Is Processed Ever Better Than Natural?

Question: You often praise the benefits of natural foods and products. Are there any cases where processed foods or unnatural products are equivalent or better?

In most cases, the health related distinction between natural and processed foods or products lies in the body’s ability to recognize and appropriately respond to the substances they contain. Humans have spent millions of years adapting to the conditions of nature and improving the ability to survive on the resources that it provides. As such, the body typically doesn’t react favorably to any unnatural substance that didn’t exist during this long period of adaptation.

A Consequence of Technology

The additives and altered nutrients found in processed foods are often not properly recognized nor utilized because they simply didn’t exist during the vast majority of our evolution. Likewise, the body is not equipped to handle the excessive amount of synthetic chemicals that we’re exposed to from foods and manufactured products.

In contrast to the millions of years that we’ve spent adapting to the resources provided by nature, processed foods and synthetic chemicals have only become a major factor in human life during the past century, and this is not nearly enough time for an evolutionary adaptation. As such, natural foods and substances are nearly always superior to any processed or synthetic alternative simply because we’ve evolved to depend on nature. However, there are a few instances I can think of where processed foods or unnatural products are superior to their natural counterparts. If you have any to add, please share them in the comments section!

Fish and Fish Oil

Fish is an excellent source of nutrition and contains the omega-3 fatty acids that are essential to health and are sorely lacking in the modern diet. Unfortunately, the significant amount of pollution that exists in most water today has caused this once extremely beneficial food to become a significant health risk. Fortunately, the use of fish oil allows us to obtain the omega-3 fatty acids from fish without as much exposure to chemical toxins and heavy metals.

While fish oil is a processed food and is usually not completely free of toxins, in most cases, it’s a safer choice than wild caught fish and especially farm raised fish. While it’s possible to buy high quality wild fish caught from cleaner water, it’s usually expensive and too cost prohibitive to eat on a regular basis.

Drinking Water

Every body of water on the planet is polluted to some extent. In fact, traces of chemical toxins have even been found in polar icecaps. While some sources of water are certainly cleaner than others, drinking water shouldn’t be assumed as safe just because it comes from a natural source rather than a water treatment facility.

Although water filtration is a form of processing that often removes beneficial minerals and trace elements, this disadvantage is overshadowed by the risks associated with the toxic chemicals often found in drinking water. Furthermore, even the best sources of water are often packaged in plastic bottles, and regardless of how pure the water is, chemicals from the plastic will leach into it.

Pharmaceuticals

While pharmaceuticals are a major problem in modern society because they encourage people to hide their health problems rather than directly addressing them, they also have many benefits. Although one of my strongest motives is to help people eliminate the need for pharmaceuticals through healthier living, it would be ignorant to suggest that they aren’t necessary and invaluable in some cases.

Many people are convinced that they absolutely need medication when they really don’t, and the symptom relief they may experience from the medication often detracts from their motivation to take proper care of themselves. Despite this, there are some situations where pharmaceuticals are very necessary. Fatal infections, heart attacks or strokes, and severe allergic reactions are just a few examples. However, because pharmaceuticals don’t always work and sometimes cause death instead of preventing it, it’s always best to live a healthy lifestyle that will minimize the need for them.

Clothing Materials

Much of the clothing available today contains artificial chemicals that are capable of causing skin irritation and allergic reactions. Despite these risks, it would be very impractical to wear completely natural clothing such as animal hides, especially for footwear. Imagine playing tennis or working at a construction site with shoes made of leaves or animal skin!

Even though all of the clothes that we wear today are manufactured to a significant degree, there’s still a considerable variation in potential they pose for skin irritation. For example, polyester is much less natural than cotton, and in turn, is much more likely to cause an allergic reaction. Even though it’s one of the most artificial materials used for clothing, polyester is still a desirable choice in some cases. Any athlete can attest to how uncomfortable and heavy cotton clothing feels when soaked in sweat. Because of this, most athletic wear is made from polyester and is specifically designed to wick moisture and remain dry.

When there’s no specific need for the benefits of artificial clothing materials such as polyester, it’s best to choose clothing that’s made from natural substances and has been exposed to as few dyes, adhesives and other chemicals as possible. If your skin is particularly sensitive, you can even find clothes that are made out of organic materials and are almost completely free of such chemicals.

The Unhealthy Consequences of Convenience

While the examples above are backed by good reason, most people choose processed foods and unnatural material products with much less justification. In most cases, convenience is the driving factor. Processed foods are cheaper, tastier and easy to prepare while unnatural material products are cheaper as well and usually have notable advantages over their natural counterparts. Unfortunately, few people realize or believe that these benefits are trivial in comparison to the health risks they pose.

The Most Important Test of Time

When in the market for a new car, appliance, television, computer or any other similar type of product, most people engage in extensive research to find out which models have proven to be most reliable over time. When it comes to health, this mentality is completely abandoned.

It’s no coincidence that most modern day diseases have become much more prevalent with the introduction of processed foods and synthetic chemicals. Millions of years of evolution should tell us that a natural lifestyle is like a reputable and reliable car that rarely breaks down, and a lifestyle associated with processed foods and chemical toxins is like a newly released car that’s untested, defective and often in need of repair.

I’m certainly not suggesting that you need to live like a caveman to be healthy or that you should completely avoid the enjoyment and convenience of modern technology. Instead, I’m hoping that you’ll begin to appreciate our dependence on nature, that you’ll consider this dependence when making lifestyle choices, and that you’ll moderate your enjoyment of unhealthy activities despite the many unhealthy temptations of modern life.

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