15 Surprising Facts About Processed Foods

What are Processed Foods?

Processed foods refer to foods that have been altered from their natural state and are preserved and packed in boxes, cans, or bags for safety reasons as in pasteurized milk, or for convenience as in canned foods. Canning, freezing, refrigeration, dehydration, and aseptic processing are some methods used in making processed foods. Breakfast cereals, canned fruits and fruit juices, chips, and processed meat are examples of processed foods (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Processed foods: contributions to nutrition

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Facts About Processed Foods

1. Foods are usually processed to kill harmful bacteria or other microorganisms, and make them safer with a longer shelf life and better convenience (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Antimicrobial resistance in the food chain: a review
   
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2. Food processing removes some of the nutrients, vitamins, and fiber present in the food (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   The impact of food processing on the nutritional quality of vitamins and minerals
   
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3. Processing can also affect the taste of the food as manufacturers may add cheap or artificial sugar, salts, fats or additives to improve or restore the flavor or properties of the food (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Taste of Modern Diets: The Impact of Food Processing on Nutrient Sensing and Dietary Energy Intake
   
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4. Daily munching of processed foods promotes aging and kidney damage as they can have phosphates and genetically engineered ingredients added to them (5^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Ultra-Processed Food Consumption is Associated with Renal Function Decline in Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study
   
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5. Processed foods are highly addictive and make you crave them constantly. Excess consumption of these foods can lead to obesity and other health problems (6^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health status: a systematic review and meta-analysis
   
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6. It is impossible to burn calories quicker while consuming processed meals (7^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   A Critical Review on the Role of Food and Nutrition in the Energy Balance
   
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7. Processed foods are obtained from laboratories and are not natural. The foods are genetically modified and may cause gastrointestinal disorders, infertility and damage to your internal organs (8^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Diet and Nutritional Factors in Male (In)fertility - Underestimated Factors
   
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8. Frequent intake of processed foods can make people become angry and irritable, whereas consumption of natural, whole foods can help level out your mood, sustain energy levels and leave you feeling calmer and relaxed (9^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies
   
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9. Are you having cereals for breakfast? You better watch out as research has found that pesticides and chemicals have found their way into cereal packets too (10^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Effect of handling and processing on pesticide residues in food- a review
   
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10. Some processed foods like peanut butter, blueberry jam, homemade cranberry juice, apple juice, and grape juice, are healthy choices that can be harmless (11^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Fruit Juices: Are They Helpful or Harmful? An Evidence Review
    
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11. Trans fats and sugar found in processed foods can cause inflammation, which can lead to asthma attacks (12^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Fatty acids, inflammation, and asthma
    
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12. Sulfite is the main artificial preservative agent that is found in a range of processed foods including meat, dairy products, dried fruits, dried vegetables, French fries and chutneys (13^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Review of sulfite sensitivity
    
    Go to source). Sulfite exposure is associated with symptoms like headache, irritable bowel syndrome, skin rashes, behavioral problems and asthma.
13. Nearly 70% of American diets consist of processed foods.
14. The consumption of ultra-processed foods was responsible for 21.8% of all preventable noncommunicable disease deaths.
15. Children between the ages of 3 and 5 who consumed more ultra-processed meals showed lower locomotor skills than those who consumed less of these foods.