Processed foods (2): What is the problem with processed foods?
Health & Fitness By KEMI ILORI
Tuesday, November 20, 2007

We had previously tried to define what processed foods are. People are generally aware that they are supposed to prefer unprocessed food because they are healthier. I had written last week that some processed foods have their own advantages which are actually very numerous and we will come to that in due course. What are considered to be the disadvantages of processed foods? We will look at some of those.

A lot of substances are added to food during processing. They help to make the food acquire other properties or enhance its existing properties. We will look at just a few of the substances added to processed food.

Sugar: A lot of processed foods contain too much sugar! There is a general assertion that the human pancreas is experiencing more radical attack from the human diet in the last fifty years than it has done in the last fifty centuries! This is because of sugar.

The pancreas is the organ that secretes insulin which helps to metabolise the sugar we eat. (Diseases like diabetes result from the pancreas not functioning well. If you were a pancreas would you not be tired from overload and overwork?!!) The sugar is added to further sweeten the food and in some cases to help preserve the food. The latter is the case with canned foods where the syrup is made by thickening water with sugar over heat. The syrup makes it difficult for bacteria to grow in the canned food, e.g. canned fruits. Other foods are just loaded with sugar to make them "palatable". The list of such foods is endless, e.g. confectioneries, sugary breakfast cereals, etc. The major onslaught of sugar on our system is modern problem. Foods like biscuits are now on all national menus, with children being an early target. Fruits are much better snacks for children, as well as nuts. Nuts are rich in healthy oils and minerals.

Sodium: High sodium intake is linked to higher blood pressure, which can raise the risk of stroke, heart disease and kidney disease (the recent spate of kidney disease has been linked to undiagnosed high blood pressure). Sodium is one of the most misunderstood substances in food. This is because most people take sodium to mean salt! Salt is sodium chloride, so it is true that salt contains sodium, but a lot of other food substances contain as much sodium as salt! Where the major problem lies is that these food substances DO NOT taste like salt. This means that, you MUST NOT assume that you have reduced your sodium intake because your food does not taste salty. You may be eating more sodium in other food sources without tasting it. ALWAYS read your FOOD LABELS!! Most of the sodium that people eat in their diet comes from processed foods; a lot of times these forms of sodium are not salt. Processed foods generally contain a lot of sodium in the form of salt, monosodium glutamate (some people locally describe it as "white magi") as lavour enhancers, as well as in other forms as preservatives.

The sodium in food preservatives is the silent sodium that sometimes causes the havoc of high-sodium in our diet (especially because we cannot taste it). The use of sodium containing substances as preservatives in food, is one of the most serious challenges of processed foods. Let us look at some of these sources of sodium;
1) In drinks (Wines, beers, soft drinks & bottled drinks in general): Sodium metabisulphite is the commonly used preservative in bottled drinks. Next time you take a bottle of soft drink, check the cap of the bottle which you open and throw away. You will see the contents of the bottle written in very tiny letters. One of the contents is sodium metabisulphite. These drinks add to the sodium load in our diet. This is okay if you do not have problems with your blood pressure or if you have a high potassium diet (potassium balances sodium in our diet). You should be aware that if you are taking a bottled or packed drink with preservatives, it is most likely to contain sodium metabisulphite. Always look for where the list of ingredients is.

2) In processed meats: Processed meats might be one of the worst types of processed foods to cultivate a habit of eating. Fortunately, we do not consume a lot of processed meat traditionally in Nigeria. Most of the meat consumed by the larger populace is fresh.
You need to pay attention to the sodium compounds in processed meat. The most commonly used is sodium nitrite. Processed meats usually have an unusually high amount of sodium. This sodium is sometimes from more that one type of sodium containing substance.

These include the salt that we all know – sodium chloride, monosodium glutamate, as well as sodium nitrite. Sodium nitrite has been fingered in some types of cancers. Eating a diet high in processed meats, such as hot dogs, has been linked to certain types of cancer. Eating these meats may increase your risk of colorectal, kidney and stomach cancer.

Processed meats include hot dogs, bologna, sausage, ham and other packaged lunch meats. A recent research report caused a bit of stir. The new research conducted at the University of Hawaii says that, consuming processed meats increases the risk of pancreatic cancer. The study monitored nearly 200,000 men and women for seven years. According to lead study author Ute Nothlings, people who consumed the most processed meats (hot dogs and sausage) showed a 67% increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who consumed little or no meat products. The colour fixer in processed meats, sodium nitrite was implicated.
WHY?? Sodium nitrite is metabolized in the body to produce amongst other compounds; substances called nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are highly carcinogenic, i.e. potent cancer-causing chemicals that accelerate the formation and growth of cancer.

I will quote a reporter on the issues of the use of sodium nitrite, ""Sodium nitrite is a dangerous, cancer-causing ingredient that has no place in the human food supply," he explains. The USDA actually tried to ban sodium nitrite in the 1970's, but was preempted by the meat processing industry, which relies on the ingredient as a color fixer to make foods look more visually appealing. "The meat industry uses sodium nitrite to sell more meat products at the expense of public health," says Adams. "And this new research clearly demonstrates the link between the consumption of processed meats and cancer."