Over the years that I have been advocating a ‘balance’ in the consumption of Fresh versus Processed Foods, I have been asked many times to write up a simple explanation to help the average consumer who is currently reliant on doses of marketing campaigns, that possibly cloud the factual info.
There is absolutely nothing unhealthy about Processed Foods, in general. After all, we have been consuming processed foods in some form or another since primeval times. Salted fish, fruits in sugar syrup, pickled vegetables and cured meats like Salami to name a few.
But, the volumes and volumes of processed food that we consume have risen significantly, resulting in the intake of higher calories and Additives from processed food on a daily basis.
We now consume more Mass Produced, Processed & Packaged Meat, Fish, Vegetables and Sugary Bright Colored Drinks than we have ever done before.
Even the Fishing Trawlers have now gone into ‘Supersize’ to keep up not only with our demand but also chasing a dwindling fish population.
Think about it – We involuntarily seem to have not only created an overfed, unhealthy population among the affluent societies in the world, we seem to have also depleted the food supply of the less fortunate on this planet.
If only for the sake of evidence, check out info on supermarkets and their stocks over the past 30 years or so.
Yep, instead of a couple of brand names and varieties, we now have half a dozen brand names and a dozen varieties or more of an individual product
From Breakfast Bars to Canned Fish and non-alcoholic Drinks -available at the reach of a hand.
On a recent trip to an underdeveloped country, I know of some people in my group who went shopping among the ‘local’ shops & couldn’t find clothes that fit ‘their’ size! – I wonder why!
We now seem to have the highest levels of diabetic, cholesterol laden, allergen sensitive, mood changing, cancer prone populations than at any time in our recorded history.
How do we PREVENT this epidemic? We can do something about – eat only what your body requires, and eat less processed foods.
Most of us do not have the resources to produce our own vegetables, dairy foods or meats, and our reliant to some extent or another on processed foods.
Consolidate your diet with a healthy intake of fresh food and check out the difference over just a few months, – you will definitely feel better and feel good.
Plus fewer Additives and possibly lesser Allergens.
Butter and even Lard were used over the previous centuries to help us bite into, chew and digest the heavy breads that we baked.
Do we really need the same quantity spread on our bread now, especially with the ‘soft’ breads that we now consume?
Remember, business IS business and marketing does make up a good part of a corporations’ financial budget and business focus.
The Truth is so plain – but it seems that we are caught up in a juggernaut of Mass Farming, Processing and Sophisticated Marketing with the ‘System’ rolling on and on.