Being Aware of the Processed Foods You Eat
The Benefits of Eating Simpler Foods
Processed foods are any food that's changed before you eat them. For countless people, this accounts for nearly everything they eat.
Frozen dinners and snacks, candy, canned items, pasta, and bread, unless you're eating raw vegetables, fruits, meats, and foods that are prepared and consumed without preservatives, processing, or additives, your food is known as processed food.
The Paleolithic Diet or better known as Paleo Diet is a diet based on this type of eating simpler food choices based on the type of diet that cavemen and cavewomen would have eaten during the Paleolithic Era and consists of eating foods only found during this time.
Back then, there were no supermarkets, drive-throughs, or processed foods and hunter-gatherers were always active and on the hunt to secure their next meal and the necessities they needed to survive.
Paleo, Keto, and other diets all have different variations of the food you can eat, but the common theme for them all is that more people are becoming more aware of the additives and preservatives that are added to the processed foods they eat every day.
Our modern society has given us the technology to make advanced foods like grains, cheeses, and processed foods.
What Are Processed Foods?
Processed foods are any foods that have been modified before consumption. The addition of ingredients including salts, fats, sugars, artificial sweeteners, colors, and preservatives that make food more appealing and ‘tasty’ can come at a cost to your health.
This is not to say that all-natural preservatives and additives in every instance can have a negative effect. However, being actively aware of what ingredients are in everything you eat is the first step to being a better gatekeeper to your health.
The Effects of Processed Foods
During the Paleolithic Era, cavemen had a lot to worry about. Dangerous animals, potentially poisonous bugs, and plants were commonplace though some modern diseases weren't.
Modern diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Diseases, and bowel disorders such as IBD and IBS weren’t encountered until the last century.
This coincides with the rise of additional additives including artificial colors, flavors, dyes, and genetically modified organisms, also known as GMOs, which were introduced alongside already processed foods, known as ultra-processed foods.
What to Consider About Processed Foods
More people every day are looking at the ingredients label a little harder and turning to diets like Paleo to return to the basics to eat better, live better, and feel better.
Something to consider when you purchase processed foods is that it’s all too easy to overeat.
When there are additives specially designed to get you to eat more by tricking your senses into wanting more than what you need.
Examples of Processed Foods
Unless you’re in an organic store, if you go down any aisle of the grocery store you’re going to see most of the items on the shelves contain additional ingredients, and preservatives with most not containing but a small amount of nutritional value.
Examples of processed foods include: Microwavable frozen meals and prepared foods
- Frozen meals & microwavable dinners
- Candy, chips & most snacks
- Grain products including bread & cereals
- Sodas & sugary drinks
- Canned vegetables & meats
When you're seeking a healthier lifestyle and are contemplating a Paleo, Keto, or another diet, sticking to a diet is all about food choices.
Not just ones that you enjoy eating, but also the ones that can hurt your health, mood, and attitude.
It’s Easier to Overconsume With Processed Foods
This directly leads to consuming more salts, sugars, fats, and other ingredients than intended and is one of the biggest contributors for people to gaining weight.
Buying processed foods can lead to people eating more than the recommended amounts of sugar, salt, and fat and these foods can also be higher in calories due to the high amounts of added sugar or fat in them.
In today’s stressful times, it can often be easy to overlook the little things we do that have a negative effect.
Whether on our health, attitude, or overall well-being, the first step of regaining control over the things around us is knowing what’s affecting us.
Health & wellness are essential to living a long and healthy life.
While not all diets aren’t for everyone, making small changes now even incrementally can lead to big changes later on and the developing of healthier eating habits.
Other Considerations for Your Food Choices
While talking about the things that go into your body and the foods you eat are prepared, it’s also important to mention the treatment and the condition of the animals that we eat.
Before Considering Changes to Your Current Diet
Habitually checking the ingredients in the products you buy is an important first step to changing the way you eat.
However, before actively and abruptly changing habits, discuss with your doctor the eating habits you're seeking to change and how they may affect you.
Monitoring Changes Alongside Your New Food Choices
Before and after starting a Paleo diet it’s important to speak with your doctor about implementing major changes to your diet.
As you start implementing alternative food choices, it's important to pay attention to your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar changes and how you generally feel overall.
Paleo Snacks & Meal Replacements
From great-tasting Paleo Protein Sticks, Jerky, and Chicken Bites to Paleo Bars including Skinny Bars & MEGA BARS.
We’re committed to providing the highest quality Paleo snacks & meal replacements that give you the essential nutrients you need.
Find the right Paleo snacks that fit your lifestyle, and your taste buds and keep you wanting to come back for more!
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