The month of September is celebrated as Poshan Maah (National Nutrition month) in India, and the nutrition community is abuzz with awareness drives. The problem of wasting and stunting in children, and anaemia (one in every two women of the childbearing age are anaemic), prevail at alarming rates. The government is investing in putting the health of the nation back on track and various programmes are underway as a result of this exercise. There are five focus themes for this year’s Poshan Maah, one of which is Poshtik Aahar (Nutritious Diets).
The modern lifestyle has rendered processed foods as an integral part of our everyday life. A recent study has highlighted the fact that processed foods are not only bad for us, they are addictive too. This leads to weight gain and its attendant problems, setting the stage for chronic lifestyle diseases.
There is much confusion about what really is processed food. After all, the grains, sugar and oils we use for cooking our meals are all processed in some way or the other before they reach us. Is all processing of food bad for us? NOVA, a four-tier system of classification to categorise processed foods, helps us make informed choices.
Unprocessed or minimally processed foods are available in the fresh, squeezed, chilled, frozen or dried state. The edible parts of a plant (leaves, stem, root, fruit, seeds) and animals (meats, eggs, milk) belong here. The distinguishing feature of this category of foods is that there are no additives (sugar, sweetener, salt, fat) to increase the shelf life of the product. The processes of pasteurisation, roasting, parboiling are routinely undertaken to remove the inedible and unwanted portions of this group of foods. Vacuum-packed foods with added antioxidants and ultra-pasteurized milk with stabilisers also fall in this category.
Processed culinary ingredients are obtained from foods of the first category through processes such as refining, milling, grinding and pressing. Examples include vegetable oils obtained from crushing seeds, honey extracted from hives and sugar from sugarcane. The additives used to preserve the original quality of the food and to prevent microbial growth in this category of foods include iodised salt, vegetable oils with antioxidants and vinegar with preservatives.
Processed foods are foods that undergo processes to increase shelf life or enhance their sensory qualities. Salted or sweetened nuts, fruits preserved in syrup, pickled vegetables, salted meats with preservatives and industrially manufactured bread, are its typical examples.
Ultra-processed foods are typically ready-to-eat/ heat. These foods are prepared with industrial ingredients and contain little or no ‘intact’ food. The additives in these products imitate or intensify the sensory qualities of the food. Examples include instant noodles, packaged soups, energy drinks and the ever-expanding sweet and savoury snack market.
The farther the food stands from its natural state and the greater the number of additives it has shows its processing. Our body digests these foods quite differently from natural foods. Such foods also interact differently with the appetite-regulating hormones. The golden rule to healthy meals is to prefer the natural or minimally processed foods over the ultra-processed products.