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How processed food affects physical health

Britanny Espinoza

Processed foods are industrially manufactured products often laden with added sugars, fats, preservatives, artificial flavors, and other chemicals. For example, chips ,  sodas, instant soups, frozen pizzas, and packaged pastries. While convenient and often delicious, they lack essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

The Health Risks

Recent studies have associated high consumption of processed foods with over 30 health conditions, including:

  • Heart disease: A higher intake of ultra-processed foods is linked to a significant increase in cardiovascular risks, including heart attacks and strokes.
  • Obesity and metabolic disorders: These foods often contain excessive calories but provide little nutritional value, contributing to weight gain, diabetes, and prediabetes.
  • Mental health concerns: Emerging evidence ties these diets to increased risks of depression and anxiety, possibly due to additives and high sugar content.
  • Cancers and premature death: Long-term consumption is linked to higher rates of some cancers and a shorter lifespan.

Why Are These Foods Harmful?

Several factors contribute to their negative effects:

  1. Nutritional Deficiency: processed foods are often stripped of beneficial nutrients and enriched with harmful additives.
  2. High Caloric Density: They are energy-dense but lack satiety, leading to overeating.
  3. Inflammatory Ingredients: Additives and artificial components may create health problems such as inflammation and other chronic conditions.

A Call to Action

Shifting toward whole, minimally processed foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins is key to mitigating these risks. Cooking meals at home and carefully reading food labels can help reduce dependence on ultra-processed options.

References

Harvard Health. (n.d.). [Title of the specific article, if known]. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu

Healthline. (n.d.). [Title of the specific article, if known]. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com

Yale Medicine. (n.d.). [Title of the specific article, if known]. Retrieved from https://www.yalemedicine.org