The evils of processed food

Once you start eating highly processed food, you might find it tough to stop. Here's why:

1. It's super-easy to eat. With no bones, pits, or clumsy shapes to interfere, processed foods are an object lesson in instant gratification.

2. The texture tantalizes. Processed foods are engineered for optimal mouthfeel -- whether crunchy, creamy, or gooey.  These fun-to-eat qualities can quickly override your better judgement.

3. Flavors hit full-force.  Health-sapping sugar, salt, and fat -- plus additives such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein -- ratchet up taste far beyond what you'd find in nature.  All the more reason to keep it real.

Better Homes and Gardens, March 2011, pg. 168