Processed Food Disadvantages

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Recommended: Compare natural, organic and processed foods

A healthy diet is one that consists primarily of 'natural' foods, including vegetables, herbs, fruits, berries, grains, seeds and nuts. Unfortunately, the diet of the majority of people in the western world consists predominately of 'processed' foods. Typical problems with various processed foods are:

They are infused with harmful preservatives in order to promote 'shelf life'. When a food's shelf life is artificially prolonged, it does not only resist bacteria but also being digested properly.

They tend to be laden with unhealthy sugars, sweeteners and salts, designed to appeal to our taste buds, but which are detrimental to our body.

Many processed foods contain artificial vitamins and inorganic minerals intended to convince consumers that the food products are 'enriched' in nutritional value. In reality, these synthetic vitamins and metallic minerals cannot be assimilated into the bloodstream, and only tend to clog the digestive tract and damage the kidneys and blood vessels.

Meat and meat products are usually derived from animals that have been fed large quantities of antibiotics, growth hormones and other
In addition to being certain that the produce is raised in a chemical-free environment, there are other advantages. For example, fruits and vegetables can be eaten at their exact peak of ripeness and maturity, yielding the maximum nutritional value and tastiness. In contrast, commercial fruits and vegetables that must be harvested prior to peak maturity in order to allow for processing and distribution delays. This is a particularly important issue related to fruit, which is much healthier if eaten when it is naturally ripened. Also, for a variety of reasons related to the life force and cycles of the planet, fruits, vegetables and other natural foods are of the greatest nutritional value if they are grown in the same geographic vicinity as the area in which one

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