Day 17: Secret Hazards in Processed Foods

Life is just busy as ever and when it comes to meal time, most Americans are conveniently cooking it up. When I say conveniently cooking it up, I am talking about pulling out a box meal or popping a frozen entrée into the microwave. A typical family where both parents are working outside of the home at 8 hours a day with added commute time, and dropping off the children at daycare, takes up a full day. You may be familiar with this routine. Not to mention, after a long day, you have to get the kids to different activities or sports. Where does a healthy cooked meal fit into this type of schedule? Sadly, it doesn’t for most people.

This is where most of the American diet is tailored around processed food or fast food chains. Although convenience is a nice option for the busy family, it also comes with a price, and that is a price of good health. Why are processed foods not a healthy option? For one, processed foods are loaded with trans fats, saturated fats, and a lot of sodium and sugar.

I used buy canned soups from famous brands, and after reading the label, I was shocked by the amount of sodium in one small can. A 10 ¾ oz can of soup may contain 750 mg of sodium per serving! That’s per serving! I was on a search for some healthier options with much lower sodium. Eating foods that are loaded with these ingredients should be avoided or eaten very little if we are going to live healthier.

About.com gives a general list of processed foods that may not be as healthy below: (see link for full article)

• canned foods loaded with sodium
• refined white flour, in most breads and pastas
• snack packs ei: chips
• frozen dinners entrees
• packaged boxed meal
• processed meats ei: lunch meats, deli meats

Not only are processes foods made with trans fats, saturated fats, a lot of sodium and sugar, but there are also chemicals and preservatives that are used to keep them lasting longer. Let’s take processed meats for example. Processed meat uses sodium nitrite or nitrate to help preserve, so it looks more pleasing to the eyes and longer shelf life. It sounds all good, right? Of course, however, what it does to your body is far from GOOD!

What is sodium nitrite? American Institute for Cancer Report defines this chemical in their glossary:

Nitrite: A salt containing the nitrite ion, which contains nitrogen and oxygen in proportion
1:2 (NO2). Sodium nitrite is added to many processed meats. Nitrites are also formed in the body from nitrates in plant foods that are eaten. When consumed, nitrites can lead to the generation of N-nitroso compounds, some of which are known carcinogens (see box 4.3.2) Please see the glossary term or nitrate (it's shocking).

Carcinogens are cancer causing chemicals! A lot of deli meats we use for lunches contain nitrite or nitrate. I went on a search several years ago for healthier lunch meats that are nitrite or nitrate free. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market carries nitrite and nitrate free lunch meat. One of my favorite brands is Applegate Farms. They have a great selection lunch meat that is wholesome.

As a busy mom, it’s difficult to whip up healthy meals every night; however, with a bit of advance meal planning it’s possible! I was not a fan of the slow cooker;it reminded me of certain meals that I've had at potluck dinners that didn't taste very good. I've found that when days are busy, the good old slow cookeris one way to provide my family with a wholesome meal at the end of the day.

I found a great cookbook for slow cookers years ago full of easy recipes and I would improvised for organic ingredients whenever possible. If you need some simple ideas to help you with your slow cooker, you can purchase Fix It and Forget It Cookbook-#1 best selling cookbook, to get some ideas for preparing meals using a slow cooker. I still believe in a 90/10 rule, that's to eat healthy 90% of the time and allow the 10% of the time to be for rare occasions like, vacations and parties, etc. The point is, the more we can decrease the amount of processed foods in our life the greater chances we have of reducing the risks for various cancers and illness that rob us from living healthier and happier!

Live Healthier & Happier,