First, they took out the bran and less elegant parts of the foods to clean up the appearance and smooth out the flavor. Then they put preservatives in, to make it keep longer on the shelves and handle being shipped long distances. In an effort to make the foods appear healthier, they threw in a few nutrients, called it “enriched”, and proceeded to perpetuate the myth that it was just as healthy as it had started out to be. Only it wasn’t.

Processed foods have five strikes against them:

1. Age. No matter how you preserve it, it has still been processed in factory after factory, from product to product, before it gets to you. It is neither fresh nor wholesome once it reaches your table.
2. Refining. Parts have been separated out, and the greater percentage of the naturally occurring nutrients have been stripped out in the process. Those nutrients occur naturally in a unique balance, and many trace nutrients are normally present which are essential for long term health – during refinement, most of the balanced nutrients are removed. And since most of the ingredients used in processed foods have been subject to this treatment, it is not just one or two ingredients with the problem, but the majority of them.
3. Enrichment. The problem with enriched foods is that they only add back in what they think is important. Usually that means a handful of the nutrients that were originally removed are put back in, in quantities and proportions that they would not normally occur in. And most enriched foods contain the same added nutrients, resulting in too much of them, and none of the ones that are considered less important (but which are responsible for balancing many body systems).
4. High in fats and sugars. They are typically higher in unhealthy fats, and have added sugars that are either unnecessary, or in unnecessarily high amounts. You get very high amounts of the things you need the least of, and very little of things you ought to get a lot of.
5. Preservatives and chemicals. Preservatives are the least of it, since chemicals are added for other purposes also, including to make the texture smoother, to make the ingredients mix easier in the factory, to keep powders from caking before they are even used in an end product, to keep color consistent longer, etc. Many of them are added at multiple stages of manufacturing.

In our world, we really cannot get away from it. I mill my own flour, and bake my own bread in an attempt to reduce the amount of processing and refining that our food is subject to, but even then, you can’t completely escape it. You can reduce it though, to whatever degree you feel is appropriate.

The major issue with refined foods is that when foods are overrefined, the nutrients that help the body to balance itself are left out, and it makes maintaining good health more difficult. Simply switching from white flours to whole wheat can make a significant difference to many diabetics within a few weeks. Eating a few meals with fresh vegetables instead of canned or just those that are included in pre-packaged meals, can also make a difference. Choosing foods with less processing, eating simpler meals, and cooking a few more things from scratch can also improve diabetic control in unexpected ways. And an unexpected bonus is that you will feel less hungry – really! When your body gets the nutrients it is craving, it signals you that it has had enough much sooner!

In the recent “low carb” frenzy, the logic is to remove even more from foods, and to process them more, not less. The best solution to lowering harmful carb impact is NOT to take out carbs, but to eat healthier ones! I’ll use low carb foods only when they are the only alternative to white flour or high sugar items. Whole grain is healthier any day, even if it IS higher in carbs.

It is a simple matter to change from white rice to brown, from white pasta to whole wheat, and to choose whole wheat bread instead of white. You have thereby reduced the amount of processing in many of your foods. Other changes can come one at a time, as you figure out what is simple and what the next logical step is.

It is important to do what you CAN do. Start with what is simplest for you, and make changes one at a time. If you know that something is going to be too inconvenient, then figure out a way to make it more manageable before you dive in, so you don’t subject yourself to repeat failures.

Better nutrition and fewer chemicals do result in improved health.