Processed Food as a Cause of Obesity and Chronic Illnesses Assignment

Processed Food as a Cause of Obesity and Chronic Illnesses - Assignment Example This essay "Processed Food as a Cause of Obesity and Chronic Illnesses" outlines the health's risks connected with the consumption of the processed food and the ways how to prevent it. Most processed foods contain a high level of modified diet products such as soybean and canola. Processed foods such as potato chips and cookies are characterised by high amounts of calories. This is because most processing procedures remove the amount water in these foods to reduce transportation costs and increase the shelf-life. Consumption of such foods leads to increased intake of the calories with a corresponding decrease in nutritional gain. Sugar sweetened soft drinks are a prominent source of calorie intake in children leading to obesity in the young generation. Ultra-processed foods lack the healthy fats, minerals, vitamins, insoluble fibre and phyto-chemicals that guard the human body against cancer and heart diseases. Fresh fruits and vegetables have a lower concentration of sugar and requi re less insulin release for their digestion compared to processed foods. High consumption of processed products may alter or completely destroy the taste buds making a person develop a tendency of getting used to strong tastes. This makes them increase the consumption of foods rich sugar and salt content. According to Ludwig (2011:1352-53), an effective plan than can reverse obesity and related trends in the prevalence of chronic diseases is, â€Å"adoption of a collective strategy that includes individual, industrial, governmental, community participation...†.