Welcome young warrior, you’ve trekked far and wide seeking refuge from the invasion of many outside powers.  Your people have been ravaged and forced into new ways of thinking.  It wasn’t overnight; they came slowly with greetings of comfort.  Your people were lulled into hypnosis, you watched on helplessly as more and more of your closest friends and family were consumed by their mystic ways.  Now, as you and a small group wander the middle aisles wondering whom to trust you see you’re not alone.  Groups from all over are gathering and discussing the old ways, a revolution has begun.  Well, maybe not this dramatic but here’s why you shouldn’t eat processed foods.

Salt Is Salt Unless It Is Sodium Benzoate Or Sodium Phosphate

If you have experience prepping and cooking your own meal you know that you season with salt to taste, right?  Perhaps add a dash at the end if the flavor is just a little off.  That’s fine; we don’t do it, but if you need a little more salt go ahead.  But, as you assume your chef form have you ever reached into the spice rack for sodium benzoate or sodium phosphate?  No, you would have no need.  These are preservatives, we have refrigerators and it’s also the 21st century (salt as a preservative is an ancient technology).  However, if you’re a company that wants to ensure a long shelf life for a product to keep prices down this is quite useful.  Is it harmful towards you?  Depends, salt is an essential mineral used by our bodies to sustain life.  Most bodily functions require the use of sodium.  However, the levels in these prepared meals are sometimes the amount needed for an entire day, in one meal!  So, you can see how quickly the numbers will add up if you rely on these foods 6 times a day!  At high quantities salt can do a number of things to your body.  If you’re a health conscious person, trying to lose weight, a weight lifter, or are working on your physique this should concern you.  First of all, at high doses salt promotes water retention.  This will make you look “soft” and counter your weight loss efforts (by means of adding water weight).  A diet high in sodium has also shown to increase blood pressure; which leads you down a whole road of health issues.  An issue not really considered by most, and should be alarming to weight-lifters/bodybuilders/power-lifters, is that when sodium gets excreted from the body it takes calcium with it.  At normal sodium levels this is healthy.  However, if you’re consuming 3000+ milligrams of sodium a day this could be a problem; because with elevated sodium depletion also means elevated calcium depletion.  So, a high concentration of sodium intake results in a high concentration of calcium excretion, which (if your diet isn’t equally high in calcium) causes a calcium deficiency and in turn can increase risks for osteoporosis.  Bad if you lift weights, if you catch my drift.  However, there may be something even worse for your weight lifting efforts.  Something that every: bodybuilder, power-lifter, model, person trying to improve their physique/lose weight, male should be concerned with.  

Yo Soy No Soy…Protein Isolate!

If you’ve ever looked over the ingredients list of these prepared foods, especially those boasting “high protein” you may have seen this little gem.  With a name like that why wouldn’t you think it’s something good?  You say to yourself “That’s sounds like Whey Protein Isolate.”  You know what whey protein is, or should, if not go here.  Either way, with the thought of whey protein isolate on your mind why would there be any prejudices towards this protein or why it is absolutely positively not the same thing.  But before we dive in and disgrace this Trojan horse let’s become familiar with what a protein isolate is.  To isolate something is to single it out.  Ok, so they’re singling out the protein. Right then, nothing mind blowing there.  Why though?  The Soy Foods Association of America say because by processing the soy this way a powder can be produced that is roughly 95% protein, fat-free and carbohydrate free.  Boy those are some marketing terms they can run all day with; a food “nutrient” that is high protein and also has zero fat or carbs.  Sounds good, right?  Well, they’re not telling the whole story.  This is really what’s going on: they take a natural bean (a staple nutrient amongst many healthy vegetarians) and they take away the fiber, the fat and anything else that makes that bean well a bean, except the protein.  They leave that, consumers like protein.  However, this ain’t your muscle building monster making protein.  There are two strains of protein found in Soy: Genistein and Daidzein.  These proteins are known as phytoestrogens (plant-produced estrogens).  I think you know where I’m going with this.  If not, it’s a bad thing for dudes.  Estrogen is a “female” hormone.  Well, not really.  Men do have this hormone.  Naturally in the body men have both testosterone and estrogen; estrogen is kept in check though and of course at lower levels compared to testosterone.  However, with an increasing diet of processed foods containing Soy Protein Isolate (SPI) you’re introducing higher levels of estrogen into the system (your body) and with this comes many health concerns.  According to Small M, MacRury S (from the Diabetic unit of the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow, Scotland) diabetics tend to have higher rates of estrogen, and this may correlate to higher levels of blood sugar.  Another concern, according to Carruba,G. ( from the Department of Experimental Oncology and Clinical Application at the University Medical School in Palermo, Italy), is Prostate Cancer; this was once linked to high levels of testosterone may now be due to high levels of estrogen.  So why do companies use SPI?  Well, it is a very cheap nutrient.  This brings us to the next point.

Food Industry Makes Profits With A Side Of Food

That’s right; beyond the veiled images of grandmas cooking or chefs hard at their craft the Food Industry is made up of companies.  And like most companies their objective is to make a profit.  Nothing against companies thriving, but it is the means by which most food companies obtain their profits that should raise a red flag.  One of the biggest concerns is they use cheap ingredients; the list is pretty long of what you could call a “cheap ingredient.”  In the previous paragraph we mentioned SPI.  Essentially you just need to remember that if a company can find a way to do something cheaper they will, and of course this includes the quality of ingredients they use.  Speaking of doing stuff cheaper; have you ever seen the term “Natural Flavors” or even better “Natural Flavors with other Natural Flavors”?  These terms are nothing more than legalities, because again like any other company they have lawyers.  Since what they’re using to flavor your food isn’t the actual thing (but is still coming from a “Natural” source) they call it “Natural Flavor”.  One instance is Castoreum.    In essence this is the secretion from the castor sac from a, ready for it, Beaver.  Gross.  Here’s the punch line:  it is used as a substitute for vanilla, strawberry, and raspberry flavor.  Interesting to know, but who stumbled upon this glorious info?  That’s just gross.  There are many other “ingredients” like this.  Another is Cochineal.  Cochineal is a parasitic insect found in South America and Mexico.  The food industry crushes it up and uses it as dye; this little gem makes most of your food red.  So if you were to have a strawberry flavored pastry it would be flavored with Castorem and colored with Cochineal.  Neat!  However disgusting this may sound there’s one more aspect that will really repulse.  This part touches back on the objective of a company, any company.  A company’s primary goal is not for you to buy their product/service; it is for you to buy it again.  Once more, a food company is still a company.  It would seem that their tactic would be to make a quality product at a low price, right?   No, they have a strategy that is much more effective.  Make their product addicting.  Apparently the human mind has been hard wired to have a particular affinity towards sugar and fat.  The Food Industry realized this and has put copious amounts of each in your processed food.  However, you may never see it in the nutrition label.  At least with sugar they’ve found alternatives that are cheaper than sugar, taste like sugar, but is not labeled sugar.  That’s right, “sugar-free” is another legal term.  They’ve just put a mask on the ingredient, it’s addictive nonetheless whatever they’re calling it.  Even scarier, it is most likely artificial and a chemical.

Cost Of Food Worth More Than Your Health

Even after all of these points have been made, you will still buy this food.  Why wouldn’t you still buy these foods?  They’re cheap, and quick.  Ok, first it is cheap. We’re not debating that.  But compared to what? Whole ingredients like fruits, vegetables, and meats?  You say they’re too expensive?  The reason they’re too expensive is because: with regards to fruits and vegetables you have become accustomed to having these available any time of year.  In this modern era it is possible to ship items from across the world where they may be in season.  However, you’re paying a premium for shipping and all other costs of bringing it to your store.  If you can train yourself to wait for them to be in season locally they will be much cheaper.  Don’t believe us?  Check out a local farmers market their prices will be much lower, and you’ll learn what is in season this way too.  When it comes to meats, this depends on the butcher/supermarket manager.  If you do see a sale on a particular meat, stock up!  Most meats (chicken, beef, pork, etc.) will last up to a year after the date marked on the label when frozen.  So, be sure to check price/pound regularly so you know what a good deal should be.

Secondly, these processed foods are quick.  How many times have you gotten home late from work with no idea what to eat?  Or went to the supermarket starving?  You claim sanctuary to the meal that will be done in less than 15 minutes.  This is an ugly truth, and has probably been the most detrimental aspect to the American diet.  Believe it or not you may have enough ingredients in your house to make a healthy quick meal already, but you just have to be creative with what you make.  If you produce something notable on your creative quest for a quick meal be sure to share it with us on our facebook page! 

So to recap, processed foods are generally high in salt, avoid Soy Protein Isolate, food companies are still companies and will use cheap ingredients, and they will also try to make their product addictive by adding copious amounts of fats and sugars.  You can avoid this by purchasing fruits and vegetables when they’re in season, visit farmers markets, and stock up on meats when they’re on sale.  If healthy eating, an improved physique, and/or an overall sense of wellbeing is your goal you will find a way.  Hope this helps.

A company’s primary goal is not for you to buy their product/service; it is for you to buy it again.