In a science fiction scenario, we would eat pills instead of meals. Imagine your breakfast is Oats and milk and instead of eating the real thing you just swallow a pill which would be equivalent to your meal.
Quite honestly, I can tell you that nothing can really beat the real thing. Food is always more nutritious when it is in its original form. Once you process it and maybe turn it into powder, liquid or something else most of the nutrients will disappear.
You might be shocked to hear this but eating an apple is much better than drinking apple juice. Another example would be eating Corn-on-the-cob vs. eating Corn Flakes. In Corn Flakes the corn is processed and would not be as good for you as the real thing. The Corn flakes is also very likely to have other ingredients added to it, some better than others. There may even be some sort of vitamins added as well.
A lot of processed foods also come with health claims such as “ Added vitamins” which will make you believe that you are eating something healthy. Basically what this means is that the food has been processed from its original form, then vitamins have been added. These vitamins are normally made in laboratory. The question then is; “would an artificial vitamin be as good as a natural one?” You might be shocked to hear this but a lot of times your body wouldn’t even recognize an artificial vitamin. Natural vitamins from real food would be the best option by far. Furthermore, processed foods have lots of additives such as colourings, preservatives , flavourings etc which may not be harmful but it is still a good idea to avoid.
There is a lot of confusion among people regarding nutrition and there are so many conflicting messages out there. The fact is that confusion sells. There is a massive demand for processed foods and supplements of all kinds and lots of money to be made. And there are companies that make good money selling foods that are inferior to real food at a much higher price and people who buy them and consume them, not knowing what they miss out on.
There is even a general belief that energy bars are really healthy, some even make a claim of being meal replacements.
I my opinion if it is possible, have an apple, a banana and a handful of nuts and I can guarantee you that you have had a better snack than an energy bar. These items which I have mentioned you can easily take with you in your gym bag and you might even have saved you some money as well.
Processed foods and takeaways maybe quick and easy to prepare but my advise would be to avoid them as much as you can and take your time to prepare food from scratch. Your long term health will benefit from this and you might save some money as well. If you are finding it hard finding time to go in the kitchen cook large portions a couple of times a week and store in containers in your fridge or freezer. Even if this takes longer than sticking a ready made meal in the microwave you will most likely have both short term benefits and long term benefits.
You might have higher energy levels and lose some weight short term and long term you might avoid “Life style diseases” which are becoming more and more common in today’s society. A lot of these diseases are caused by nutrient depleted food high in fat.
By: Abdi-Karim Berleen /Personal Trainer in Loughton
always in your corner 