Every time we find more processed foods in the supermarket, leading to not knowing how to distinguish which foods are good and which are bad for our health. It is important to know that not all processed foods are the same, therefore we can distinguish between ultra-processed and processed foods.
Processed foods are those that have undergone some industrial process or have had some additive added to them. While ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations made from substances derived from food. For this reason, the vast majority of processed foods can be healthy, while ultra-processed foods are not.
What are healthy processed foods?
In the supermarket, we can find several options of processed foods that are healthy for our health. It is important to read the labels carefully to know if a food is healthy, as the same food could vary from one brand to another depending on the ingredients included.
Some processed foods may require refrigeration for preservation, while others have a long shelf life and are perfect to have in the pantry. As for consumption, many of them can be eaten raw, while others will have to be cooked in some way.
Some healthy foods include:
- Fresh sauces: in many supermarkets we can find guacamole or tomato sauce made from their ingredients without any additives.
- Packaged salads: Supermarkets currently offer a wide variety of packaged salads that facilitate quick meals. In this case, to be healthy, we must consider the products included in the salad.
- Canned fish: Fish is almost mandatory to include in our diet, but we don’t always know how to cook it or can buy fresh fish. That is why there are canned options in supermarkets that can save many meals.
- Hummus: the various varieties of hummus found in supermarkets are healthy options, we should always choose those with a higher proportion of legumes.
- Whole wheat pasta: whole wheat pasta is healthy and a perfect complement to other foods.
- Canned legumes: canned legumes are a healthy option that facilitates the intake of legumes in the weekly diet.
- Broths: supermarkets are offering more and more types of packaged broths. These work as a healthy option for consuming quick soups.
How to know what a good processed food is?
Processed foods are foods that have been manipulated with various techniques. The result of that manipulation should resemble the original food as much as possible, that is, it should contain a high percentage of the main ingredient.
The list of ingredients can help us identify a good processed food from a bad one, generally, a good processed food will not have more than five ingredients.
What processed foods should we avoid?
Processed foods that, after manipulation, have nothing to do with the natural food and contain a low level of nutrition should be avoided. Also, if other ingredients and additives have been added to make it more attractive, we could consider them unhealthy.
According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), ultra-processed preparations are those in which the original plant or animal source is unrecognizable. These contain high amounts of salt, sugar, added fats, flavorings, and other food additives. The problem with these is that they provide few nutrients and are quite harmful to health if consumed in excess.
Processed foods that should be avoided or limited in consumption include, among others:
- Pastries
- Industrial cookies
- Industrial pizzas
- Sodas
- Candies
