The key to a long and healthy life is looking after yourself – and this includes being conscious of your diet. Cut down on one particular type of food to help extend your lifespan.

According to Verywell Health, a popular food choice comes with “added sodium, more saturated fat, more sugar, and less fiber”.

Its unhealthy components have been linked to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer and diabetes.

Any serious health problems, such as those mentioned above, significantly impact a person’s life chances.

So what can you do to help prevent further health complications (or any at all)? The answer is to cut down (or avoid) processed foods.

Processed foods

The NHS clarifies that “processed foods aren’t just microwave meals and ready meals”.

In fact, “processed food is any food that has been altered in some way during preparation”.

This is how a lot of people are harming their healths unintentionally and unwittingly.

What is classified as food processing? The NHS explained it can be as basic as: freezing, canning, baking, or drying.

The national health body attests that some processed foods “may contain high levels of salt, sugar and fat”.

Here’s a list of common processed foods you may not have realised counted as processed foods:

• Breakfast cereals
• Cheese
• Tinned vegetables
• Bread

Then there’s processed foods you may have realised didn’t hold the most nutritious value, such as:

• Crisps
• Sausage rolls
• Pies
• Pastries
• Bacon
• Sausage
• Ham
• Salami
• Paté

And, of course, other processed foods do include microwaves and ready meals, as well cakes and biscuits.

Even milk or soft drinks can be considered to be processed, but it doesn’t guarantee it’s bad for you.

The NHS explained: “Some foods need processing to make them safe, such as milk, which needs to be pasteurised to remove harmful bacteria.”

Processed foods become unhealthy when ingredients such as salt, sugar and fat are added to them.

These ingredients are typically added to extend the shelf life and to make the flavour more appealing.

In some cases, it can contribute to the food’s structure. For example, salt is used in bread to hold its structure.

You may not have any control over how much salt, sugar and fat is added into processed foods, but you do have the power of choice.

To make safer choices, turn reading nutrition labels into a healthy habit.

Nutrition labels inform you as to how much fat, salt and sugar has been added to the product.

These informative guides can be found on either on the front, back or sides of packaging.

The easiest labels to read are colour-coded – red, amber or green – and the healthiest option is to pick the product with the most green.

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