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Packaged Foods Help in Time-Management, But Experts Say They Are Killing You Slowly
Packaged Foods Help in Time-Management, But Experts Say They Are Killing You Slowly
Packaged foods help in time-management, but experts say they are killing
you slowly
Mornings are a rushed affair and to make life easy, you pour a glass of milk
over the cereal that you picked from the supermarket. So you think you've
had a wholesome meal, right? Not really.
Medical experts say that packaged food even the cereal that you have
been assured is healthy the quick fix for the on-the-go generation is full
of chemicals and, more often than not, 'completely devoid of nutrients'.
While you may argue that you look for the reassuring words on packets
no-trans-fat, no preservatives, no monosodium glutamate (MSG), experts
say that these boxes are full of other hidden ingredients that can pose
serious health problems if consumed in the long-term.
Biscuits
Killer ingredients
Refined wheat flour, sugar, edible vegetable oil, milk solids, invert syrup,
raising agents, salts, emulsifiers, vitamins and dough conditioner
What's hiding?
We already know the toxic effects of refined flour. However, what's scarier
are the high levels of edible vegetable oil in these baked cookies, says
macrobiotic nutritionist Shonali Sabherwal. "Edible vegetable oil is nothing
but fat as its nutrients have been stripped. This loads up the liver, which
reacts to fat that cannot be processed in the body, resulting in a fatty liver
and slowing down your body," she explains. Besides, invert syrup, a mix of
both glucose and fructose creates a sense of being full, and this sugar also
make you crave more sugar so while most products scream no sugar
(they mean white sugar), they still add glucose, fructose, or for diabetics,
chemical sweeteners, which actually have long-term effects. "Milk solids
have also been linked to schizophrenia, autism, depression and multiple
sclerosis (MS)," she adds.
Muesli
Killer ingredients
Invert syrup, strawberry crush (sugar, water, strawberry pulp, thickener),
strawberry syrup, pineapple crush, mango crush, apple juice, concentrate,
liquid glucose, soy lecithin
What's hiding?
The label says there's no added sugar, but the sugar rush you get from the
various syrups added to make this a scrumptious breakfast, is perhaps why
you probably have been hyperactive. If your blood sugar levels are going
awry, blame it on your breakfast cereals. And the extreme sugar rush is not
the only cause of worry.
Most packaged muesli contains soy lecithin, a by-product of the soybean oil
production. Studies suggest some of the common sideeffects of soy lecithin
used to bind the various ingredients together are change in weight
(loss and gain), loss of appetite, occasional nausea, dizziness, vomiting
and confusion. "Besides, if you have been advised by your doctor not to eat
soya, you may just be consuming it unknowingly even in breads," shares
eco-nutritionist Kavita Mukhi.
What's hiding?
Packaged soups
Killer ingredients
Corn flour, edible vegetable oil, thickener, softening agent, sugar, salt,
dehydrated vegetables, dried glucose syrup, edible vegetable fat, yeast
extract powder, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, acidity regulator, flavour
enhancer
What's hiding?
Prepare tomato soup using fresh tomatoes. Do this for a couple of days.
Does the colour turn out the same every day? No. How then do the various
soup manufacturers manage to keep the colour of packet soup uniform? It
is thanks to the colouring agents which are sometimes disguised as 'flavour
enhancers'. Dr Thacker says, "Colouring agents are toxic. They put the liver
and kidney into overdrive, since these organs have to work extra hard to
wash away chemicals from the system and make them safe for the body.
This means that the overworked liver is unable to do its regular job it
handles the nutrients that have been absorbed by the gut from food,
removes toxins from the blood, makes proteins like albumin and clotting
factors, and secretes bile which helps digest fatty foods in particular as
efficiently." That apart, Sabherwal points out, hydrolyzed vegetable protein
contains up to 30 per cent MSG, which is known to trigger headaches,
rapid heart rate, chest pain and cause nausea. "Moreover, yeast extract
powder only increases the bad bacteria (yeast) in the body. This causes
problems with the pH levels and creates acidic blood condition, therefore
decreasing immunity," she says.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/4-packaged-foods-
that-are-killing-you/articleshow/22115686.cms
In his book, Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food, Andre F. Smith
defines junk food as, "those commercial products, including candy, bakery
goods, ice cream, salty snacks, and soft drinks, which have little or no
nutritional value but do have plenty of calories, salt, and fats. While not all
fast foods are junk foods, most are. Fast foods are ready-to-eat foods
served promptly after ordering."
Not only do they add inches to your waistline, but scientists and
researchers have also indicated through various studies that junk food can
actually cause serious damage to your brain. The worrying bit is that its not
just years of poor eating, but regular consumption of junk food even for few
days can lead to a mental meltdown.
The more junk food you consume, the less likely you are to consume the
essential nutrients that your body relies on. You know that junk food can
hurt your health, but you may have not known about the effects of junk food
on how your brain functions.
Diets that are high in sugar and fat can suppress the activity of a brain
peptide called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) that helps with
learning and memory formation. Moreover, the brain contains synapses
which are responsible for learning and memory. Eating too many calories
can interfere with the healthy production and functioning of these synapses.
Just like in the case of Type 2 Diabetes, with higher levels of insulin, the
brain stops responding to this hormone and become resistant to it. This can
restrict our ability to think, recall or create memories, thus increasing the
risk of dementia. Researcher Suzanne de la Monte, M.D., a professor of
pathology, neurology, and neurosurgery at Rhode Island Hospital and the
Alpert Medical School of Brown University was the first to uncover this
association. Following this discovery, most scientists refer to Alzheimers as
a form of diabetes of the brain.
Over consumption of junk food may displace these with trans fats which are
harder to digest. A 2011 study shows that trans fats may cause
inflammation in hypothalamus, the part of brain that containing neurons to
control body weight.
Fast food is packed with refined carbohydrates which cause your blood
sugar levels to fluctuate rapidly. If your sugar levels dip to a very low level,
it can cause anxiety, confusion and fatigue. With high content of sugar and
fats, you tend to eat too fast and too much to satisfy your cravings. This
can inculcate an impatient behaviour while dealing with other things. Fast
foods and processed foods may be laden with artificial flavourings and
preservatives like sodium benzoate that tends to increase hyperactivity
Fast foods are specially designed to be addictive in nature with high levels
of salts, sugars and fats that make you crave them. The addictive nature of
fast food can make your brain crave them even when you are not hungry.
The survey highlighted that 76% of parents, mostly both working, with children under five year in the big cities
are serving these easy-to-prepare meals at least 10-12 times per month due to increased pressures at work and
actively looking for ways to simplify and save time.
Releasing the survey, Mr. D S Rawat, Secretary General ASSOCHAM said, the consumption of packaged food is
much higher in the urban areas, especially metros, where life is fast-paced and stressful.
The survey was conducted by the ASSOCHAM Health committee council on Steep rise in packaged food
consumption in India based on responses from 2,200 representative households with or without children,
nuclear families and bachelors.
But there is a word of caution from the medical fraternity. Dr. B K Rao, Chairman of ASSOCHAM Health
Committee Council said, Packaged food usually contains high level of salt, thus leading to rise in blood
pressure. Such items are also high on trans-fats, which are worse than saturated fats as they increase bad
cholesterol and reduce good cholesterol.
Major metropolitan cities in which respondents were interviewed include Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai, Hyderabad,
Indore, Patna, Pune, Delhi, Chandigarh and Dehradun and it was observed that there has been a surprising rise
in the demand of packaged food in the Indian market. This was attributed to changing lifestyle and eating habits.
The majority of the working class also mentioned that its a boon to save time, energy and money by using these
foods. Even the manufacturers prepared the instant foods according to the taste of the consumers.
About 89.5% of the nuclear family feel that they have less free time and have less time to spend in the kitchen. It
is in this background that home delivery business model for cooked food has grown multi-fold.
Nearly 72.6% of bachelors prefer the convenience food because of less cost, time and energy saving,
convenience in preparation and consumption in the busy and hectic life. The very term 'instant means simple,
fast, convenient and affordable food which is easy and fast to prepare besides being hygienic, free from microbial
contamination and also convenient to eat, say the bachelors.
The main categories of packaged food are bakery products, canned/dried processed food, frozen processed
food, ready-to-eat meals, dairy products, diet snacks, processed meat and health products and drinks, points the
survey.
Food manufacturers have also started concentrating on manufacturing new innovative food products and ready
to eat processed food so that it can keep up with the speed of ever changing taste of the consumers.
There has been a major shift in food habits in the metropolitan cities, about 79% of households prefer to have
instant food due to steep rise in dual income level and standard of living and convenience, according to a survey
undertaken by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).
The current size of Indian packaged food industry is about $30 billion and likely to touch $50 billion by 2017,
growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 30% annually includes snacks food, ready-to-eat
food, healthy and functional food, said ASSOCHAM.
The paper also points out that there is a large divide between urban, semi-urban and rural consumers in India.
The share of urban residents is about 80% of all packaged food, while semi urban and rural residents consumed
just over 40% and 22% respectively.
http://www.assocham.org/newsdetail.php?id=4992
Children with working mothers are six times more likely to be fat
By Sophie Borland for the Daily Mail
UPDATED: 11:21 GMT, 4 February 2011
Children whose mothers work are six times more likely to be overweight, research shows.
They believe that a diet of fatty ready meals and snacks eaten unsupervised after school is causing them to pile on the pounds.
Scientists claim that the effect is greatest amongst youngsters aged 11 to 12 - so-called 'latch-key children' who let themselves in to the
house while parents are at work.
They are often left to prepare their own dinners which may consist of a high-calorie ready-meal left out in the fridge, as opposed to a
family dinner cooked from scratch.
Unsupervised children may also go to bed later, and lack of sleep has also been linked to higher risk of obesity.
American researchers found that children in the sixth grade aged 11 or 12 whose mothers who were employed either full or part-
time were six times more likely to be overweight.
The study, published in the journal Child Development, looked at 990 youngsters between the ages of eight and 12 and compared their
mothers working hours.
Researchers also looked at the average number of hours children spent watching TV each day and the amount of exercise they took.
They found that the average child whose mother worked tended to be one or two pounds heavier compared to those whose mothers
stayed at home.
But surprisingly the weight gain does not seem to be caused by television-watching or a lack of exercise.
The researchers found that latch-key children spent the same number of hours in front of the television and did similar amounts of
exercise as those of stay-at-home mothers.
Instead, they believe youngsters whose parents work tend to eat fatty ready meals or fast food, rather than healthy dinners cooked from
scratch.
They may also be more likely to skip meals, and instead fill themselves up on chips, chocolate bars or crisps bought on the way home
from school.
According to the latest figures one in three children is now overweight by the time they leave primary school, aged 11.
A fifth are classified as clinically obese, so fat that their health is at risk.
But the team of researchers from the Cornell University and Chicago University and the American University in Washington stress that
working mothers cannot be blamed for growing obesity crisis amongst children.
Taryn Morrissey, from the University of Chicago, said: 'Maternal employment is not the problem here.
If all mothers quit their jobs tomorrow we would still have a crisis.