First let's define what processed food is by definition: a processed food is a food that has had a series of mechanical or chemical operations performed on it to change or preserve it. Not all processed food is bad for you. Greek yogurt, nut butters, unsalted canned beans, frozen vegetables & fruits are all good for you. However, there is a whole swath of processed food that may be convenient but will stifle any progress you may be trying to make with weight loss, gaining muscle, and creating or keeping metabolic flexibility. Your body has a certain protocol as to how it metabolizes the food you eat as well as "recognizes" certain ingredients. Certain chemical processes add ingredients that were not typical in the human diet up until about 60 to 70 years ago, considering we have inhabited this planet for about 100,000+ years that's not much time for our bodies to adapt.
Some of the most highly processed foods are marketed as being healthy. Such as breakfast cereals, whole wheat bread, frozen meals and more. Why is that these so called healthy foods are not so good for you? The main reason is food companies want their food to taste good, extend the shelf life and put forth a product that looks good to eat. What this means is most of these processed foods contain added sugar for better taste, more salt to preserve the shelf life and artificial flavors and coloring to make the food look more appetizing. These types of ingredients play around with your blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, inflammation and other biochemical processes within your body. There is a certain balance within these biochemical processes that occur within your body that need to be maintained for a myriad of reasons. Highly processed foods will throw you out of homeostasis and create imbalance which leads to poor health.
What you need to look for are ingredients that look like they were made in a lab. Names to look for on the ingredient list are high-fructose corn syrup (sugar), hydrogenated oil, seed and vegetable oils as well as artificial sweeteners sucralose, aspartame and acesulfame potassium. Try and eat foods with less than 4 ingredients, avoid foods with a laundry list of ingredients. Perhaps the best way to remember what food to choose is asking yourself was it created by nature in it's natural form or produced in a factory? Eating healthy is time consuming and takes thought, usually the quick option is not the healthy option. Try and plan each week so you know what you have, what you can cook and what will be available to you at different points of the day and week.
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