let's talk about Food- Unprocessed food
Unprocessed food, it's pretty great right? Also pretty expensive. It's absolutely true that a lot of the foods that are good for us seem to be far more expensive than their junk food equivalents. This poses quite a problem sadly as a lot of people are finding their health is suffering because they feel that they cannot afford good quality food.
Processed food has a huge amount of chemicals in for a wide range of reasons. These range from preservatives to keep the quality of the product better for longer, colours to make it more appealing or flavour enhancers to make it actually taste nice! These have to be present for whatever the manufacturer has deemed their reasoning for adding them, however, these chemicals can pose people a problem which can show itself as inflammation, allergies, skin irritation or some other form of reaction.
Another form of processing is to replace sugar with artificial sweeteners- often seen in diet drinks. I won't go into that in too much detail today as that's a whole other blog post. Going back to the food though, real food- whole, unprocessed food is definitely a million times better for us where possible because the body isn't built to have all these chemicals on a regular basis. Whole, unprocessed food contains more vitamins and minerals than their processed counterparts and those lovely goodies are more readily available to the body than trying to find other sources.
The ancient Indian science of Ayurveda which translates from Sanskrit as "life science" is built around the premise of using natural, unprocessed, seasonal foods. Thousands of years ago when Ayurveda was created, this way of living was the most sustainable and its reaches were not restricted to diet- it governed their whole life. I'm only focusing on the diet as that's what we're looking at here. The whole, seasonal foods were what was available at the time and now we are incredibly lucky to have a year-round market availability with foods from all over the world, at any time you want. Great right? Well, yes! This convenience is fantastic and allows us to access otherwise unobtainable ingredients anytime you want. These can be fresh, tinned, frozen, in jars, dried, or however, they arrive. Some of these ingredients have travelled halfway around the world. Sometimes this is the only way they are accessible as they are not native to your country. Other times, we can grow the item here.
I digress slightly (I get quite excited about food) but the point I'm making is, where it is possible and I appreciate that fresh ingredients are not always a viable option for some due to cost restrictions or potential wastage, that there is usually an alternative. I also understand that some people have restrictive diets due to ARFID and an unprocessed alternative just simply wouldn't be suitable (the processed option tastes the same every time and is safe and reliable- I totally understand that) but that's not what I'm referring to here. I'm not trying to shame anyone for anything at all, ever. That's not my way.
Unprocessed food with lots of natural colour and goodness will serve you better in the long term. It's not reasonable for the majority of people to get rid of all of their processed foods and I wouldn't ask that, I just want people to look at the ingredients and consider whether the ultra-processed version is the right choice. Consider the chemicals- do you understand the names of all the ingredients? What are the functions of these chemicals? Sometimes it's fine and sensible but too much will definitely impact health eventually.
Think about your health and what you can do in terms of your diet to improve it.
Unprocessed food is like a superhero for our health, but let's face it, it can put a dent in the wallet. And it's not just about the cost, some people feel like they can't afford to eat healthy. Processed food, on the other hand, is full of chemicals that make it last longer, look better, and taste divine. But hold up! These seemingly innocent additives can cause inflammation, allergies, skin irritation, and other nasty reactions. Not to mention the whole sugar and artificial sweetener debate, but that's a topic for another day. So, what's the answer? It's simple, really. Whole, unprocessed food is packed with vitamins and minerals that the body can easily absorb. Plus, it's the way nature intended us to eat. Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of life, has been preaching this for thousands of years. They believed in using natural, seasonal ingredients in everything they ate. And while we're not saying you have to grow your own food, there are always alternatives to processed snacks. Sure, some of them have travelled halfway around the world, but that's the beauty of a year-round market. So let's be real, we're not asking you to ditch all processed food, but take a closer look at the ingredients and decide whether the ultra-processed version is worth it. After all, your health is worth investing in!
