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A diet of simply healthy food can be difficult to maintain, but it’s essential for healthy living. Processed foods are loaded with harmful chemicals that affect your body in numerous ways, so turn to Lori’s Natural Food Center if you’re ready to make a diet change. They’ve been providing residents of Rochester, NY, with delicious organic food and local produce for more than 35 years, and can advise you on what to look for next time you go grocery shopping.

Healthy Food Tips: 5 Processed Food Ingredients to Avoid

1. Artificial Sweeteners

healthy-foodArtificial sweeteners appear in almost everything on the shelves. Studies have shown that compounds in ingredients such as aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin can confuse your metabolism into storing fat. This leads to weight gain, as well as detrimental conditions like diabetes. When your cravings call, stick to safe sweets like berries or nuts.

2. Artificial Flavoring

When it comes to artificial flavoring, there’s no way to know what you’re really consuming. These flavors are created in a lab using compounds that aren’t listed on food labels and lack any nutritional value. Adverse health effects accompany many of these flavorings, so do your best to stay away.

3. MSG

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) takes many names on food labels (glutamic acid and yeast extract, for example) and is believed to cause a handful of ill effects. It mimics natural chemicals used for neural functions in your body and has been associated with headaches and depression.

4. Colors and Dyes

Many of these will appear as a color name and number (yellow 5) and are entirely unnatural. While they give tasty foods an appealing look, they’re suspected to contribute to hyperactivity in children and cancer-related conditions in adults. Natural colors in healthy food are your safest bet, so if the color isn’t organic, look for an alternative.

5. Preservatives

Preservatives are used to lengthen the shelf life of many foods, but come with harmful effects. Sodium Benzoate, TBHQ, and BHA are common names you’ll find on food labels, and experts suspect they can be linked to neurological and digestive disorders, as well as cancer and respiratory issues.

It’s difficult to completely revamp your diet with healthy food, but the benefits are endless. Lori’s Natural Food Center focuses on carrying foods that are as delicious as they are nutritious, and their friendly staff can help you find everything you need to change how you eat. Give them a call today at (585) 424-2323, and visit their website and Facebook page for wellness tips and news.

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