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They're Addictive and May Cause You to
Overeat
- Unlike whole foods, which contain a mix of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fiber and water to help you feel satisfied, processed foods stimulate dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter, making you feel good even though the food lacks nutrients and fiber. This artificial dopamine stimulation only lasts so long and eventually leads to intense food cravings and, ultimately, food addiction.
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They're Linked to Obesity
- Processed foods are virtually guaranteed to contain additives that are linked to obesity, including monosodium glutamate (MSG), high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and more. Plus, refined carbohydrates like breakfast cereals, pretzels, and most other processed foods quickly break down to sugar, increase your insulin levels and cause insulin resistance and weight gain.
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They Break Principles of Food Combining
- Some experts believe that eating foods in certain combinations helps your body's digestive processes to work more efficiently and absorb more nutrients. Eating proteins and starches together, for instance, which is common in processed foods (such as a pepperoni pizza), inhibits digestion and supports disease-causing pathogens in your gut.
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Processed Foods Lead to an Imbalanced
Inner Ecosystem
- The microorganisms living in your digestive tract form a very important "inner ecosystem" that influences countless aspects of your health. Processed foods disrupt this system, suppressing beneficial microflora and leading to digestive problems, cravings, illnesses and chronic disease. Beneficial organisms in your gut thrive on whole, unprocessed foods.
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They're Detrimental to Your Mood and Brain
- Mood swings, memory problems and even depression are often the result of a heavily processed-food diet. The greatest concentration of serotonin, which is involved in mood control, is found in your intestines, not your brain! Your gut and brain work in tandem, each influencing the other. This is why your intestinal health can have such a profound influence on your mental health, and vice versa.
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Processed Foods Encourage
'Eating on the Run'
- Processed foods are quick and easy, making them 'perfect' to grab when you're on the go. But eating on the go, or while you're multi-tasking, can cause you to lose touch with your body's natural signals telling you you're full, leading to overeating and weight gain. It's also more difficult for your body to digest properly when you're busily engaged in other tasks.
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Nutrition Labels Are Misleading
- The natural food label on a processed food has no standard definition and really no meaning at all. A "natural" product can be virtually anything -- genetically modified, full of pesticides or made with corn syrup, additives, preservatives and artificial ingredients.
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Processed Meats Are Linked to Cancer
- Processed meats include bacon, ham, pastrami, salami, pepperoni, hot dogs, and some sausages. Particularly problematic are the nitrates that are added to these meats, which are frequently converted into cancer-causing nitrosamines. Meat cooked at high temperatures may also contain heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which are also linked to cancer.
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Processed Foods May Increase Your Risk
of Infertility and Malnutrition
- Because processed foods are stripped of nutrients your body needs, you could be eating a large number of calories but still become malnourished. In just three generations, a nutrient-deficient diet can lead to infertility, which is on the rise in the US. Plus, processed foods often contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients, which are also linked to reproductive problems.
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Processed Foods Lead to a
Long Shelf Life, Not a Long Human Life
- Processed foods can last a long time on the shelf without going bad, thanks to their highly processed nature and the chemical cocktails of preservatives and other additives added to make them last even longer. Unfortunately, their makers put a lot of money and time into strategies to increase shelf life and create attractive packaging, with little attention put on their health effects.