Seeking to simplify their routines, many individuals face a widely recognized adversary on a global scale: ultra-processed foods. This category is widely considered to be harmful to health due to the presence of chemical additives such as preservatives, as well as its high concentration of sugar and fat.
“Ultra-processed foods are packaged and contain industrial ingredients, such as added fats and sugars, but also additives and emulsifiers. They tend to have long lists of ingredients on the back of the packaging. Although they taste great, consuming them too frequently can increase blood pressure”, warned nutritionist Emily Leeming to The Sun website.
Items such as flavored yogurts, breakfast cereals, instant soups and cookies are some of the options that may seem healthy, but are dangerous.
“You might think that unsweetened yogurt is healthier than the full-fat alternative. But these, especially when flavored with salted caramel, are highly processed and won’t keep you full for long”, added the expert.
In addition to yogurt, some breakfast cereals can contain up to five or more ingredients that make the meal harmful, such as invert sugar, maltodextrin and fructose. For Leeming, the nutritional table is the best ally for those who want to visualize which elements can harm their health.
Discover other dangerous foods, according to the nutritionist:
Frozen vegan burgers
According to the expert, it is important to highlight that a vegan meal is not always synonymous with a healthy choice. Vegan/vegetarian burgers, when frozen, tend to contain a variety of preservatives and a high sodium content, which makes them as harmful to health as other ultra-processed foods.
According to Leeming, replacing the frozen vegan burger with a roasted portobello mushroom, for example, can mean a huge improvement in the body’s detoxification.
French fries with creamy sauce
Photo: reproduction
French fries are already known for being high in calories, high in salt and saturated fat. For the nutritionist, the addition of creamy sauces makes the food even more harmful to health, doubling the level of sugar available in the meal.
Cookies
Photo: Getty Images
Cookies are also some of the worst offenders for a healthy diet, since sugar, saturated fat, and sodium are present in every bite. The health professional assures that a handful of nuts and dried fruits are not only a better option, but also balance blood sugar levels.
“Silent killers”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), daily consumption of ultra-processed foods is closely linked to several types of chronic diseases, which may increase the risk of developing diabetes, obesity, hypertension and cancer.
Problems such as poor digestion, inflammatory processes and neurodevelopment disorders are also concerns related to an unhealthy diet.
The consequences of daily consumption of ultra-processed foods are diverse. “Over the past decade, evidence has slowly been mounting that ultra-processed foods are harmful to us in ways we hadn’t thought of. We are talking about a wide variety of types of cancer, heart disease, strokes, dementia”, warned King’s College London professor of epidemiology, Tim Spector, in an interview with BBC Panorama.
With information from Metrópoles/Cláudia Meireles
