Processed Food Essay

489 Words2 Pages
fHot dogs and fireworks, salad dressing and antifreeze. What could these things possibly have in common. Well for starters they contain some of the same ingredients. A common preservative in hot dogs is sodium nitrate it helps processed meat retain their color, that same ingredient is used in fireworks as well. Propelyn glycol alginate is an ingredient found is salad dressing to stabilize and thicken it, this same ingredient is also used in antifreeze and to deice airport runways. Overuse of chemicals in foods and elevated consumption of a processed diet is a cause for great concern when it comes to the health of Americans. Diseases such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and many forms of cancer are on the rise. Many studies have found that a diet high in healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can lower your risk of these diseases. These are know as whole foods. We live in a society that eats so much processed and manufactured food, that I think there's some genuine confusion about what qualifies as a whole food. Many people associate it as pesticide free, organic or from coming from upscale chain stores such as the “Whole Foods” store. In reality its not that complicated. Eating whole foods means that you're simply getting the food in its natural state. For example compare an apple to apple juice. When you eat the apple you are getting it intact, with all of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are in the food rather than just some of the nutrients left over after refinement and processing. One problem with processed food is that, during manufacturing, many healthy nutrients are removed. Compare whole grain pasta vs enriched refined pasta. When the whole grains are refined, the bran and the coat of the grain are often removed so it loses vital nutrients and when they are artificially put back in you

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