Processed Food

Processed food is food that is changed during preparation. This change includes adding preservatives, salt, sugar and fat and precooking, freezing, drying or canning. This process was the start of convenience food and was a welcome help in cutting down food preparation time.

For children growing up in the 1970/1980s, the only fast food was chips from the chip shop, with maybe a fish or a breast of chicken. Fathers had allotments where they grew fresh seasonal vegetables, tending the land after work and days off. Mothers shopped daily for food from the local butchers, greengrocers, and freshly prepared meals. People ate what was on the plate until the next meal. If cooking apples were in season, they had homemade apple pies or crumble. A chocolate bar was a once-a-week treat if lucky. And children played outside all day, only returning home at the set meal times. Most were healthy, not overweight, and rarely had colds or were ill!

Life was hard work for parents preparing meals!  

Fast  and Convenience Food

In 1984 a Mcdonald's opened in many local towns, the local children would spend their money on delicious burgers that were ready as soon as they ordered them; amazing. From this day onwards, other well-known brands entered the local high street. Mothers were delighted as the pressure on them to feed the family subsided. 

Preprepared and cooked ready meals were available in the newly introduced supermarket freezers; you only had to reheat and serve.

Sweets and candy became more readily available and were cheap due to mass production techniques. People would often eat candy instead of regular meals.

Like the boiling frog story, the frog didn't realise he was being cooked alive as the heat rose slowly. People were getting fat and unhealthy due to the new fast and convenient food!

You will read lots of reports from scientists and medical professionals about food. Before you take note of the content, find out who funded the report. If the funding was from an independent source, it's more likely to be accurate, but if an interested party paid for the information, it might need to be more objective. As it's your body that is going to ingest the food, do your research. 

Not all processed food, such as picked and immediately frozen vegetables, is unhealthy. Organically produced milk should be free of added hormones and antibiotics. However, the milk is pasteurised to remove harmful bacteria, so it is processed. We know that certain pesticides are unsuitable for humans and cause cancer. High-added sugar, salt and fat can contribute to poor human health if consumed regularly. 

An example of common processed foods include:

• Breakfast cereals.
• Cheese.
• Tinned vegetables.
• White Bread.
• Snacks, crisps, sausage rolls, pies and pasties.
• Bacon, sausage, ham, salami and paté.
• Microwave-ready meals.
• Cakes and biscuits.
• Milk and soft sugary drinks.

Conclusion

We all have to take responsibility for our health and now know that smoking is bad for our health. However, from 1930 to the 1950s, doctors advertised and endorsed smoking as healthy. If we compare the population before processed food to the people today, we witness an increase in weight gain, which can lead to other health issues. Processed and convenience food is a contributory factor. 

Reducing our consumption of processed foods and sugars and increasing foods free from added preservatives, sugars, and salts can only benefit our health. As a comparison, read about Organically produced food and see which is better for your well-being. My body, my choice!