The Detrimental Impacts of Processed Foods on Health
The Detrimental Impacts of Processed Foods on Health Processed foods like canned soups, frozen dinners, and fast food burgers have become staples of the modern Western diet. However, research reveals that regularly consuming processed foods - even in small amounts - can seriously impact your health. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating just 10% of daily calories from processed foods is linked to significantly higher risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and mortality. Shockingly, ultra-processed foods make up over 60% of the average American’s diet. So what’s so bad about processed foods? For starters, they are engineered to be hyper-palatable - packed with sugar, salt, fat, and artificial flavours to encourage overeating. They also lack beneficial nutrients found whole foods like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Eating processed foods can lead to weight gain and obesity, major risk factors for many chronic illnesses. The high sodium co