Foods that naturally boost glutathione levels are fruits, herbs, vegetables and meats.

Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, onions, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, spinach, and asparagus are good sources of glutathione.

Watermelon, avocado, fruits rich in vitamin C like oranges, foods containing vitamin E like almonds all contain positive levels of glutathione.

Glutathione is found in raw eggs, fresh, unprocessed meats, garlic, turmeric, and herbs such as cinnamon and cardamom.

Brazil nuts are also an effective source of glutathione. Eating one Brazil nut a few times a week is an acceptable way to increase glutathione levels; however, Brazil nuts are high in calories

Levels of Glutathione in the Body
One of the main causes of law levels of glutathione are free radicals. An increased presence of free radicals in the body can cause oxidative stress. Low levels of glutathione deficiency contribute to oxidative stress, which plays a key role in aging.

Oxidative stress can also worsen many diseases which include Alzheimer’s disease, liver disease, Parkinson’s disease, cystic fibrosis, cancer sickle cell anemia, HIV and AIDS, diabetes, and heart attack. The aging process also causes lower levels of glutathione in the body. By age 20, the body begins to lose between 10-15% of glutathione per decade.

It is important to increase consumption of foods rich in glutathione after age 20. Other ways glutathione is decreased in the body can be from pollution, stress, exposure to poison such as pesticides, and birth control pills and hormone therapy. The higher glutathione levels are the healthier the individual is. High levels of glutathione help to rid the body of toxins and boost the immune system as well as the metabolism and energy levels.

Many dermatologists recommend eating foods high in glutathione to help reduce the signs of aging and improve skin clarity. Raising levels of glutathione in the body has an impact on almost every disease and sickness. An increased presence of glutathione can help to reduce symptoms of and prevent colds and the flu, can increase energy levels, and can slow memory loss.

Good nutrition can play a huge role in preserving and even boosting your memory. There are several foods that have been clinically shown to enhance storage and recall of information and preventing some of the deleterious effects of aging on the brain.

Here is a list of several foods that you should consider making a part of your regular diet.

Why not start with a treat? Dark chocolate, consumed in reasonable quantities on a daily basis, has been shown to have positive antioxidant effects within the body. The theobromine found in cocoa beans improves cognitive function and enhances your brain’s processing power. Unfortunately, the proven benefits have been limited only to dark chocolate, and not milk or white chocolate.

Luscious red tomatoes contain a fantastic quantity of essential antioxidants that can fight cell damage. Lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant is quite beneficial in the removal of harmful free radicals. Including tomatoes in your dietary regimen should not be a problem as they are easy to find, even when out of season. Understand that you probably won’t get the same benefit from tomato sauce as you will from tomatoes grown in your garden, or even those bought at the grocery store.

Fish oil is considered to be one of the best dietary supplements for the brain because it contains omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are actually produced by the algae in the fish’s ecosystem, and you can actually get this beneficial ingredient by either eating fish, like salmon, taking fish oil supplements, or finding a DHA supplement made from algae. However you consume it, this essential food is key to brain and heart health.

It is true that fish oil can be a bit hard to eat, but blueberries can be some of the most delicious items that can be consumed for enhancing memory power. Getting blueberries is not a difficult task at all as they tend to be easily obtainable. There is good data to show that these berries can directly boost memory when eaten on a regular basis.

Green tea is widely viewed as being helpful for concentration, alertness and memory. Not only can you consume green tea as a beverage, but you can also find foods that contain matcha, which is the powdered form of crushed green tea leaves. Matcha has potent antioxidant effects and is a great way to boost your brainpower.

Enjoy these great foods which really can make a significant difference in your health and memory power.

Watch this video is on the dangers of aspirin.

Commonly allergens known as the salicylates. Aspirin, being acetylsalicylic acid, is a salicylate, and for those who are sensitive enough, it can produce especially severe allergic reactions, even life threatening and malignant ones.

Additionally, acetylsalicylic acid is quite irritating to the gastric mucosa (lining of the stomach). It can quite easily destroy the lining resulting in ulceration and gastric bleeding, which again, can be dangerous, even fatal. This is a unusually high risk for anyone who accidentally or intentionally takes an overdose of the drug.

One rare but hidden problem that often overlooked is that of drug-induced nutritional deficiencies. Aspirin is a glaring example of this problem. It is an ant nutrient. Aspirin marketed and prescribed for daily use to prevent heart attack, aspirin depletes the body of the lifesaving nutrient folic acid (as well as iron, potassium, sodium, and vitamin C). Symptoms of folic acid depletion include anemia, birth defects, elevated homocysteine (itself a significant risk factor for heart disease), headache, fatigue, hair loss, insomnia, diarrhea, and increased infection.

We do not get heart attacks because we do not have enough aspirin in our blood stream. We get heart attacks because we lack proper nutrition and appropriate lifestyles thus causing us to be hypercoagulable not to mention the inflammations in our blood streams adding to this condition.

We get heart attacks because we do not have enough magnesium in our blood stream. Magnesium dilates blood vessels, aids potassium absorption, acts as a natural blood thinner, and keeps your blood cells from clumping together causing thrombosis (clotting).

 

Today, vegetables taste bland because lack of minerals in the soil. Then a lot of chemicals added to make it taste delicious and preserve it.

Why are they salty? Because salt (sodium chloride) helps prevent spoiling by drawing moisture out of food, so bacteria cannot produce. Salt also kills existing bacteria that might cause spoiling. At one time, salting was one of the only methods available.

Additionally, the food that has processed contains a lack of enzymes. Every metabolic activity in the body and every chemical reaction that keeps us well helped by enzymes. Enzyme is a catalyst, use to makes something work more efficiently. The oil in the automobile engine is a catalyst. Although the engine runs on gasoline, how helpful would it be without oil? This is an example of how catalyst helps reactions take place more efficiently.

Without enzymes, there is no life. Enzymes maintain the body. Every day the body burns, enzymes to nourish the organs like the heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, as well as the trillions of cells that carry on life. Those enzymes need to be replaced as the body uses them up.

The body re-supplies enzymes by manufacturing them or by receiving them from an outside source. They come from raw foods - vegetables, fruits, and even meat. They can be converted for bodily needs.

When there are not enough enzymes available on a daily basis, one body begins to cut off from various bodily functions. For instance, hair may become dry nails may crack, and skin may become dry - giving the appearance of an older person. Then more serious, the liver will not be able to handle the excretion of waste products.

Fifty percent of all enzymes burned by the body used in digesting food. When restricted enzymes are available for the digestion system the body steals them from other organs. Evidence, the high number of indigestion aids sold and the fact that one feels sleepy after a meal. The body is stealing energy (enzymes) from other bodily functions. Without these enzymes and lack of them in the food we eat average person only digests about 30 to 70% of what they eat.

Processed foods and most all packaged foods do not contain active enzymes. When any food heated over 112 degrees Fahrenheit, the active enzyme activity destroyed.

The bottom line is that when we eat foods that are void of adequate nutrition and void of any enzymes into the body, we finally go down.

The elimination of active enzymes does not allow the food to be thoroughly digested. The immune system becomes weakened, and we get degenerative diseases.

Practical Tip
All of these compounds, just to look and taste as close to normal as possible. Why not get totally, real food and not all these synthetics?

Get the right food with the real benefits! How to avoid processed food while living an active lifestyle

What are Processed Foods?

Processed foods are foods that have compromised by the addition of hormones, additives, preservatives, synthetic genetic material or other chemical or heat treatments that alter or destroy the natural healthy, enzymes, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

The main source of food processing is to increase the shelf life of foods so that larger amounts can be sold over time.

In contrast, whole foods are simple and straightforward. Whole foods require no processing - they are ready to eat off the vine or off the fire; whole foods age as like us, and they must be eaten while fresh.

A List of Processed Food
Ever notice that the sources of the ingredients in processed foods shrouded in mystery? Food manufacturers even patent some of the processing methods they use. The process for making Splenda, an artificial sweetener, is a big secret and patented with the US Government.

Seems to me that if one has to follow the procedure for how food made a big secret, it probably means that if most people knew the process, they would not eat the food.

Here’s, a short list of some common processed foods (most have unusually long shelf lives):

•White wheat flour, typically bleached white flour.
•Refined sugars (crystalline fructose, malt dextrin, dextrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, maple syrup, date sugar, cane sugar, brown rice syrup, corn sugar, beet sugar, agave syrup, etc..)
•Margarine and other hydrogenated vegetable fats
•Refined vegetable oils
•Artificial sweeteners
•Food additives
•Canned foods
•Boxed foods such as meal mixes, cereal and pasta
•Soft drinks and sugary "fruit" drinks, which loaded with white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors and other food additives.
•Fast food, which is a source of Trans fats
•Cheese food, packaged cakes and cookies, chips, snack food crackers and other junk food
•Processed meat products (sausage, bologna, bacon, packaged ham, and salami) if they contain artificial colors and soy fillers.
•Frozen foods such as TV dinner meals, fish sticks, pizza rolls and similar foods
•Soy products such as soy milk, soy cheese, soy protein isolate, and other processed soy foods. Natural soybeans taste horrible; it is Nature's way of warning about the dangers of soy. In order to make soy products edible, soy manufacturers have to add large amounts of sugar, MSG and other flavorings and spices.
•Powdered milk and eggs: Commercial milk powders contain ox sterols (oxidized cholesterol) in excessive amounts. The ox sterol free radicals have suspected of being initiators of atherosclerotic plaques. Powdered eggs contain even more ox sterols.

As a general rule, processed food has changed extensively from its natural state.

Other Less Obvious Processed Foods to Avoid
•Avoid non-organic pasteurized, homogenized milk and products made from it. Many commercial dairy farms manage their dairy cows with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which made from genetically modified organisms. It increases the production of milk but also sickens the cows, increasing udder infections and lameness by 40-55%.

The use of rBGH has banned in Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan and every other industrialized country except the United States.

The proteins in pasteurized milk have altered from the high heat applied, and the useful digestive enzymes and vitamins have destroyed. Without the beneficial enzymes, milk is a lot harder to digest, and "lactose intolerance" is the result.

•Do not buy meat, pork and poultry from commercial factory farms. Here's, why: The animals raised in these factory farms confined, abused, fed food which makes them sick (genetically modified soybeans and corn, other extinct animals, bakery waste, manure and other nasty things), and many become seriously ill from this treatment.

They then injected with bacterial killing drugs, further polluting their flesh. Worse, this reliance on drugs contributes to the development of new and lethal bacteria strains resistant to modern antibiotics. Read this article about the resistant bacteria MSRA found in commercial pork products. It already killed 19,000 people, but the FDA is choosing to ignore the problem.

Choose grass fed organic meats and chicken instead.

Processed foods made for convenience and long shelf life, and have completed short-changed in nutrition while using these methods to create foods.

The relationship between processed food and health is not a favourable one. On top of the loss of nutrients during the manufacturing process, most convenience foods recommend using a microwave oven to make them, which further deteriorates the nutritional values.

Genetically Engineered Foods
Here, a sobering factoid: it estimated that nearly 75% of the processed junk foods found in local grocery store contain corn, soybean or canola ingredients which have engineered from genetically modified organisms. This includes bakery products, salad dressings, corn products, baby food, infant formula and other products.

In addition, vegetables like tomatoes and potatoes genetically modified as well. That is another compelling reason to grow own vegetables. Recently, the biotech companies have applied genetically to alter fish.

The adverse health effects of these foods well known in relation to the animal kingdom.
•Farmers have reported that if given a choice, cattle will ignore genetically engineered corn in favor or naturally raised corn.

•Dairy cattle get sick when injected with rBGH, a genetically engineered hormone used to increase milk production, and still, this hormone used widely in the commercial milk industry. Fortunately, many grocery store chains have pledged to avoid selling milk tainted with rBGH.

Now all of this information is by no way "scientific", but common sense tells me that if cows will not eat genetically engineered food crops, and insects die after interacting with these food crops, it would be wise to avoid them as much as possible.

The human body did not change eating these technological foods, and the adverse health results have documented in studies.

Remember that by avoiding processed junk foods, we will automatically avoid most genetically engineered foods.

DISADVANTAGES OF FOOD PROCESSING

Unless we live on a farm, unlikely that we eat only unprocessed food. Nearly all food purchased in the grocery store undergoes some processing, whether it preservative to improve a product's shelf life, spray to improve the appearance of a fruit or colouring get the food look attractive. Some processing, like pasteurization, obvious benefits in reducing disease risk, while other have no benefits besides adding higher sodium or sugar content to a product to make it taste better.

 

Decreased Nutrients
Processed foods lose a fair amount of the vitamin content. This also happens with fresh foods unless eaten quickly, but freezing, canning or otherwise altering foods, so they last longer results in nutrient losses. Just growing vegetables and fruits in fertilized soil can reduce the vitamin C content in the final product. Blanching foods before freezing also removes water-soluble vitamins like B complex and vitamin C. Milling grains removes the husk, which contains most of the vitamins, while peeling fruits and vegetables can also removes vitamins that lie close to the skin's surface.

 

Links Additives
Preservatives and additives enhance flavor, and taste rarely contain any nutritive value and in some cases, causes cancer or other diseases. Sodium nitrite gives processed meats such as hot dogs and lunch meat the characteristic pink color and prevents growth of bacteria that cause botulism. However, nitrites can also make nitrosamines, chemical that may increase the risk of cancer in animals and humans.
Food Additives
Processed foods have high levels of food additives, some are harmless, but many have undesirable health effects.

What are food additives?
They are substances that food manufacturers add to a wide variety of foods to preserve the flavor or improve the taste and appearance of processed foods. Artificial food colorings, added for the purpose of making food look more attractive, also been implicated as possible cancer-causing agents. They are commonly used to prolong shelf lives, and used widely in "diet" foods which require the flavor boost.

Some additives come from natural sources, but some are highly processing substances derived from unhealthy sources such as coal tar and peroxide.

 

Coloring Agents
Most processed foods colored with synthetic or other colouring agents, based on the idea that we "eat with our eyes", most food manufactures like to enhance a colour, even if the initial food is not as colourful.

A variety of colouring agents used, including many synthetic compounds. Besides the issues of ingesting compounds that are not natural, colourings often used to improve the colour of foods that have lost colour during storage or from heat. The coloured compounds in natural foods are some of the most notable phytonutrients, however, and this loss of colour can cause a loss of nutrient value, which may be masked by the introduction of synthetic compounds.

Some of these colouring additives were found to promote hypersensitivity reactions in people, especially children. In sensitive persons, consumption of these artificial colourings been linked to ADHD (attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder), asthma, and inflammatory skin conditions such as urticarial and atopic dermatitis.

 

Preservatives
A major problem with processed foods is the use of preservatives. The most commonly used preservatives are butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and sulfites.

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
BHT is controversial in 1978, a government-sponsored review of safety data indicated that no direct toxicity observed at the permitted levels in a food however, this report also determined that more studies needed to assess the safety. Since then, BHT been shown to induce tumors in the stomach and liver in animals, when used at high levels. Again, although this allowed in foods at a low level per each food, it is one of the most common preservatives and is available in many processed foods. The amount in the best diet may be higher than the "permitted" amount per food and remains a concern by many scientists.

BHT and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) investigated for their ability to damage genetic material. In addition, research has shown that these compounds can rupture and remove red blood cells as well as develop symptoms of chemical sensitivity.

 

Added Fats and Sugar
Processed snack foods, dinners and side dishes mostly all contain added sugar, sodium and fats to enhance the flavor of dehydrated or frozen meals. All three associated with serious health risks: excess sodium can increase the blood pressure, excess sugar can worsen diabetes and lead to weight gain and excess fats, particularly Tran’s fats, can raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Processed foods introduce high levels of salt, preservative and Tran’s fats. These are all detrimental to one diet in the levels that they are available in processed foods. Also, many processed foods stripped of their nutritional qualities during processing. Processed food has lesser dietary fibre, more salt, sugar, fat and fewer nutrients as nutrients sometimes lost during processing. The downside processed food contained lesser nutritional by lowering their nutritional values and adding chemicals and colouring which can cause cancer or obesity. Processed foods at the top of the food pyramid for a reason: they are dangerous and should be consumed in small quantities. That the high availability, of processed foods, directly conflicts with the nutritional recommendations but, unfortunately, people continue to enjoy eating processed foods. Consuming these foods contributes to obesity and cardiovascular disease, two of the most serious health disorders.

Sodium
Processed foods contribute as much as 75 percent of sodium in the diets. Manufacturers include sodium in their processed products because it slows the growth of bacteria and other organisms and prolongs shelf life, disguises the metallic taste of aluminum in soft drinks and canned foods, and accentuates flavor in cookies and cakes. A diet high in sodium eventually causes high blood pressure and cardiovascular complications. The beginning of grain cultivation began 12,000 years ago, which markedly changed the nutrition of humans who once hunted food and gathered fruits and vegetables. Average height decreased by several inches after grains integrated into the diet because grains produce fewer nutrients compared with other whole foods. Today, grains not only contribute significantly to the standard diet, but many of them refined, which means that manufacturers remove the outer portion than contains essential fatty acids and nutrients to extend product shelf life. These foods often provide only empty calories that contribute to obesity.

 

Contamination
Salmonella outbreaks often traced back to manufacturing plants, where contamination with the bacteria can sicken large numbers of people who eat a food product. Since many processed meats such as hamburger now contain beef from cows, a single sick cow can contaminate a large amount of processed meat.

Processed Foods
Modern diets consist of over-processed foods and lifeless foods which require little enzyme activity and contain little or no fibrous material. We are eating devitalized foods that are not fresh, with fewer nutrients.

All the natural fiber, such as grain peels, been removed in the refining stages. Because of this diet is lacking in fiber, digestion is slow, and the waste materials remain in the body longer. This sets up the right place for toxic materials to develop. Also, processed foods can accommodate large amounts of chemicals and toxins which added in the processing.

We are eating lots of chemicals like colouring agents, artificial flavors and preservatives that can make the food look attractive and taste fresher.

Even non-processed foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, whole grains and meats frequently contain chemical residues from pesticides, herbicides, hormones and other products used to make them grow. All of these substances reduce the amount of Vitamin E available for biochemical and physiological processes.

 

Why is the food processed?
Preservatives used to extend the life of foods by controlling the spread of unwanted molds, yeast, and bacteria in food which might otherwise cause spoilage and subsequently illnesses. Most food processed and packed to stop it from going bad. Most food contains microbes which are harmless little creatures in small amounts. They can multiply rapidly if environmental conditions are right. They eat the food by breaking it down, which causes it to taste and smell awful. The microbes are dangerous in large quantities because their waste products are toxic. Preserving either kills or slows the growth of these microbes. Here, are some methods of preserving:

Drying
Drying is an ancient way of preserving foods. Dried food is hard on the outside, so microbes find it hard to penetrate. Drying does remove most of the vitamins, but can lead to a higher preference concentration.

 

Salting, Pickling & Smoking
These are the traditional ways used all over the world to preserve food. Meat covered in salt then hung to dry. This called curing. The salt draws a lot of the moisture out of the meat and also protects against microbes. Sugar used to preserve fruits. Thus, we have jam and sweet pickles. The sugar stops the microbes left after the preserve boiled from growing. Vinegar used to maintain vegetables. The vinegar retards microbe issue because it is so acidic and stops exposure to oxygen, which the microbes need to survive. Smoking involves hanging meat over wood fires and allowing the hot gas to preserve the meat. This also gives it a distinctive flavor. Most of the "smoked" products on the market today, however, have just had the "Smokey" flavors added to them.

 

Modern Methods
Various methods of food preservation, such as drying, smoking, pickling, curing and sugaring been used over the years to preserve food and prevent wastage. More recently, these procedures been replaced by other methods of preservation such as pasteurization, sterilization, irradiation, freezing, canning and the use of other chemical preservatives.

 

Freezing:
Microbes breed in hot environments. Freezing renders most of the microbes inactive. Refrigeration slows the growth of some microbes. Before food frozen, it had plunged into boiling water to drain off as many microbes as possible, so the food can stay longer.

 

Canning
Canning is a common way to preserve food. First it heated through to kill any microbes. Then it sealed in air tight cans usually lined with tin. Although some foods lose their nutrients, heating activates some (especially tinned tomatoes).

Never leave unused foods in cans as they can become contaminated with metals as food/metal oxides combine. This is not a problem when ignore the remaining contents into an air tight, non-metal container.

We should never buy dented cans or bulging cans because bacteria might be able to get in.

 

Irradiation:
This is a highly controversial use of preserving foods.

 

Pasteurization
This is the process of heating a liquid, particularly milk, in order to kill harmful bacteria without changing the rules, flavor, or nutritive value of the liquid. French chemist Louis Pasteur devised the system in 1865. Milk pasteurized by heating at a temperature of 63° C (145° F) for 30 minutes, rapidly cooling it, and then storing it at a temperature below 10° C (50° F).

 

Sterilization
The time and temperature required for the sterilization of foods influenced by several factors, including the microorganisms found on the food, the size of the container, the acidity or pH of the food, and the process of heating.

What are problems with processed foods?
Some of the various additives included in processed foods thought to have the ability to harm the body's structure and function and suggested related to the development of skin, pulmonary and psycho-behavioral conditions. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) currently investigated for their potential to damage genetic material and thus develop cancer. Sulfites were found to aggravate asthma (hypertext) in certain children and adults. Artificial colourings been noted to cause hypersensitivity reactions in hypersensitive persons promoting conditions such as ADHD (attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder), asthma and skin conditions such as urticarial and atopic dermatitis. Therefore, avoiding foods that contain these and other chemical additives may significantly contribute to health.

 

Artificial Sweeteners
One of the most commonly used sweeteners is the controversial compound aspartame. Aspartame gains its case because animal studies have shown that it can lead to accumulation of formaldehyde after consumption, and one of the breakdown products of aspartame in the intestine is the toxic compound methanol. However, low levels of aspartame have not shown immediate symptoms in humans, so it presumed safe in food products.

There is a problem with this assumption, though, because so many food processed products contain aspartame, and therefore people who consume processed foods may be taking in relatively high levels of aspartame.

Few reliable data been collected to look at the level of aspartame the average person consumes and how this section may affect the health, or the long-term effects in humans. 

 

Sulfites
Sulfites are also a common preservative. Sulfites prohibited to be used in foods that supply the nutrient vitamin B1 because it can remove this vitamin. Furthermore, some people are sensitive to sulfites and respond with adverse reactions. The FDA banned the use of sulfites on fruits and vegetables in 1986 due to the reports of adverse reactions, and is still reviewing whether it should be banned from other uses. Sulfites been found to aggravate asthma in children and adults. Between five and ten percent of chronic asthmatics thought to be sulfite sensitive.

 

Pesticides
Organic foods offer a healthier alternative to conventionally grown foods, as they not grown with any of the synthetic chemical pesticides or fertilizers that suggested posing serious threats to one health. The Environmental Protection Agency considers a number of herbicides and fungicides to be potentially carcinogenic and therefore, able to cause genetic damage leading to the development of cancer and most pesticides known to cause some risk to humans. Examples of pesticides include organophosphates, organochlorines, thiocarbamates, and organ arsenic compounds.

In addition to their potential to cancer, pesticides thought to cause health threats to children, so the benefits of organic foods may be of paramount importance in safeguarding their health. Many children exposed to levels of pesticides in their food that exceed limits co nervous system which is why, they may be particularly harmful to children. In addition, some researchers believe that children and adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to the cancer-causing effects of certain pesticides since the body is more sensitive to the impact of these chemicals during periods of high growth and development.

 

Trans-Fats
Trans-fatty acids are an example of what can happen to essential nutrients when a food processed.

Also, called hydrogenated fats, these fatty acids, found in margarine, vegetable shortenings, crackers, cookies, snack foods and various other processed foods. Trans-fats produced by a chemical process in which hydrogen’s added to an unsaturated fatty acid. The food industry uses trans-fats to chemically prolong the shelf life of processed foods, such as cookies, chips, fast foods and margarine. This process changes a liquid fat to a soft solid form, like margarine, and thus increases the shelf-life for fats. In this process, however, the fatty acid molecule shifts structures to a structure that not found in the body; that is, the fats in the body occur in what called a "cis" 3-dimensional structure, and trans-fatty acids are the opposite of that, and are a "trans" structure. Chemically, they are different. They are monetarily inexpensive but harmful to long-term cardiovascular health.

The body notices this difference. Although we might be eating fat, and think that the fat will help one body's functioning, it rather is a separate structure than the one that the body needs and has a different response to these fats. Consuming trans-fats been shown to increase LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol (the one associated with increased risk of heart disease) and lower HDL or good cholesterol, the "protective" cholesterol. So obvious is the promotion of high LDL cholesterol levels by trans-fats and the resultant association with increased risk for heart disease that the FDA been prompted to buy these trans-fats be labeled separately on foods, so consumers can see when they are available? Trans-fats have also been linked to certain cancers, including breast cancer, and labeling them will allow us to see how often they used in processed foods and let us ignore these foods.

In some cases, food processing accomplished in that it helps counteract the natural toxins in food before they consumed. A continuous diet of junk food will certainly have an impact on long term, risk of disease.

Foods such as pastured, grass fed meats, eggs and poultry, fresh organic vegetables and fruit, wild caught seafood, tropical oils, clean, raw dairy products and properly prepared nuts and grains support the development and maintenance of the muscles and organs.

Stick with these types of foods for the majority of one diet, and will go a long way toward avoiding the health problems associated with non-nutritive, processed junk foods.

Certain pesticides known neurotoxins, cause harm to the developing brain and nervous system which is why they may be particularly harmful to children. In addition, some researchers conclude that children and adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to the cancer-causing effects of certain pesticides since the body is more sensitive to the impact of these chemicals during periods of high growth and development.

 

Unless we live on a farm, unlikely that we eat only unprocessed food.  Some processing, like pasteurization, obvious benefits in reducing disease Nearly all food purchased in the grocery store undergoes some processing, whether it preservative to improve a product's shelf life, spray to improve the appearance of a fruit or coloring get the food look attractive.risk, while other have no benefits besides adding higher sodium or sugar content to a product to make it taste better.

 

Decreased Nutrients
Processed foods lose a fair amount of the vitamin content.

This also happens with fresh foods unless eaten quickly, but freezing, canning or otherwise altering foods, so they last longer results in nutrient losses. Just growing vegetables and fruits in fertilized soil can reduce the vitamin C content in the final product. Blanching foods before freezing also removes water-soluble vitamins like B complex and vitamin C. Milling grains removes the husk, which contains most of the vitamins, while peeling fruits and vegetables can also removes vitamins that lie close to the skin's surface.

Links Additives
Preservatives and additives enhance flavor, and taste rarely contain any nutritive value and in some cases, causes cancer or other diseases. Sodium nitrite gives processed meats such as hot dogs and lunch meat the characteristic pink color and prevents growth of bacteria that cause botulism. However, nitrites can also make nitrosamines, chemical that may increase the risk of cancer in animals and humans.

 

Food Additives
Processed foods have high levels of food additives, some are harmless, but many have undesirable health effects.

 

 

What are food additives?
They are substances that food manufacturers add to a wide variety of foods to preserve the flavor or improve the taste and appearance of processed foods. Artificial food colorings, added for the purpose of making food look more attractive, also been implicated as possible cancer-causing agents. They are commonly used to prolong shelf lives, and used widely in "diet" foods which require the flavor boost.

Some additives come from natural sources, but some are highly processing substances derived from unhealthy sources such as coal tar and peroxide.

 

Coloring Agents
Most processed foods colored with synthetic or other colouring agents, based on the idea that we "eat with our eyes", most food manufactures like to enhance a colour, even if the initial food is not as colourful. A variety of colouring agents used, including many synthetic compounds. Besides the issues of ingesting compounds that are not natural, colourings often used to improve the colour of foods that have lost colour during storage or from heat. The coloured compounds in natural foods are some of the most notable phytonutrients, however, and this loss of colour can cause a loss of nutrient value, which may be masked by the introduction of synthetic compounds.

Some of these colouring additives were found to promote hypersensitivity reactions in people, especially children. In sensitive persons, consumption of these artificial colourings been linked to ADHD (attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder), asthma, and inflammatory skin conditions such as urticarial and atopic dermatitis.

 

Preservatives
A major problem with processed foods is the use of preservatives. The most commonly used preservatives are butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and sulfites.

 

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
BHT is controversial in 1978, a government-sponsored review of safety data indicated that no direct toxicity observed at the permitted levels in a food however, this report also determined that more studies needed to assess the safety. Since then, BHT been shown to induce tumors in the stomach and liver in animals, when used at high levels. Again, although this allowed in foods at a low level per each food, it is one of the most common preservatives and is available in many processed foods. The amount in the best diet may be higher than the "permitted" amount per food and remains a concern by many scientists.

BHT and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) investigated for their ability to damage genetic material. In addition, research has shown that these compounds can rupture and remove red blood cells as well as develop symptoms of chemical sensitivity.

 

Added Fats and Sugar
Processed snack foods, dinners and side dishes mostly all contain added sugar, sodium and fats to enhance the flavor of dehydrated or frozen meals. All three associated with serious health risks: excess sodium can increase the blood pressure, excess sugar can worsen diabetes and lead to weight gain and excess fats, particularly Tran’s fats, can raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Processed foods introduce high levels of salt, preservative and Tran’s fats. These are all detrimental to one diet in the levels that they are available in processed foods. Also, many processed foods stripped of their nutritional qualities during processing. Processed food has lesser dietary fibre, more salt, sugar, fat and fewer nutrients as nutrients sometimes lost during processing. The downside processed food contained lesser nutritional by lowering their nutritional values and adding chemicals and colouring which can cause cancer or obesity. Processed foods at the top of the food pyramid for a reason: they are dangerous and should be consumed in small quantities. That the high availability, of processed foods, directly conflicts with the nutritional recommendations but, unfortunately, people continue to enjoy eating processed foods. Consuming these foods contributes to obesity and cardiovascular disease, two of the most serious health disorders.

 

Sodium
Processed foods contribute as much as 75 percent of sodium in the diets. Manufacturers include sodium in their processed products because it slows the growth of bacteria and other organisms and prolongs shelf life, disguises the metallic taste of aluminum in soft drinks and canned foods, and accentuates flavor in cookies and cakes. A diet high in sodium eventually causes high blood pressure and cardiovascular complications. The beginning of grain cultivation began 12,000 years ago, which markedly changed the nutrition of humans who once hunted food and gathered fruits and vegetables. Average height decreased by several inches after grains integrated into the diet because grains produce fewer nutrients compared with other whole foods. Today, grains not only contribute significantly to the standard diet, but many of them refined, which means that manufacturers remove the outer portion than contains essential fatty acids and nutrients to extend product shelf life. These foods often provide only empty calories that contribute to obesity.

 

Contamination
Salmonella outbreaks often traced back to manufacturing plants, where contamination with the bacteria can sicken large numbers of people who eat a food product. Since many processed meats such as hamburger now contain beef from cows, a single sick cow can contaminate a large amount of processed meat.

 

Processed Foods
Modern diets consist of over-processed foods and lifeless foods which require little enzyme activity and contain little or no fibrous material. We are eating devitalized foods that are not fresh, with fewer nutrients.

All the natural fiber, such as grain peels, been removed in the refining stages. Because of this diet is lacking in fiber, digestion is slow, and the waste materials remain in the body longer. This sets up the right place for toxic materials to develop. Also, processed foods can accommodate large amounts of chemicals and toxins which added in the processing.

We are eating lots of chemicals like colouring agents, artificial flavors and preservatives that can make the food look attractive and taste fresher.

Even non-processed foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, whole grains and meats frequently contain chemical residues from pesticides, herbicides, hormones and other products used to make them grow. All of these substances reduce the amount of Vitamin E available for biochemical and physiological processes.

 

 

Why is the food processed?
Preservatives used to extend the life of foods by controlling the spread of unwanted molds, yeast, and bacteria in food which might otherwise cause spoilage and subsequently illnesses. Most food processed and packed to stop it from going bad. Most food contains microbes which are harmless little creatures in small amounts. They can multiply rapidly if environmental conditions are right. They eat the food by breaking it down, which causes it to taste and smell awful. The microbes are dangerous in large quantities because their waste products are toxic. Preserving either kills or slows the growth of these microbes. Here, are some methods of preserving:

 

Drying
Drying is an ancient way of preserving foods. Dried food is hard on the outside, so microbes find it hard to penetrate. Drying does remove most of the vitamins, but can lead to a higher preference concentration.

 

Salting, Pickling & Smoking
These are the traditional ways used all over the world to preserve food. Meat covered in salt then hung to dry. This called curing. The salt draws a lot of the moisture out of the meat and also protects against microbes. Sugar used to preserve fruits. Thus, we have jam and sweet pickles. The sugar stops the microbes left after the preserve boiled from growing. Vinegar used to maintain vegetables. The vinegar retards microbe issue because it is so acidic and stops exposure to oxygen, which the microbes need to survive. Smoking involves hanging meat over wood fires and allowing the hot gas to preserve the meat. This also gives it a distinctive flavor. Most of the "smoked" products on the market today, however, have just had the "Smokey" flavors added to them.

 

Modern Methods
Various methods of food preservation, such as drying, smoking, pickling, curing and sugaring been used over the years to preserve food and prevent wastage. More recently, these procedures been replaced by other methods of preservation such as pasteurization, sterilization, irradiation, freezing, canning and the use of other chemical preservatives.

 

Freezing:
Microbes breed in hot environments. Freezing renders most of the microbes inactive. Refrigeration slows the growth of some microbes. Before food frozen, it had plunged into boiling water to drain off as many microbes as possible, so the food can stay longer.

 

Canning
Canning is a common way to preserve food. First it heated through to kill any microbes. Then it sealed in air tight cans usually lined with tin. Although some foods lose their nutrients, heating activates some (especially tinned tomatoes).

Never leave unused foods in cans as they can become contaminated with metals as food/metal oxides combine. This is not a problem when ignore the remaining contents into an air tight, non-metal container.

We should never buy dented cans or bulging cans because bacteria might be able to get in.

 

Irradiation:
This is a highly controversial use of preserving foods.

 

Pasteurization
This is the process of heating a liquid, particularly milk, in order to kill harmful bacteria without changing the rules, flavor, or nutritive value of the liquid. French chemist Louis Pasteur devised the system in 1865. Milk pasteurized by heating at a temperature of 63° C (145° F) for 30 minutes, rapidly cooling it, and then storing it at a temperature below 10° C (50° F).

 

Sterilization
The time and temperature required for the sterilization of foods influenced by several factors, including the microorganisms found on the food, the size of the container, the acidity or pH of the food, and the process of heating.

 

 

What are problems with processed foods?
Some of the various additives included in processed foods thought to have the ability to harm the body's structure and function and suggested related to the development of skin, pulmonary and psycho-behavioral conditions.

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) currently investigated for their potential to damage genetic material and thus develop cancer. Sulfites were found to aggravate asthma (hypertext) in certain children and adults. Artificial colourings been noted to cause hypersensitivity reactions in hypersensitive persons promoting conditions such as ADHD (attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder), asthma and skin conditions such as urticarial and atopic dermatitis. Therefore, avoiding foods that contain these and other chemical additives may significantly contribute to health.

 

Artificial Sweeteners
One of the most commonly used sweeteners is the controversial compound aspartame. Aspartame gains its case because animal studies have shown that it can lead to accumulation of formaldehyde after consumption, and one of the breakdown products of aspartame in the intestine is the toxic compound methanol. However, low levels of aspartame have not shown immediate symptoms in humans, so it presumed safe in food products. There is a problem with this assumption, though, because so many processed products contain aspartame, and therefore people who consume processed foods may be taking in relatively high levels of aspartame. Few reliable data been collected to look at the level of aspartame the average person consumes and how this section may affect the health, or the long-term effects in humans.

 

Sulfites
Sulfites are also a common preservative. Sulfites prohibited to be used in foods that supply the nutrient vitamin B1 because it can remove this vitamin. Furthermore, some people are sensitive to sulfites and respond with adverse reactions. The FDA banned the use of sulfites on fruits and vegetables in 1986 due to the reports of adverse reactions, and is still reviewing whether it should be banned from other uses. Sulfites been found to aggravate asthma in children and adults. Between five and ten percent of chronic asthmatics thought to be sulfite sensitive.

 

Pesticides
Organic foods offer a healthier alternative to conventionally grown foods, as they not grown with any of the synthetic chemical pesticides or fertilizers that suggested posing serious threats to one health. The Environmental Protection Agency considers a number of herbicides and fungicides to be potentially carcinogenic and therefore, able to cause genetic damage leading to the development of cancer and most pesticides known to cause some risk to humans. Examples of pesticides include organophosphates, organochlorines, thiocarbamates, and organ arsenic compounds.

In addition to their potential to cancer, pesticides thought to cause health threats to children, so the benefits of organic foods may be of paramount importance in safeguarding their health. Many children exposed to levels of pesticides in their food that exceed limits co nervous system which is why, they may be particularly harmful to children. In addition, some researchers believe that children and adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to the cancer-causing effects of certain pesticides since the body is more sensitive to the impact of these chemicals during periods of high growth and development.

 

Trans-Fats
Trans-fatty acids are an example of what can happen to essential nutrients when a food processed. Also, called hydrogenated fats, these fatty acids, found in margarine, vegetable shortenings, crackers, cookies, snack foods and various other processed foods. Trans-fats produced by a chemical process in which hydrogen’s added to an unsaturated fatty acid. The food industry uses trans-fats to chemically prolong the shelf life of processed foods, such as cookies, chips, fast foods and margarine. This process changes a liquid fat to a soft solid form, like margarine, and thus increases the shelf-life for fats. In this process, however, the fatty acid molecule shifts structures to a structure that not found in the body; that is, the fats in the body occur in what called a "cis" 3-dimensional structure, and trans-fatty acids are the opposite of that, and are a "trans" structure. Chemically, they are different. They are monetarily inexpensive but harmful to long-term cardiovascular health.

The body notices this difference. Although we might be eating fat, and think that the fat will help one body's functioning, it rather is a separate structure than the one that the body needs and has a different response to these fats. Consuming trans-fats been shown to increase LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol (the one associated with increased risk of heart disease) and lower HDL or good cholesterol, the "protective" cholesterol. So obvious is the promotion of high LDL cholesterol levels by trans-fats and the resultant association with increased risk for heart disease that the FDA been prompted to buy these trans-fats be labeled separately on foods, so consumers can see when they are available?Trans-fats have also been linked to certain cancers, including breast cancer, and labeling them will allow us to see how often they used in processed foods and let us ignore these foods.

In some cases, food processing accomplished in that it helps counteract the natural toxins in food before they consumed. A continuous diet of junk food will certainly have an impact on long term, risk of disease.

Foods such as pastured, grass fed meats, eggs and poultry, fresh organic vegetables and fruit, wild caught seafood, tropical oils, clean, raw dairy products and properly prepared nuts and grains support the development and maintenance of the muscles and organs.

Stick with these types of foods for the majority of one diet, and will go a long way toward avoiding the health problems associated with non-nutritive, processed junk foods.

Certain pesticides known neurotoxins, cause harm to the developing brain and nervous system which is why they may be particularly harmful to children. In addition, some researchers conclude that children and adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to the cancer-causing effects of certain pesticides since the body is more sensitive to the impact of these chemicals during periods of high growth and development.

Above are all the disadvantages of processed food, it is advisable to take more whole food.