Companies who process their foods do it for one reason: it’s cheap to produce! It’s a lot easier for them to make cheap, low quality food than to make healthy higher quality food. Why do we buy it then? Simply because it tastes good, these processed foods have additives that are very addicting. Now just because it tastes good doesn’t mean you should eat it. Processed food is bad for you– it’s hard on your digestive system and can lead to obesity among other diseases. You don’t have to eat it though!
Staying away from processed foods can be hard, but there are so many other healthier food options out there. Picking up your food from local farmers markets is a fantastic way to get healthy food and to support your community. Buy your food from a farmers market rather than your average everyday grocery store will usually ensure that you are getting healthy non processed foods that are fresh and yummy.
A lot of people have problems determining what foods have been processed. It you pick up a package, look at the ingredients– and if you see a bunch of funny words that you have never heard of before, you can assume that it has been processed. Processed foods have chemicals and all sorts of unnatural ingredients add them that aren’t good for us. If you pick up an item like this, set it back down and keep moving. Only buy products that contain ingredients that you would normally keep in your cupboard at home.
A great way to find whole ingredients in food is to shop at your local health food store. A lot of people think that they don’t have a health food store near them and later find out that they do. They aren’t uncommon, it’s just uncommon that many people go to them. If you look online you can usually find a health food store close to where you live.
It’s also a great idea to research a local source for organic meat and dairy. Most meat and dairy companies don’t feed their cows the grass or hay that they should, and the animals are given harmful antibiotics and growth hormones in order to increase production. Local sources usually feed their cows grass and care for them the way that they should. Getting meat and dairy from these places will ensure that you get the highest quality food that is available.
Being health-conscious about what you are buying and consuming is a great way to stay away from processed foods. The more you know the less likely you will be to make unhealthy choices in your eating habits.