Understanding your food and your health: Whole vs Processed Foods

Whole vs Processed Foods

It is quite clear at this stage that proper nutrition and informed food choices are one of the core pillars of optimal health. But with so much information and many contradicting views on what is and is not considered healthy, it can be extremely challenging knowing who and what to believe. See article

There are several considerations to take into account when trying better to understand food and health. First, make sure you are getting your information from a reliable source. With so many unqualified individuals putting nutritional information out into the world, it's best to opt for information put out by registered nutrition professionals, or credible sources such as registered dietitians, health associations or your countries governmental health department.

Secondly, it's essential to recognise that when it comes to food and dietary advice that is intended for general educational purpose and not contextualised to you as the individual. So always be mindful when using the information available out there.

And thirdly, it's crucial to narrow the search. Pick a topic and then focus on that; otherwise, you will be overloaded with info and feel overwhelmed. When this happens, the likelihood of you putting that information into practice decreases drastically. This principle has been applied to this article and will be focussing on how to better understand food and health by narrowing the topic down to whole foods and processed foods. So, let's get started!

A "Whole food" can be described as a product of nature, whereas processed foods are more a product of industry. The rule of thumb is that the less processed (or more whole) your food is, the better it is for your health. However, in 2020, it is unrealistic to omit processed food from your diet completely. It is important to note in some instances, that there are processed foods which are better for us than others, depending on the level and purpose of processing.

Examples of whole foods include fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, eggs and fresh meat and poultry. Foods that have been left in their natural form, usually have their vitamins and minerals kept fully intact as well as fibre content. In fact, most whole foods are higher in fibre content and as such, keep us full for longer. And while a whole food diet can meet all your nutrient needs, it can be challenging to achieve.

So where do processed foods come into play? Many of the foods we have on a day to day basis are actually considered processed. By definition, a processed food is any food item which has undergone mechanical or chemical alteration to change or preserve it. Some processed foods are essentially as healthy as whole foods but have been made safer or more convenient for us to use. Examples of these include milk, yoghurt, nut butter, frozen or pre-cut vegetables, whole pre-cooked grains and these also consist of some tinned foods.

Processed foods exist on a scale. Let's use bread as an example. Wholegrain breads are minimally processed and still contain many of the healthful benefits such as micronutrients and fibre. You can often see whole pieces of the grain and fibre in the bread. This bread compared to a highly refined load of white bread which has been stripped of the fibre and will have to be fortified – where micronutrients are (re)added to enhance the nutritional content of the food item – provides less health benefit.

Processed foods which are considered less healthy and that we shouldn't be using too frequently are those which have been ultra-processed. These foods have many extra ingredients added, including artificial additives and preservatives as well as excessive amounts of sugar as salt. Examples of these foods include frozen pizza or other frozen meals, french fries, crisps, biscuits, sweets and chocolates, some bread—margarine and processed meat products to name but a few. Our shelves are loaded with these items, and it's important to know what to look out for.

A good rule of thumb is to look at the ingredients list. The longer the list, the higher the chance that it is a highly processed food. Foods with these additives can give almost double the recommended amounts of oils, fats, and sodium.

There have been multiple studies over the years, which support a more whole food/minimally processed food diet. Diets composed of predominantly more highly processed foods all lead to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and in some cases, other diseases of lifestyle such as cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension.In short, try to aim for whole foods, and always know where you are getting your info from. Moderation and balance are best when it comes to your daily intake.

References

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