Do you like to start your day with a bowl of cornflakes (with “iron shakti”) or instant oats/noodles along with a glass of “100% natural fruit juice” “packed with antioxidants”? It feels great imagining a breakfast table with such “smart” foods promising weight loss, controlling cholesterol, diabetes, and whatnot. However, let me burst the bubble by saying that these fantastic claims of processed foods are complete lies. Surprised?

Are puffed rice, packaged dal processed foods?

The word “processed foods” often creates confusion. Most of the food we eat today is processed to some extent. However, there is a difference between mechanical processing and chemical processing. If the product is a single ingredient with no added chemical that should be considered as REAL food (eg- puffed rice or any general packed grocery items). However, foods that are treated with various chemicals and made from refined ingredients are the processed foods we should avoid.

Are you trying to count how many of such processed foods stored in your kitchen now? Well, let me help you. Cornflakes, instant oats, instant noodles, biscuits (digestive oats biscuit too), various salad dressing, sauce (tomato/chili/ Szechuan/tobacco/mustard sauce, etc), spreads (peanut/ cheese/choco spread, etc), instant snacks, health bars, packaged fruit juice, soft drinks, etc. are all come under processed foods.

All processed foods are harmful !!

There is absolutely no doubt that after going through various levels of mechanical and chemical processing, these processed foods are left with very low nutrients and fiber. As loaded with refined carbohydrate, sugar, and trans fat, these products offer NO BENEFIT but immense damage to our body. This is high time when you MUST realize that claims made through food advertisements are the most blatant lies. Terms like “zero-calorie”, “sugar-free”, “fat-free”, “100% natural”, “all-natural”, “packed with antioxidant”, “made with real fruits”, “whole grains”, “no trans fat” etc are nothing but advertising gimmick to sell products.

We want to eat good food and taste is THE CRITERIA for accepting any food. Today the competition is so fierce that the food manufacturer is desperate to use anything to make their products most desirable. Loads of sugar in different forms are being used to make the foods irresistible. Foods are engineered to be incredibly “rewarding” to the brain that overpowers any natural food. Remember, there are 61 names of sugar which are often used in processed foods. So even though the label claim “zero sugar”, the product still has some form of hidden sugar. These JUNK foods create an imbalance of chemicals in the brain which generally leads to over consumption and downright addiction.

Have you ever checked the food label of any processed food? You will be “amazed” to see the long list of unpronounceable chemicals and will hardly find any food name. Will you consider those as food? These junks are loaded with various artificial chemicals that act as preservatives, flavor, colorant, textured, etc.

The ingredients are so refined and processed, most of the time we don’t even need to chew them. They just melt in our mouth. Study shows that these junks require half time and energy to digest and metabolized compared to any natural food. As a result, it shoots the blood sugar level, triggers inflammation, insulin resistance, increased LDL, gut permeability and weight.

How to manage without processed foods?

Break your love n’ hate relation with processed foods in 2020. You know these JUNKS do no good, right? Consuming processed foods regularly means stuffing yourself with sugar, refined carbohydrate and inviting weight gain, diabetes, heart disease …..oh! the list is endless. Be mindful while you are on your weekly shopping. Stop relying on JUNK and start eating real and natural. Home-cooked foods are NOT boring and laborious if you realize the importance, power, and goodness of it. There are many foods which instead of buying you can easily prepare at home within 10 minutes. All you need is motivation. Trust on your well equipped modern kitchen rather than unseen unknown food factory. Cutting down all processed food is the MOST EFFECTIVE and SUSTAINABLE way to ensure rapid weight loss. Let your dream of weight loss and disease-free life be a reality with natural homemade foods.