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How processed foods became so unhealthy

From the moment one innovative ancient human decided to cook their meat on a fire at least 400,000 years ago, to the advent of agriculture 10-15,000 years ago, people have processed foods. Our ancestors fermented (essential for alcohols and dairy products), milled and baked (breads and pasta), and worked out how to preserve meat by salting or brining. The early history of food processing was both useful and tasty.

Food processing was essential to the expansion of human civilisation. How did it become synonymous with high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt diets? And do the processed foods we eat today bear any resemblance to their original forms?

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Articles of Interest

A guide to processed foods, what to avoid and how to tell which can be eaten as part of a healthy diet...

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Across The Globe, Our Diets Are Making Us Sicker, Report Finds

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Author Michael Moss Exposes How the Food Giants Hooked Us

Have you ever snacked on a bag of salty, crunchy chips and gotten the feeling that you just couldn’t stop? You’re not alone. That irresistible sensation is completely by design. It’s just one of the ways the processed food industry tempts us to eat more of “the food we hate to love,” as author and journalist Michael Moss illuminated...

Does the Term 'Processed Food' Mean Anything? Here's What You Should Know

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With a deluge of recent headlines linking processed foods to obesity, chronic diseases and cancer, their status as society’s modern scourge seems assured. But are we wise to view all processed foods with equal disdain? These foods range from the minimally processed – frozen vegetables, plain yogurt and dried fruit – to the ultra-processed – crisps, sauces, soft drinks and sausages. We think of this latter group as a product of modern society, and yet there are references to sausages, for example, in Homer’s Odyssey, and during Roman Emperor Nero’s rule in AD 54 to AD 68.

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How Harmful Are Processed Foods?

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Processed Foods: A Closer Look

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The truth about processed food

If you’ve been paying attention to recent conversations about processed and ultra-processed food in main stream media, you might think processed food is dangerous. Headlines like “Eating ultra-processed foods linked to risk of early death” or “Consuming ultra-processed foods can shave years off your life,” would make anyone take pause. But are they accurate? And why is there so much confusion about processed foods?

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Watch out for chemically-processed foods

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What is processed food?

A processed food means that it's been altered in some way during the preparation, such as freezing, canning, baking or drying. While not all processed foods are bad for us, some of the more highly or 'ultra' processed variations should be minimised in the diet.

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Why All the Confusion About Processed Foods

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Why Eating Processed Foods Might Make You Fat

People who followed a diet of ultra-processed foods ate about 500 more calories a day compared to when they ate a whole foods diet.

Why Is There So Much Salt in Processed Foods?

Because salt is delicious.

Why it’s Never Too Late to Stay Away from Processed Foods

You probably know that you should give up processed foods, but you’re afraid to start on a diet devoid of processed foods because the damage is done. That’s not the case though. It is never too late to make the switch and submit to living a healthier lifestyle. Some of the benefits of giving up processed foods can be experienced by your body almost instantly:

Resources

5 things you probably didn’t know about processed food

With processed food being linked to cancer, global headlines are once again questioning the health consequences of convenience foods. Nicola Temple, author of the book Best Before, offers some often-overlooked context for the food we love to hate.