Overly processed foods the bane of good health

Oghomwen (Owen) Jones

…following on from my last and first blog. As you begin to see your body as The Lord’s Temple that the Bible says it is; overly processed foods are a group of foods that you will do yourself a world of good to avoid. Indeed this is a wise decision for everyone.

Let me quickly explain the difference between processed and overly processed foods. The former have been minimally processed. Some form of food processing is typically required to make most foods edible and safe. For example, milk is not sold directly from the cow. It is pasteurized (processed) to make it safe for consumption.

Conversely overly processed foods have many nutrients stripped and many unhealthy additives introduced. They often contain several ingredients such as hydrogenated oils, salt, refined sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, food colouring, flavouring agents, emulsifiers, and various other additives. These foods collectively form what is now popularly known as MAD. This is the acronym for the Modern American Diet.

MAD includes a wide range of unhealthy foods, such as potato crisps (chips), white rice, various breads made with white flour (sliced bread, rolls, bagels), microwave popcorn, candy/sweets, chocolate bars, fast foods, pre-cooked packet meals, etc. These foods eaten continuously without caution are likely to cause ill health.

Typical ailments that can occur with uncontrolled, sustained consumption of these foods are high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, obesity etc.

BE CAREFUL! These foods should be eaten, VERY SPARINGLY if at all! Can we say that we truly love God and live life the way we want; including not caring at all about how we feed our body, His Temple?

How we fuel our body affects our general well-being. We must do all that we can, to stay healthy. We will then, be better able to fulfil our purpose. Our family, friends and sphere of influence are other reasons to want to get and stay well. We have work to do…

Being cautious with overly processed foods is a great step towards getting and staying healthy.