Cebu City – It is undeniable that foods are prepacked and processed has very great taste and can really satisfy the cravings of an individual. The problem is that many people don’t know that despite its great taste, there are some consequences if these foods are consumed regularly.

What are processed foods? Any food that has undergone some sort of modification during preparation is referred to as processed.

Processing food can be as simple as:

• Freezing
• Canning
• Baking
• Drying

While some processed foods may have high quantities of salt, sugar, and fat, not all processed foods are bad. In some circumstances, ingredients like salt, sugar, and fat are added to processed meals to improve their flavor, lengthen their shelf life, or, in some cases, contribute to the food's structure, like the way sugar and salt give bread and cakes their structure.

People who purchase processed foods may consume more sugar, salt, and fat than is advised since they may not be aware of the amount of additives present in the food they are purchasing and consuming. Due to the substantial amounts of added sugar or fat that certain meals contain, they may also have more calories.

The amount of salt, sugar, fat and other ingredients of foods should be taken into consideration because excess intake of these can lead to health problems in the future. / PDO I Noah Vincent D. Gallo, RND, MSPH