What'll Really Happen If You Eat Processed Food Every Day?

When we think of processed food, fast food probably comes to mind. But the truth is, almost all foods we consume are altered in some way.

“Processed food is any kind of food or raw material that has been changed,” Dr. Pauline Jose, a family medicine specialist, told HuffPost. “Processing is anything that can include washing, cleaning, chopping, heating, pasteurizing, fermenting, salting and smoking. Anytime you do anything to raw material, it’s processed.”

Jose said that adding nutrients, like putting vitamin D in milk, falls under the category of “good processed,” but ultraprocessed foods — which are made by adding flavor and chemicals to foods like ice cream and frozen pizza — should be avoided. “I would just maybe make it a point not to eat anything ultraprocessed,” she said. “I can’t think of any ultraprocessed foods that can be OK, versus some processed foods, which can be OK.”

Many breads, such as white bread, are processed — look for words like “enriched” on the label and you’ll know.

Jose said that the best approach is to prepare food at home and use fresh vegetables. “[Those foods are] not processed at all,” Jose said. “It’s probably the healthiest way to eat.”

But if you must buy packaged foods, Jose said to read the labels and avoid anything that you can’t pronounce or recognize. She also noted that some food packaging contains titanium dioxide, which prevents bacterial growth in the packaging but might cause lesions in the colon or inflammation in the intestines.

And don’t be fooled: Buying groceries from a “healthier” place like Trader Joe’s isn’t much better.

“When my daughter was in high school, I was getting frozen food from Trader Joe’s and she said, ‘Mom, this is processed,’” Jose said. “I’m like, ‘Oh,