Whole Foods vs Processed Foods
Standard: benefits of healthy eating
Standard: Consuming more water, fruits, vegetables grains and calcium-rich foods
Standard: Benefits of healthy eating (short term/long term) benefits/risks

 

• What is whole food and whole grain
• Fiber
• Processed Foods

 

What is a Whole Food?
Whole Foods are taken directly from their source, be it plant or animal, and contain all of their original nutrients. Whole foods include fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, whole meat parts, and whole milk.

Benefits of Eating Whole Foods
Eating a variety of whole foods will provide you with all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Also, whole foods are less expensive because there is usually no packaging or added ingredients. For example, 5lbs of potatoes are about the same price as a large order of french fries. However, the 5lbs of potatoes provides you with much more nutritious food than the french fries.

What is Whole Grain?
Whole Grain foods contain all three layers of grain. When grains are milled and refined, the bran and germ are removed, as are all the nutrients and fiber. For example, whole grains contain vitamin E and selenium, iron, magnesium, zinc and B vitamins. Other nutrients include lignans, phenolic acids, phytoestroges and other phyochemicals that are considered helpful in reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Permission to reprint from Great Harvest Bread Co. www.darngoodbread.com

Identifying Whole Wheat:
Brown Bread does not necessarily mean you are consuming whole wheat or whole grains. Some bread is colored brown with ingredients such as "caramel coloring. Terms like "multi-grain," "wheat," "5-grain," or "rye" bread don't always mean whole grain. Only bread labeled "Whole Wheat" truly uses whole-wheat flour. Even "wheat bread" can mean a combination of white refined flour and whole wheat. Look for the word "whole".

What is Fiber?
The part of an edible plant that cannot be absorbed or fully digested by humans is known as fiber. This indigestible part helps move feces through the intestine, therefore preventing constipation.

Fiber and Disease Prevention
Eating fiber can prevent diverticular disease and helps to eliminate cancer-causing substances produced by bacteria in the large intestine. Fiber also helps to moderate the changes in sugar and cholesterol levels in the blood that occur after eating a meal.
Recommended Daily Intake: 30 grams

High Fiber Foods

• whole grain breads
• Bran Flakes, All Bran, Corn bran cereal, whole wheat Shreddies
• Brown rice, whole-grain pastas
• Dried fruits (apricots, dates, prunes, raisins), blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, oranges
• Broccoli, dried peas and beans (e.g. kidney, lima, beans, chick peas, lentils and soy beans), corn

 

What is processed food?
Processed Foods have been stripped of many of their natural nutrients in order to be used in other products. Many processed foods contain additional artificial ingredients and preservatives as well as excessive amounts of sodium and sugar. Processed foods include white flour, hot dogs, and most packaged snack foods.

Limit Processed Food Choices
Our bodies use more nutrients to digest processed foods than are actually absorbed from eating them. Although many processed foods are enriched with vitamins, they still don't provide the quality or quantity of nutrition gained from eating whole foods. Furthermore, processed foods will most often contain an onslaught of artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, hydrogenated oils and sugar. Many artificial additives can cause allergic reactions, or over time degenerative diseases. Also the sugar and sodium levels in processed foods sometime exceed recommended daily allowances.

Sodium in Foods
The recommended daily allowance of sodium a day is less than 2,400 milligrams: about 1 teaspoon. of table salt. The American Heart Association recommends even lower amounts. Research has shown that lower sodium diets can keep blood pressure from rising. The average American uses between 4,000 and 5,000 mg of sodium per day.

Processed foods and fast foods tend to have higher amounts of sodium because it is added for flavor and as a preservative. On food labels sodium may be described in words such as, monosodium glutamate (msg) sodium nitrite, sodium saccharin, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and sodium benzoate.

 

Food Additives
Additives are put in food for reasons including:1) extending the shelf life of processed foods, 2) enhancing flavor or color, 3) improving nutritional value, 4) maintaining food consistency. Food Additives are any substance added to foods for the reasons above. The FDA regulates Food Additives. There is still some question on the affects that some additives may have on our bodies.

The "Center for Science in the Public Interest" (CSPI) has put together a comprehensive list of all food additives, including food coloring. Their material rates each additive on the basis of how well an additive has been tested. They also indicate if an additive is known to cause allergic reactions, or other health risks. To see the full list visit: www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm

CSPI recommends consumers avoid the following additives due to lack of testing or over consumption:

Additives: Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame (Nutrasweet), Brominated Vegetable Oil, Butylated Hydroxyanisole, Butylated Hdroxytoluene, Cyclamate, Heptyl Paraben, Olestra, Potassium Bromate, Propyl Gallate, Quinine, Saccharin, Sodium Nitrite, Stevia

Artificial Colors: Blue #1, Blue #2, Citrus Red #2, Red, #40, Green #3, Red #3, Yellow #6

Prepared for HealthTeacher by Lisa Ford