How much do you really know about processed foods that are going into your body? When you think about it, what comes to mind? Potato chips, canned coffee drinks, bottled soda, boxes of candy and oily crackers. The nutrition chart attached to these products isn't something you should see every so often. Sure, it's normal to splurge here and there, so the chart doesn't matter, per se. However, consuming this type of food on a routine or daily basis is incredibly unhealthy. So much so, it can shorten your lifespan. Replacing junk food with whole foods can make a world of difference in your overall health. In this article, we'll be going over the benefits of cutting processed foods.

Weight Loss

One of the most common issues people face is excessive weight gain. Weight gain is brought on by two things: eating too much and not getting enough physical activity. Why does this happen? Well, when we eat an abundance of junk food, our bodies can take a while to process it all. Junk food is filled with all sorts of chemicals and preservatives. You must burn it all off through exercise or else your body will store it as fat. It may be a little challenging getting into the swing of things, but once you get into the rhythm of eating whole foods and exercising daily, you'll be surprised how much weight you'll lose.

Lower Life Insurance Premiums

How you eat can influence your life insurance premiums. Life insurance is what protects your beneficiaries, like your family, from facing financial hardships. While your lifestyle doesn't affect the amount of money received from the policy, it certainly affects the premiums. Those who partake in high-risk and harmful activities, like eating processed foods and drinking alcohol, it increases how much you have to pay every month.

Fortunately, you can lower them by a significant amount if you show proof of a lifestyle change. Alternatively, if you're someone who's looking for a life insurance policy, but don't want to deal with random rates, the Marketplace by Navient is a great place to go. This online marketplace can help you search for top providers with low rates for your life insurance.

Higher Energy Levels

Processed foods are notorious for making people feel slow and bogged down. There are barely nutrients to absorb, which is how we feel energized. Not to mention, our bodies will be too busy processing all the chemicals and preservatives. A slower digestion means having low energy. Here's a list of fruits and vegetables you can eat to feel more energized:

• Sweet potatoes
• Blueberries
• Oranges
• Bananas
• Spinach
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Lentils
• Avocados

By incorporating these fruits and veggies into your diet, you'll be amazed at how much energy you have and how you feel overall.

Improved Gut Health

Our gut is where food is digested and how the nutrients are absorbed into our bodies. Highly processed foods can negatively impact how the gut digests the food and how it's excreted. This is because harmful bacteria can grow more often than healthy bacteria. Did you know that most of the fast food has next to no fiber in it? Without having enough fiber in your diet, it can increase your chances of experiencing constipation or a medical condition, like diverticular disease.

Better Memory and Lower Risk of Depression

Eating junk food can affect more than just your physical health, as eating a diet of food that's high in fat, calories, and sugar can affect your mental and emotional well-being. It can make it harder to remember things and absorb information and even increase the risk of depression.