Why convenience foods are bad for you? Ultra-processed foods are just that packaged and ready to be consumed after being heated, thanks to various industrial processes. Consequently, a food is considered unprocessed or minimally processed when it appears as it is in nature or has undergone very few modifications, just to make it suitable for human consumption.
I processed foods instead they are the ones that see a bland intervention by the manufacturing companies. These include those products that contain oil or brine, such as canned legumes.
More and more consumed also in Italy
Ready-to-eat foods are conquering increasingly important portions of the Italian market. Until a few years ago the quota in our country was low. However, changes in lifestyles have given an important boost to these products. After all, they are easy to prepare, have a very long shelf life and have aromas and sweeteners that make them particularly welcome, so much so that they are often considered comfort food.
Why convenience foods are bad: here’s what they contain
Ultra-processed foods contain numerous added ingredients. The most commonly used are salt, sugar, additives and colourings, but also fats and starches. This category includes very common foods such as carbonated drinks, fresh or frozen ready meals, packaged snacks, foods sold in fast food outlets, but also breakfast cereals, sweet fruit yoghurts or crackers.
- Added sugars: not only are they rich in added sugars, but they are also part of the category of foods in which the sugar is hidden. For example, we also find sugar in typically salty foods such as many breaded chicken cutlets.
- Artificial ingredients: these foods contain preservatives, which help to preserve their characteristics better and to delay the expiry date. We also find artificial dyes, chemical aromas.
- Refined carbohydrates: stimulate the release of insulin, creating spikes in blood sugar. The result is that the risk of type 2 diabetes and constant hunger pangs increases. Processed foods they therefore push us to eat more.
- Low in nutrients and low in fiber, but high in saturated fat and salt. This combination significantly damages many organs in our body.
The risk lies in increased levels of inflammation
The main problem with this food is that it is poor in terms of nutrition and very rich in terms of energy. They provide large amounts of sugar and fat, while containing little fiber and vitamins. There are often products that seem healthy, such as some ready-made soups, but just read the label to realize the high percentage of sugar and salt. They often contain additives and emulsifiers that cause i levels of inflammation.
How to understand if a food is ultra-processed?
Having said that, there is an easy way to tell if a product is processed or not. Just read the ingredients. If the list of ingredients is long, the chances are high that we are dealing with a food of this type.
Experts recommend avoiding or limiting the consumption of these foods as much as possible. Obviously not all processed foods cause the same problems and each of us reacts differently. Let’s take that into account most of the studies are carried out in Anglo-Saxon countries, where the caloric share supplied by these foods is considerably higher than in Italy. Naturally there are no big problems if we rarely consume them.
Ultra-processed foods increase the risk of colorectal cancer
Of course, it’s all about frequency and quantity. However, eating convenience foods assiduously can skyrocket the chances of developing colorectal cancer by as much as 30 percent.
A research carried out in the United States investigated the eating habits of almost 300,000 people, monitored for twenty years. The focus was on ultra-processed food. Scientists have found that the risk is raised mainly in men. Other studies however, they have shown that even in women a large consumption of these foods can increase the risk of colorectal cancer.
There are also epidemiological researches which argue that theincrease in cases of this type of cancer in people under 55 years of age it is also due, but not only, to the relative increase in the consumption of ready-to-eat foods.
Why convenience foods are bad: they increase the risk of cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular diseases are still the leading cause of death in our country. Quite often these deaths could be prevented with a healthy lifestyle. A research carried out in Italy by the IRCCS Neuromed of Pozzilli has linked the consumption of ultra-processed foods to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
The study not only confirmed the growth in the probability of getting sick, but also highlighted that it is even more risky than a diet with natural products that contains saturated fats, which we know damage heart health.
Ultra-processed foods increase the risk of cognitive decline
A study conducted by the University of São Paulo in Brazil has shown that convenience foods are also harmful to our brain health. You can read the results in the scientific journal Jama Neurology.
Experts have found that frequently eating ultra-processed foods worsens cognitive performance, accelerating the decline that can lead to a form of dementia, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s.
Another search had already demonstrated that the assiduous consumption of these foods reduces the fluency in speaking in the elderly. The damage is greater if they also have type 2 diabetes. Let’s bear in mind that at least 4 million Italians suffer from this chronic disease.
Why convenience foods are bad: they increase the risk of depression
Although they are considered comfort food, therefore foods that can comfort us in difficult times, these foods increase the risk of developing symptoms of depression.
A massive study done in Australia found that eating this food frequently increases the risk of depression significantly. You can read the results in the scientific journal Journal of Affective Disorders.
The researchers analyzed 15 studies on the subject. The risk increases by 23 percent. Again the problem is that this type of diet significantly increases the levels of inflammation in the body.
Read also…
