Why Are Industrial Baked Goods Unhealthy?
Industrial pastries are unhealthy because they can cause health problems due to their high content of calories, trans fats and sugar. Find out more about the topic here.
Industrial pastries are tempting for their irresistibly sweet taste, but we know they are not good for your health. Do you want to know why industrial baked goods are unhealthy? Then read on!
Why are industrial baked goods unhealthy?
What is meant by industrial baked goods? This product group includes all industrially manufactured baked goods such as cakes, biscuits and biscuits. These products have several things in common:
- They are high in calories
- refined flour,
- Poor quality vegetable oils,
- Trans fats and
- much sugar.
Let’s take a look at what ingredients industrial baked goods have and what dangers they pose.
Industrial pastries are very high in calories
Industrial pastries are characterized by a high calorie content. 100 grams have an average of 450 kcal, which corresponds to the consumption of 600 grams of potatoes or 16,000 grams of green beans. To burn those calories again, you need to run for an hour. This amount of kilocalories is equivalent to 30% of the total calories a person should eat in a day.
Calories from industrially manufactured baked goods that do not provide any nutrients are also called empty calories. They contain no high-quality protein, no healthy fats, no fiber and no micronutrients. However, they contain a lot of salt and sugar.
Industrially manufactured baked goods contain hydrogenated or trans fats
Hydrogenated or trans fats are produced by a chemical process that has many advantages for the food industry, most notably the cost as they are cheaper.
The industry adds hydrogen at very high temperatures to certain ingredients that naturally contain liquid fat, such as oils, so that they are converted into solids.
As a result , these foods last much longer, are more appetizing and easier to process. Consuming just 5 grams of trans fat is considered harmful to health.
Industrial baked goods contain a lot of sugar
According to the WHO , sugar should not make up more than 5% of the daily diet. That’s around 7 sugar cubes, or 30 grams, for adults and around 4 sugar cubes, or 19 grams, for children. For example, if you only eat four chocolate chip cookies that contain around 34 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to 8.5 cubes, you are already exceeding the daily limit.
Refined sugars and simple sugars such as sucrose, glucose or invert sugar lead to a considerable rise in blood sugar levels and thus to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
High salinity
The content of vitamins and antioxidants in these products is practically zero, which promotes the production of free radicals. The proportion of minerals is very low, mostly only sodium is present, but it is plentiful. Excessive salt consumption can cause high blood pressure.
Industrial baked goods contain white flour
White flour is subjected to an industrial process in which the bran and the germ and with it the most important vitamins, minerals and fiber are removed. This makes it very fine, easier to digest and gives the baked goods a very fine texture.
They contain poor quality vegetable oils
One of the reasons industrial baked goods are so unhealthy is because they contain inferior vegetable oils. These oils are refined oils from which, as with flour, vitamins and minerals are extracted.
Their production consists of an industrial process in which very high temperatures cause the oxidation of fats and chemical products. This type of oil enhances the taste of food, makes it tasty and reduces production costs. Hence, they replace other quality oils like olive oil.
Industrial pastries can cause health problems
Because of the ingredients it contains, industrial baked goods are very harmful to health. It can cause the following problems:
It is addictive
The processing of a product and the combination of fats and sugar make you want to eat more and never be full, as a study published in PlosOne shows.
In addition , the sugar reduces the stress in our organism by lowering the cortisol level in the blood. When you are stressed, you reach for industrial pastries and can become dependent.
The industrial pastries are unhealthy because they cause obesity and diabetes.
Because of its high calorie content and the rest of the ingredients, you gain weight. In addition, as mentioned before, you can easily eat more than you should because you don’t get full, but rather get more hungry for it.
Since these products have a high glycemic load, the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes is higher when consuming industrial pastries.
Industrial baked goods increase the risk of cardiovascular disease
Consumption of trans fats, refined oils, and salt increases your risk of high blood pressure and cholesterol, which leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. These compositions contribute to the oxidation of low density lipoproteins, inflammation and an increase in triglycerides in the blood.
Conclusion
In summary, it can be said that industrial pastries are of no use to us. So eliminate or reduce your consumption of these products as much as possible and opt for making healthy homemade confectionery.
