How Processed Food Affects Weight Loss: 5 Simple Steps

Processed food is one of the main causes of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. what is it and how processed food affects weight loss and our health? Processed food is any form of food that has been altered from its original form. There are different types of processed food. There are unprocessed or minimal processed foods and ultra-processed food. Ultra-processed foods have been changed from their natural form and are the least healthy food.

There are a lot of factors that make processed food Unhealthy for us. There are added fat, sugar, and refined grain salt in processed food. Processed food is low in nutritional value and has a high concentration of calories.

Research shows that processed food can damage brain cells, leading to a rise in a person’s set point. A set point is like a regulating system. it can be compared to a thermostat. It controls a person’s calorie intake and metabolism.

Your metabolism is controlled by your genes and hormones. Over time, your body sets a higher level for how many calories it will burn. As research shows, obesity is set to be a disease at a high set point. Below is some example of different type of processed food.

Minimal Processed

  • Frozen Food and Vegetables 
  • Canned Beans
  • Roasted Nuts
  • Bagged Salad

Ultra Processed food

  • Fast Food
  • Frozen Desserts such as ice cream
  • Ham, Sausage
  • Sugary Beverages

As you already know thus far, processed food has low nutritional value. therefore that makes processed food unfulfilling.  Processes are high in volume and have low fiber. The low nutritional value of processed food, causes people to overeat. We tend to eat more calories until we feel full. We eat until we stretch the receptors in our stomach.

What to know about processed food

When it comes to a better understanding of how processed food affects weight loss, you need a better understanding of what you are eating. You need to pay attention to the food label. It is very important to read the label, investigate and go over the ingredients list. Reading the nutrition fact will help someone to make better choices.

Choosing between unhealthy and healthy foods. It is very important for someone to read the food label because processed food contains added sugar, salt, and other added ingredient.

Referring to Dietary Guidelines for Americans, there is a recommendation for our daily intake. For example, the daily recommendation for salt intake is less than 2,300 milligrams per day.

If you want to reduce your intake of processed foods, aim to do more food prep and cooking at home. Base your meals on whole foods. Which includes vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

It is okay to eat some processed food, but it is important to know the right amount to eat of each type of food. Learn to choose food labels that have no added sugar, or added salt, and are low on sodium.

To some everything

As we know, not all processed foods are unhealthy, but some processed foods may contain high levels of artificial ingredients. Processed food is extremely harmful to one’s diet.

if you are someone who is on a weight loss journey or wants to live a healthier lifestyle.  It is best to avoid eating ultra-processed food. As we learned how processed food affects weight loss.

Processed foods, like cakes, cookies, and other junk. Those foods release dopamine, which can lead to an increased desire to eat even more. It not only causes us to overeat and gain weight.

It is also one of the major causes of diabetes, high blood pressure, and other diseases. Processed food has an effect on our body to resist weight loss and harms us. You need to be mindful when you eat. In all paying attention to the nutrition facts label will greatly identify ingredients that go into our foods.

Deborah Jones
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