soda.
Not Enough Fiber
Fiber isn’t just for people suffering from constipation; it’s an essential part of your diet. Or, at least, it should be. Ultra-processed foods are often lacking in even minimal amounts of fiber which can lead to upset stomachs, difficulty using the bathroom, and other issues down the road.
The reason is that fiber, along with other nutrients, is often removed during the processing and preparation of the foods. Fiber primarily comes from fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. When these foods are processed, they are often cooked. Any type of cooking diminishes the number of nutrients left in food.
Of the cooking processes, boiling removes the most considerable amount of nutrients. Since ultra-processed foods are usually boiled at some point during their processing, it’s difficult for manufacturers to retain much, if any, of their natural nutrients.
Too Many Trans Fats
Fats are another source of contention for people looking to lose weight and reach their nutritional goals. Fats are an essential part of your diet, but you want to focus on eating foods with the right fats. Refined seed and vegetable oils are usually seen in ultra-processed foods, and they aren’t the right fats.
Manufacturers prefer them because they’re less expensive than other products. Additionally, they use trans fats, which are slightly more solid than vegetable oils. Trans fats are a big no-no for your body and can lead to medical issues if you consume a lot of them on a regular basis.
Artificial Ingredients
It can be intimidating to read the labels on your favorite foods and see so many long, unrecognizable words that you’re putting into your body. Not all artificial ingredients are a bad thing, however. Many preservatives are there to keep your food from going bad, so you’re able to buy in bulk without worrying about your food spoiling.
In fact, some companies add synthetic vitamins to make their foods richer in particular nutrients. This can make processed foods healthier than their natural counterparts. This is rare, though, and is usually advertised on the packaging by specific companies.
Other types of ingredients like artificial flavorings are chemicals to make the food taste better. While there is no concrete scientific proof that synthetic ingredients are unhealthy, some people would rather avoid them just to be on the safe side. Staying away from ultra-processed foods is the best way to keep artificial ingredients out of your life.
Less Energy to Eat
This might sound a little silly, but you do expend energy to eat. Things that haven’t been cooked or have been cooked in certain ways are more difficult to eat. Ultra-processed foods often undergo processes to make them softer and easier to consume. When you don’t spend the extra energy consuming them, you’re able to eat more in a shorter amount of time.
You have to eat a lot more ultra-processed food before you start to feel full than less processed food items. That means that not only are you consuming food and digesting it more quickly, but you also need to continue eating for longer. That makes for a lot of calories consumed during a single meal or snack.
You also expend calories during digestion. However, ultra-processed foods are easier to digest, meaning that you’ve both eaten more during the meal and aren’t burning as many calories digesting it. That combination can easily lead to weight gain and other side effects.
Wrapping Things Up
If you want to enjoy the convenience of packaged foods without worrying about artificial ingredients or excess sugar, join ourFit Club and save money on our packaged meals. We only use all-natural ingredients to make good food affordable for everyone. Plus, for every four meals you buy, we’ll donate one to a family in need. It’s a win-win for all!
Sources:
Processed foods: Health risks and what to avoid | Medical News Today
Ultra-processed food intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: prospective cohort study | BMJ
Processed vs. ultra-processed food, and why it matters to your health | heart.org