While crackers and pre-made pizza are heavily processed, there are a few other processed foods that can be a great choice - not only for the sake of convenience - but also help you to consume more nutrients.
Yogurt for probiotics diet
Plain yogurt has gone through several food processing stages including fermentation. It offers nutritious bacteria strains to reduce stomach cramps and bloating, according to Nine.
Olive oil for seasoning
Olive oil enhances the food flavors and it belongs to processed culinary ingredient group where it has gone through pressing and heating stages. However, it only accounts for 3 percent of calories.
Your Processed Foods May Be More Nutritious Than the Fresh Stuff https://t.co/n4PgZoohyc pic.twitter.com/LTSWi6PiXQ
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Frozen vegetables for half of the daily requirement
A research published in NCBI compared frozen fruits and vegetables to their counterparts. The result showed that both retain vitamin C and E. In fact, the vitamin content in frozen vegetables is occasionally higher than in fresh produce.
Fortified cereals for breakfast
Fortified cereals have been given additional nutrients such as folate or iron. Researchers have learned that germination process in cereal-making has improved bioactive compounds and amino acids content, Tandfonline reported.
Roasted nuts for snacks
Snacking over roasted nuts are better than crackers. Roasted peanuts, for instance, are full of vitamin B3 and folic acid and they have gone through a minimal process.
One thing to note, there are groups of processed foods that consumers have to be more aware of. It is recommended to look meticulously on the labels to find out the hidden sugar, fat and artificial ingredient added in the processed foods that could potentially raise bad cholesterol levels.
Also check on the ingredients serving size to learn the recommended intake.
