5 Reasons You Should Cut-Out Processed Foods
I don’t know about you, but it wasn’t too long ago that I didn’t even know what processed food was. Crazy, right? Now that I know what it is, and how to watch out for it, I am on a mission to eat the cleanest, whole foods, possible! Whether that means reading the ingredient labels when I’m grocery shopping, steering clear of nearly all fast-food, or just being more cautious of where our food comes from, I’m always trying to be mindful!
So what about you? Do you eat real, whole food? If not, it’s really something that you should start focusing on. Not sure why? Let me tell you! While the list of reasons to cut out processed food could go on and on, I’ll try and keep it simple with just the top 5 reasons (in my opinion at least) as to why you should ditch those processed foods now!
Processed food is just that..processed, which means it’s made with fake ingredients. Often times these products are labeled to make consumers believe that they are actually “healthy”, such as low-fat, fat-free, whole grain, etc. When in reality, these products are in fact making most Americans sick, unhealthy, overweight, and the cause of several diseases in this country, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Researchers have found that cutting out processed foods can lead to several health benefits. This includes weight loss, increased energy, helps with regularity and just feeling better overall, to name a few.
Simply knowing what’s in the food your eating should be of high importance to you and your family. If you don’t know what’s in the food you’re eating or can’t pronounce the ingredients listed, do you really think you should be eating it? Is that really food?
Processed food has an excessive amount of sugar, salt and preservatives.
Eating processed foods can hinder our ability to fight off colds and other illnesses. This is because our immune system isn’t getting the nutrients it needs to fuel our bodies properly!
These are just a few of the reasons you should cut out processed foods, the list could literally go on and on! While I understand it’s not realistic to eat “clean” 100% the time, you should strive to eat a whole foods diet at least 80% of the time. If you’re sticking to the perimeter of the grocery store when you shop, then chances are, you’re eating more whole, real foods, rather than processed.
And remember, eating real food doesn’t have to be boring! Get out there and try some new recipes, experiment, and have fun doing it! There’s a whole lot to gain, and little to lose from eating this way!