BENGALURU: All of us eat processed foods. But do we know which food is processed or ultra-processed? Is it good or bad for your health? What should one look for when we buy packaged food? Food has to go through some processing before it reaches our plate. For example, the white rice from the paddy field has to be harvested, de-husked and milled before it is ready for consumption. But this is a low or ‘no’ processed food as this has not undergone any industrial process for it to be processed.
But imagine the transformation of a potato from a field to the bag of potato chips or of tomato to a tomato sauce or ketchup. This food has to undergo several industrial processes, such as hydrogenation, hydrolysis, extrusion, frying pretreatment and the addition of different substances – dyes, emulsifiers, texturants, sweeteners and various additives to increase colour, taste, texture, shelf life etc. Ultra-processed food contains five or more ingredients and has a very high sugar or salt content.
Common foods we are likely to consume:
Breakfast cereal: A 30 gm serving of a popular breakfast cereal for children has 11 gm of sugar in one serving. The list on their package reads: Wheat solids, wheat flour, refined wheat flour, added colour, added salt, artificial cream, added flavour, etc.
Granola and cereal bars: A 40-50 gm serving of granola and cereal bar has an added sugar content of 27 gm (equivalent to approximately five teaspoons of sugar) in most packs. The list of ingredients, includes added sugar, oil, honey, salt, molasses, emulsifier, lecithin either from soy of sunflower, raising agent, flavouring agents and sodium bicarbonate.
Ready-to-eat food: If you are a person who likes eating hot cooked food, there are many ready to eat (RTE) items in the supermarket. But are they healthy? You may be surprised to know that a RTE item like pongal has 7.5 gm of sugar and 1,800 mg of sodium in a 100 gm serving. Why add sugar in a breakfast item like pongal? World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting salt intake to 5 gm/day which is 2,000 mg sodium. If your RTE convenience food is loaded with salt (1,800 mg no less) it is definitely bad for health.
Let us look at some ‘healthy snacks’
Biscuits: A normal biscuit serving of 23-25 gm (four biscuits) has 30 gm (6 teaspoons) of sugar. Advertisements also recommend it as a healthy breakfast option for children. The list of ingredients has the following: Malt extract, milk solids, liquid glucose, leavening agent, invert syrup, emulsifiers, artificial flavours etc.
Dried cranberries (or any dried fruit that is packed): Many believe that dried fruits are good for health, definitely so. Beware if it is packed and marketed as a healthy snack. It is loaded with sugars (73 gm for a 100 gm serving). It contains added sugar and also many added agents to increase shelf life and preservatives.