Should We Avoid Processed Foods?
Should we avoid processed foods?
There is a lot of negative messaging surrounding processed foods, but a lot of it stems from misunderstanding.
Processing refers to altering a food from its natural state and includes washing, chopping, canning, and freezing.
Over the years, the provision of processed foods has played a crucial role in aiding not only food security but also nutrition security. Overall, they help make food safer, more accessible, and affordable.
You might think that removing all processed foods from your diet is improving your nutrition… but it may actually be doing the very opposite.
Avoiding processed foods is neither realistic nor necessary, according to Dwyer et al. 3012, and only makes healthy eating even more difficult.
(BTW, many of the people who spread misinformation about processed foods are also happily buying wellness shakes and detox powders… which are processed. 😅)
No, this does not mean I’m saying eating nothing but Cheetos. What I am suggesting is that we move away from the food shaming, advocate for a balanced diet that does not exclude any food groups (barring medical conditions), increase consumption of nutrient-dense foods WITHOUT demonizing other foods, and encourage a healthy relationship with food that’s not rooted in fear. 🙌