Processed Foods

The food that you put into your body is like the gasoline you put into your car. If you want your body to function properly (just like you would with your car) then you have to fuel it properly.

If you are a current member of Every Bodies Nutrition then you know I do not tell you “yes” or “no” to certain foods. I will always encourage you to eat whole foods. The purpose of the EBN isn’t to have you on another “diet” that is NOT what we offer. Every Bodies Nutrition helps you learn to adopt a healthy lifestyle that you can live with for the rest of your life! We focus on healthy eating and not a “so-called” diet.

Today, our focus is on processed food and what it does to our bodies. When you eat processed foods it confuses your body because your body doesn’t recognize them. So, your body converts it to fat and stores it. If the processed foods you are consuming don’t get burned as fuel then it adds up to unwanted pounds.

You might be thinking, “what are processed foods?” : Processed foods contain artificial flavoring and coloring to make them more appealing. The additives and preservatives are added to give them shelf life. They have no nutritional value to them (i.e. vitamins, minerals, fiber). Some common processed foods are cookies, chips, candy, crackers, and cereal - just to name a few!

When we eat processed foods it is the driver for food addiction. It sends dopamine responses to our brains. So, when you find yourself upset, stressed, or not in a good emotional state we often turn to these highly processed foods to make us “feel better” when in actuality it is just sending dopamine responses to our brain because of all the added preservatives. The food doesn’t actually make you feel better or take away the problem. What we really need to look at are the emotions that are surrounding it. Your stress from work won’t go away because you ate a cookie. It will still be there after the cookie and then add to your stress because you “failed again” and aren’t happy with your body, lifestyle, weight, etc.

Emotions need to be processed and dealt with. It is easier said than done, however, trying to find any outlets to process your emotions/stress are very beneficial to your mental and physical health. I was never one for meditation until I gave it an honest effort and so far it has been life-changing. Other outlets you can do to process your emotions are going for walks, therapy, listening to calming music (i.e. rain/waves), crossword puzzles, word puzzles, or an actual puzzle! Do something that does not involve a screen.

Stay tuned to the next blog post where unprocessed foods will be talked about!

I hope this helps provide some light into what processed foods do to our mental, emotional, and physical state!