How to Identify Processed Foods

The newest generation of children will be the FIRST generation that will have a shorter life span than their parents - astonishing news for 2011.   Childhood obesity has become the latest American epidemic and it's time that we all take responsibility.  

Fast Facts: 

• The number of overweight  children and teens has DOUBLED in the past10 years   
• Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents already appears to be a sizable and growing problem among U.S. children and adolescents.
• One out of every thirteen school aged children has asthma
• Kids miss an average of eight days of school due to health related issues
• Poor nutrition negatively impacts bone growth and overall physical development
• French Fries:  the most common vegetable source for kids today
• 69% of 19-24 month olds eat candy or dessert on any given day
• Most 8 year olds drink soft drinks daily and each 12 oz. serving contains 9 tsp. of sugar
• 25% of calories on a typical school day comes from junk food

So what's the culprit and how to we change the common American lifestyle of microwavable, frozen, and preserved?  Educating parents and young people must come first.  Despite the fact that processed food is becoming widely recognized as unhealthy, many people still have a flawed understanding of food quality and don’t know how to differentiate the good from the bad.  Many times, foods that are marketed as healthy are often not.  People tend to trust and believe that if a product is being placed on a shelf for purchase it must be safe enough to eat without leading to devastating health results.

4 Simple Ways to Classify Food

All Natural

It's a fairly bold assumption to that people can outsmart nature and invent our own diets.  Typically, the safest and healthiest choices are those that can be taken straight from nature, brushed off, and eaten without any modifications.  Examples include organically grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs, eggs from pasture raised hens, and raw milk from pasture raised cattle.

Natural and Minimally Processed 

A truly healthy diet should consist of mainly natural whole foods.  It is hard to steer clear of any processing at all unless we decided to start eating road kill as our meat source!  Meats do go through processing in order to be made ready for sale at the market or grocery store.  

Fruit, on the other hand, CAN be eaten in it's original form.  It is important to keep in mind that many fruits arrive from foreign countries and are being handled and transported for hours prior to landing in your fruit basket at home.  Be sure to wash fruits, and vegetables, thoroughly before consumption.  It is important to mention that fruit juices, even if freshly squeezed are not 100% natural - the fiber is lost which is used to slow down sugar absorption.

Other examples of healthy foods that require some level of processing include raw nuts, seeds, whole grains, dairy products derived from milk, fermented fruits and vegetables, and some oils.  Cooking is also a form of processing and can destroy nutrients if cooked/heated for too long at too high a temperature.  By microwaving, virtually all nutrients are lost.

Natural but Poor Quality

Nowadays, the produce we consume is being grown on nutritionally deficient soil full of toxic pesticides and genetically modified seeds.  Many often times then not, livestock are raised in inhumane conditions and are fed antibiotics and hormones to accelerate growth all on top of being fed a poor diet.  To avoid foods that have been farmed improperly, choose organic produce, pasture raised meat,  and fish with minimal contamination.  Visit your local farmer's market for the best quality foods and BUY LOCAL!

Unnatural and Extensively Processed

This type of food contains a handful of ingredients that you won't be able to pronounce, many of which are synthetic chemicals.  Unnatural and highly processed foods will usually contain sugar as one of the first ingredients listed on a label, or will have a few less noticeable forms of sugar listed throughout the ingredients. Tricky!  Flour is also no better than all of that sugar.  Other artificial additives to avoid include sweeteners, flavors, coloring and preservatives.  Unnatural and highly processed foods almost always come in some type of packaging that makes all kinds of misleading statements about its benefits. 

Check these out:

1.  Fruit Loops:  A great way to keep kids healthy

2.  DanActive will boost your immunity

3.  Sensible snacking with fig newtons

4.  Soft, Delicious, and nutritious whole grain Wonder Bread

5.  All Natural 100% Juicy Juice

6.  Weight Watchers Endorsed Popcorn

The bottom line is that if foods had to be invented and not grown, stay away from them.  Food manufacturers use the cheapest ingredients available to produce these foods and capitalize on marketing fads such as all natural, low fat, fat free, sugar free, whole grain, and high fiber to add appeal. Some of the less obvious foods that fall into this unhealthy category include bread, pasta, bagels, cereal, granola bars, protein bars, flavored yogurt, crackers, and frozen dinners.

Tips:

1.  Eat what was available 10,000 years ago

2.  Any item with bold claims on the packaging or on television is more than likely unhealthy

3.  Shop along the perimeter -  fruits, vegetables, fish, meat