10 REASONS WHY CHEMICALLY PROCESSED FOODS ARE MORE HARMFUL THAN YOU THINK

February 13, 2021

10 Reasons why chemically processed foods are more harmful than you think

In recent times, the consumption of processed food items has increased drastically. And, the consumption of organic and natural food has stagnated. These food items which are high in ingredients like sugar, trans fat and refined carbohydrates which leads to an increased chance of multiple health disorders. The following are a few reasons why processed food is more harmful to your health as compared to natural and organic food items:

Chemically processed food is bad for your health and wellbeing. A recent study found that eating a large portion of processed foods was associated with a consequent increase in the risks of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disorders. Organic food, on the other hand, is healthy and nutritious.
Processed foods often tend to contain chemical additives such as sodium benzoate or Potassium MetaBisulphate. Consuming the same in excess quantities can lead to serious health disorders like obesity, metabolic syndrome, myocardical infarction and type 2 diabetes. Organic food helps prevent such diseases and maintain your dietary balance.
Processed foods of all kinds are chemically altered to be hyper rewarding. They release an intense hit of the neurotransmitter dopamine which makes us feel good. This is one of the main reasons why people cannot stop eating fast foods with ease and catch food addiction. This is one of the leading causes of various health issues such as obesity. It is recommended to shift to low-fat organic variants if you notice any unlikely changes in your physique.
Processed foods contain chemical additives such as BHA and BHT for preservation, taste enhancement, colouring and polishing purposes. This leads to increased irritability and may cause dietary imbalance if consumed in large amounts. This also subsequently hampers one’s working capacity. Adding a sufficient amount of organic food to your daily diet helps you build strong immunity and prevent heart diseases commonly caused due to fast food and chemically processed food.
Processed food is much easier to digest than unprocessed whole foods. That means our bodies burn less energy digesting them. It’s estimated we burn half as many calories digesting processed foods compared to unprocessed foods. Such food contains Alitame and Aspartame as well. However, this also means the there is less nutrient absorption from such food. This reduces any health benefit processed food may have. Organic food is rich in fibres and helps your blood slowly absorb all the nutrients in it.
While the human body needs a certain amount of sodium to function properly, excess salt present in chemically processed foods elevates the risk of high blood pressure, thyroid and cardiovascular diseases. Most salts used in processed foods are lacking in nutritional value as well. Organic food also helps improve your immunity.
Chemically processed foods are low in fibre as compared to their organic counterparts. Dietary fibre has a wide range of health benefits. Fibre can slow the absorption of carbohydrates and help people feel more satisfied with fewer calories. It also acts as a prebiotic, feeding the friendly bacteria in the gut, and can help boost heart health. Most ultra-processed foods are very low in fibre, as natural fibre is lost during processing. It does not help in stimulating bowel movements and may also lead to chronic constipation and other digestive disorders. Organic food, however, is rich in fibres and provides great benefits for your digestive system at large.
To make their foods cheap and shelf-stable, manufacturers use hydrogenated oils which contains excessive levels of omega 6 fatty acids which can increase inflammation and oxidation in the body. The preservatives used in processed food are not always natural or organic. This may greatly affect the quality of the food at large. Organic food, on the other hand, is rich in omega 3 and proteins which make them superfoods with dense reserved of organic nutrients.
There are about 5,000 substances that get added to chemically processed foods. Most of them have not been tested by anyone other than the company using them. That includes additives to change colour, texture, flavour and odour as well as ingredients like preservatives and sweeteners. These are not used in any organic products making them safe and edible even without processing them.
Chemically processed food contains an absurd level of artificial sugars, ortho sulpho-benzamide, vinegar or salt. When consumed close to bedtime, it might become impossible to fall asleep due to the sudden spikes and crashes in blood sugar from digesting high levels of refined carbohydrates. Organic food helps reduce this problem quite considerably.

In today’s world, there are a lot of alternatives to processed food available in the market. Organic products are usually the most beneficial in terms of health and wellbeing. They are free from all kinds of chemical additives and chemical pesticides. The process is sustainable and 100% eco-friendly. If you are genuinely concerned about the harms of eating fast food or processed food for too long, you should switch to organic food as soon as possible.