ORLANDO, Fla. (WGEM) — Ultra-processed foods are everywhere. Their convenience and price are tempting. But health experts say the long ingredient list should make you think twice. Here’s how an alert shopper can spot ultra-processed foods when shopping.
Rolando Toyos, MD, founder and CEO of Toyos Clinic, said: “We are eating more processed foods. We are giving up vegetables and fruits.”
Highly processed foods are supposed to be easy to eat, delicious and have a longer shelf life, but doctors say they are not good for your health.
Ilana Katz Sand, MD, a neurologist at Mount Sinai in New York, said, “We’re really talking about avoiding the highly processed stuff in the supermarket. So cookies, chips, you know the stuff that’s sold in a box.”
One clue you can easily spot: There’s usually a long list of ingredients… many of which you’ve probably never heard of. If the list includes things you wouldn’t use in your own kitchen, you know it’s highly processed.
Dr Sand said: “If you have the opportunity to prepare meals at home whenever possible. So we know that when you prepare meals for yourself, you know exactly what’s in them.”
The Washington Post lists some other warning signs of processed foods. Look for: added sweeteners like corn syrup and cane sugar, artificial sweeteners like aspartame, ingredients that end in “…ose” like fructose or glucose, and foods that are “instant” or come in many flavors.
If you leave those unhealthy, highly processed products on the shelf, you’ll have more room in your shopping cart for the foods that are good for your body.
Experts also warn us to avoid clever marketing tactics that make processed foods look healthy when they still contain lots of additives or sugar.
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