How Healthy Are Processed Foods?
How healthy are processed foods?
Today, the people in the United States are surrounded by more food choices than any other country. So why are people so fat and unhealthy?
The real question
Is it the food or what is in the food that is causing the problem?
Take a closer look at the food that is available in many of the grocery stores. The majority of the food is sold in a prepared packing. The only “Natural Foods” are found in the Produce Section. Many of these foods are “tinted” with powerful insecticides that protect the food from insects eating them.
Many of the raw meats can be considered “natural” but can contain medicines and hormones that are fed to the livestock during their growth.
What is the problem with packaged foods?
In order to keep the food produce fresh and looking attractive, it needs to be persevered. The bacteria present in the food are a main cause of spoilage. By controlling the bacteria, the freshness will last much longer.
No one method will produce acceptable results for all foods. Some foods such as lettuce can not be preserved and can only be used during it natural fresh period.
We will examine the 3 main ways big food corporations preserve food and the pros and cons of each.
Three Main Food Preservation Used
1. Frozen: Turns the moisture (water) into ice which inhibits the growth of most bacteria.
Pros:
- The food retains most of the nutrients that were present when processed. Flash freezing (cryogenic) done on site of harvest improves the nutrients kept.
- This type of food can be found in many stores large or small.
Cons:
- The food must remain frozen during time of transporting as well as storage.
- Left overs need to be used quickly and shouldn’t be refrozen.
- Freezing require the use of machines which can limit where it can be stored.
- Chemicals are added to help the food be more acceptable and tasteful to the consumer.
- Some food such as vegetables have to be placed in boiling water and then into ice filled water (blanching) before freezing. This is an added step in the process.
2. Dehydration: leave the food in a coarse powder form. It removes 90-95% of the water while leaving about 50%-60% of the nutrients.
Pros:
- No special storage is needed
- It is light weight and easily to transport.
Cons:
- Food must be boiled for 20 minutes requiring high heat which can alter the taste and texture of the food. Chemicals have to be added to correct these problems.
- The food must remained in a sealed container. Even a small pin hole in the package will cause spoilage over time. Spoilage is seen as hard lumps in the storage pouch.
- Water needs to be added again to the food to obtain the final product.
3. Freeze drying: was mainly used for medical material, but now widely used for food, This
method removes about 98% of the water while retaining 97% of the nutrients.
Pros:
- The food stays fresh for years.
- There is no special storage needed.
- Once opened left overs will remain fresh for about two weeks.
Cons:
- The main problem is the cost of processing since it requires special equipment, a long time to process and large amounts of energy.
- The product will be lighter in weight but still the same size as the fresh product.
- The product is usually found in certain stores that specialize in this type of food such as, Survival stores, Outdoor or Sporting Goods stores that have camping section.
- Since 97% of the water is removed during processing that amount needs to be replaced which may make the food unsuitable in a situation of limited water.
The second part of this report will deal with the chemicals that may be added to the food and what their functions are.