The term “processed food” can be confusing. After all, almost everything that we eat has been processed in some way: the apple has been cut from the tree and vegetables have been picked from the ground, washed, and packaged.
When we talk about "processed food," we refer to food that has not only been mechanically processed but also chemically altered. Processed food is made from refined ingredients and artificial substances and it presents real harm to your health. The problem with processed food is that it is easily accessible, relatively cheap, and it's everywhere.
To complicate matters even further, many companies are attempting to change their unhealthy image by creating “healthy,” plant-based alternatives with deceptive marketing and greenwashed packaging to trick people into eating junk products which still make them sick.
Processed Food vs. Real Food
To be fully alive, we need live food that nourishes the body. Processed food is engineered to be addictive and lacks real nutrition; it is dead food, full of hidden dangers. It takes willpower and dedication to fend off the billions of dollars spent advertising this toxic junk. There is social pressure to eat the same as everybody else and join in with the modern diet of malnutrition.
Processed and fast foods are marketed for their convenience, but they rob our health in return for freeing up precious time. Despite living longer, we are experiencing a considerable reduction in “healthspan”: Eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) results in, on average, being sick for the last 20 years of life. Understanding the real risks of the latest trend in plant-based PR ensures you remain healthy enough to enjoy a long and happy life.
Dangers of Highly Processed Foods
These are just a few of the hidden dangers associated with processed foods — yes, even the ones made from plants:
- Addiction to toxic sugars, refined flour, and chemical additives
- Creation of acid and mucus, reducing your cells' ability to function
- Overloading the liver with pesticides used to make crops cheaper
- Less nutrition due to the poor soil quality of industrial farming
- Contamination with heavy metals and industrial solvents
- High-heat processing that creates cancer-causing chemicals
- Flavor enhancers added to disguise cheap ingredients and stale fats
- Preservatives to increase shelf life which embalm you on the inside
- Hormonal disruption from chemicals and inks leaking from the packaging
Processed Food Is High in Sugar
Sugar, when consumed in excess, can be seriously harmful. Calories in sugar are “empty calories,” which means that they don't hold any essential nutrients, only a large amount of energy, that when not used, can lead to devastating effects on your metabolism.
Dr. Sebi declared: “Sugar is not for us. Sugar is very bad,” because sugar consumption is strongly associated with heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer.
Processed Food Is Highly Addictive
If you follow a healthy diet and want to give in to temptation “just a little bit,” beware! Processed food is manufactured to be highly addictive and hard to give up.
Evolution provided humans with taste buds that are supposed to help them navigate the natural food environment, and we naturally gravitate towards foods that are sweet, salty and fatty, because we know such foods contain energy and nutrients that we need for survival.
However, processed foods have been engineered to be so incredibly "rewarding" to the brain, that they overpower anything we might have come across in nature, tearing down the natural mechanism of energy balance and appetite regulation.
Some people just can't stop eating these foods, no matter how hard they try, because they've had their brain biochemistry hijacked by the intense dopamine release that occurs in the brain when they eat these foods
Processed Food Contains Artificial Ingredients
Look at the label of a supposedly "healthy" energy bar. Can you even pronounce half of the ingredients in there? Highly processed foods often contain:
- Preservatives: chemicals that prevent the food from rotting
- Colorants: chemicals that are used to give the food a specific color
- Flavor: chemicals that give the food a particular flavor
- Texturants: chemicals that give a particular texture
Processed Food Is Low in Nutrients
Processed foods often claim they've been “fortified” with vitamins and minerals. No matter what the label says, processed food is extremely low in nutrients compared to natural, fresh food. A lot of nutrients are lost during the process and, although they are added back to compensate, synthetic vitamins and minerals are NOT a good replacement for the nutrients found in whole foods.
As Dr. Sebi said, "There is no vitamin in the world that is made by man that compliments the human body. Because it does not have the electricity that it should have, just like natural plants have."
Processed Food Is High in Fat
One way to make processed food be so addictive is with a high amount of fat, usually trans fat. Trans fats contain excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, which can drive oxidation and inflammation in the body. This can lead to heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in Western countries.
Tips to Transition From Processed Foods to Real Foods
Take Time to Plan Meals
The food industry promoted the idea that food should be convenient. Microwavable TV dinners, processed and fast-food are part of an industrial approach to dining providing little nutrition and a lot of toxicity. But, the convenience of eating quickly pales into insignificance when compared to the damage these foods cause.
Real food takes time and practice to prepare, making the transition to alkaline foods initially outside our cooking comfort zones. Fortunately, things get easier, and planning is the key to making healthy food convenient. Taking the time to find new recipes, plan menus, and create shopping lists, makes it easier to stick to the lifestyle, and not leave it to chance, or old habits.
Reframe “Effort” as “Pain Prevention”
People are seeking nutritional solutions to chronic health conditions. Symptoms, pain, and discomfort are big motivators. Don't wait for symptoms, or a serious health condition, before committing a healthy lifestyle.
Dedication to eating natural food is rewarded with increased energy and a balanced mood. Devotion to reducing toxicity, and cleansing the body, gifts you with improved memory and enhanced immunity. Pursuit of wellness through fasting and nourishing results in a longer, healthier, and happier life.
Find Health-Minded Friends
Connecting with like-minded souls supports us to feel “normal” in a society that is sick. Pressure to conform, stop being “difficult,” and eat “regular” foods, can be overwhelming. Sadly, processed-food eaters try and pull others into their food dramas. Be determined in your conviction to nourish your body, not feed an addiction.
Be honest with yourself about how much you deviate from foods in Dr. Sebi's Nutritional Guide. If you find you are eating non-approved foods, don't berate yourself, but do ask yourself why it happens. Collect data about times, places, situations (maybe even people!) making it difficult; then determine how to support yourself. Fasting is an excellent way to get back on track.
Remember: Small Steps Add Up
Behavioral change involves both forwards, and backward, progress. But, over time, motivated by positive results, determined alkaline-eaters develop the skills, experience, and discipline to stick to this lifestyle.
New habits are supported by changes to taste-buds, hormones, digestion, metabolism, and the brain — all enjoying the new nutrient-dense foods. Leaving your comfort zone, entering the next zone of personal growth, requires a 4% stretch. What small step could you take today to help you progress?
