Nutrition In Highly Processed Foods

What are fresh and processed foods? Are processed foods equally beneficial or recommended when there is no option. What nutrition is present in cabbage and carrots?

The foods which are changed from their natural state for safety reasons or for ease of use are called processed foods. The processing of foods includes aseptic processing, canning, refrigeration, freezing, and dehydration. Fresh foods are those foods that are not preserved by canning, dehydration, freezing, or smoking.

In vegetables, frozen vegetables are an example of food processing. While fresh vegetables are best for health, freezing vegetables conserves the important minerals and vitamins and make them available all year long. Juices of fruits and vegetables are processed to make them readily available. At times, we add calcium to orange juice to increase its nutrients, making it a healthy processed food.

There is a common misconception that all processed foods are unhealthy. The processing of milk helps to destroy the harmful bacteria. Vegetables are processed to save their nutritional values and for re-use in future.

Most processed food however is not as healthy as fresh food. The reason for this is that processed food constitutes large amount of sodium and sugar, saturated fats, and trans fats. If fresh food is available for use, then processed food should be avoided.
Processed foods that are not as healthy as their fresh counterparts include processed meats, cereals, breads, pastas, canned food with high sodium, and foods with high calories such as cookies and cakes. Processed meat is the worst of these foods. Eating this meat can increase your risk of colorectal, kidney, and stomach cancer. Processed meat includes hot dogs, sausages, ham, and other packaged meats.

While looking for processed foods, ensure that they are made with whole grains, have low sodium and calories, and are free of trans fats.

Nutritional Value of Cabbage And Carrots:

• Cabbage is rich in manganese, calcium, and potassium. It is also a good source of magnesium, iron, and phosphorus. It contains fiber, folate, and omega-3 fatty acids. Sodium, zinc, and copper occur in good amounts in cabbage.
• Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, B2 & B6 are found in cabbages. It also has vitamin K, Vitamin A and protein.
• 100 gm of cabbage contains only 25 gm of calories.
• Cabbages are good for weight loss. Cabbage also has anti inflammatory disease. They also help in treating you

Carrots:

• Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A. Vitamin A boosts the immunity and helps to fight diseases.
• Carrots also contain Vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B-6, folate, fiber, and no cholesterol.