Modern living has its advantages. People live in a world that offers convenience and flexibility. When was the last time you checked on your diet? Studies have revealed that an average individual tend to have a shorter lifespan and health is a very important factor. Even medical professional agree that modern foods can reduce the life span of a person. If you are not aware of the vital health principles, then you are compromising your health and well being. This is the perfect time to watch your diet and try to live a healthier lifestyle.
How Unhealthy Foods Affect the Health?
The unhealthy foods may include refined, concentrated starches and canned foods that contain preservatives and food colorings. It is important that you learn about these things so that you can have a better understanding of what you’re ingesting. Today, refined foods are quite popular. Anything in moderation is good but if you go beyond the recommended serving, the body may suffer in the end.
Since a lot of people are busy with at work, they don’t have enough time to prepare home-cooked dishes. They often rely on instant and convenience foods. Some people think that refined foods are a blessing but since such food items are prepared for convenience, it usually doesn’t include proper nutrition. Have you ever wondered by the earlier generations live for many years? The reason is quite obvious – they eat unrefined foods!
The advantage of refined foods is that they have longer shelf lives. By definition, refined means superior, better, or purer and because of the advertisements, customers are convinced that refined foods are healthier (which is not truly the case). Refined foods make the body unhealthy because it weakens the cells of the body and so the cells can’t fight harmful elements. Just stick with this rule – if you eat healthy foods, you will look younger and will have some sort of ‘glow’. On the other hand, if you continuously eat unhealthy foods, you will look older and duller.
With the modern science age, most products are now custom-made. The human cell seems to respond better to organic and natural foods. The food industry is producing food items that look and taste very appealing. In terms of nutritional value, these foods fall short. In fact, the foods are loaded with preservatives or additives to prolong shelf life. Companies simply create the foods in order to generate lots of profits.
Studies revealed that the body has become a depository of harmful chemicals like sulfur, formaldehyde, sodium nitrate, aluminum compounds, propylene glycol, carboxymethylcellulose, and many others. These chemicals can be found in the luncheon meats, bologna, sausage, baco, ham, baking powder, beer, ice cream, etc. It can be very alarming to find out that almost all the things that you love to eat these days are laden with harmful preservatives.
What about canned goods? A lot of people treasure these foods because of their longer shelf life. The very first facility that manufactured canned goods was established in the early 1800s. Until now, lots of manufacturers are supplying the market with these convenient, handy, and economical products. Health advocates are always saying that fresh ones are the best to maintain the body’s health.
Canned foods are subjected to very high heat to kill microorganisms but at the same time, it also destroys about 1/3 of the enzymes and nutrients. With each passing year, 5-20%of the remaining nutrients are lost as well. Still, the FDA claims that canned goods are freshly picked and will tend to have more nutrients in comparison to fresh foods that are not handled properly. Now that you know the possible downside of eating canned goods, it is up to you to choose the canned items carefully. You have to buy ones that are from reputed manufacturers but be sure to eat the canned foods sparingly.
Disease and Illnesses Resulting Eating Artificial and Un-natural Foods
If you are fond of eating artificial and unnatural foods, you will be exposed to developmental disorders and serious diseases. In general, frequent consumption of refined and artificial foods can lead to hormonal imbalances, weaker immune system, cardio diseases and cancer. Children may also suffer from hyperactivity, ADHD, autism, and learning disability. There is also a study that revealed that brain diseases and neurological disorders can be caused by unhealthy foods. If you are in the habit of eating unnatural foods, you can easily become obese. At present, obesity is a very big problem all over the world. A lot of individuals find it hard to lose weight because they are used to sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles.
Other possible diseases include stiff knees, joint pain, anemia, headaches, brown facial blotches, skin rashes, nasal congestion, mucus buildup, and even Alzheimer’s disease.
Modern Food Processing and Health
Commercial foods are not always food. Oftentimes, the foods that people eat lack adequate nutrition. Modern food processing is able to provide people with the convenience that fits into their busy schedule.
In today’s modern world, people expect conveniently packed foods that have longer shelf life and easy to prepare. These foods taste good and you will find it hard to resist eating them. Once foods are processed, the nutrients are lost. If you heat the foods over 44º C or 112º F, the enzymes and nutrients are destroyed. The enzymes are very important especially in digestion. Because of this, going back to natural foods is the best alternative.
List of Unnatural Foods and Drinks
Unnatural foods refer to face food that does not contain nutrients but are loaded with harmful toxins. The preservatives, food coloring, and additives will not do you any good. At times, it can even kill your appetite.
Here are some of the unnatural foods:
• Foods that contain concentrated starches - like white flour, white bread, biscuits, donuts, cakes, pies, spaghetti, macaroni, etc.
• Foods that contain refined and whitened sugar, chewing gums, artificial sweeteners, saccharin, etc.
• Hard liquor and stimulating drinks like cola, coffee, alcoholic drinks, beers, tonic drinks, soft drinks, etc.
• Appetizer in the kitchen
• Oily foods
• Foods that contain coloring
• Salty foods effect to health
• Foods that are too sweet
The foods and drinks listed above contributes to one common thing. All of them would start to ruin the body after they satisfy and left your taste buds and come out into your stomach. Refined starches and sweets bring forth constipation and forms mucus . They also depletes calcium in the body. It is said that constipation is the “Mother of all disease”. Long term eating of concentrated starches and refined sugar would results to asthma, acne, cataract, indigestion, diabetes, tooth decay, hyper-acidity, fermentation, ulcers, immature aging and many more.
There are many foods included in this category. Anything that contains preservatives, additives, or food coloring can be considered as unnatural food. Indeed, the market is filled with these items. Junk foods, canned goods, soft drinks, instant juices, and many others are included in artificial foods.
It seems that everything we eat contain harmful chemicals and toxins. Changing your eating habits can be very hard at first but if you introduce the changes gradually, you may be able to live a healthier life. Increasing the lifespan is possible if you are willing to introduce changes in your life.
You can’t possibly avoid eating artificial and unnatural foods. There is nothing wrong in eating these foods as long as you consume them in moderation. If you eat too much, you’re putting your health at risk. The FDA has approved the release of the products in the market and this means that they are generally safe. However, it is your responsibility to watch what you’re eating.
You can consult a nutritionist if you want to determine the most nutritious foods. Going back to eating natural foods is the best way to increase your lifespan. You have to act now. You may still eat artificial foods but you need to limit it. For instance, you can eat the unnatural foods once or twice a week. If you are able totally eliminate unnatural foods from your diet, the better. This is because eventually, you can expect to have a healthier and physically fit body.
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