Why Is Industrial Bakery Unhealthy?

Industrial bakery is tempting to eat because of its irresistible sweet taste and easy to find, but we know that it is not beneficial for health. Do you want to know why industrial pastries are not healthy? Here we tell you why you should not eat it.

Before starting, you must bear in mind that to prevent the development of pathologies in the medium term, it is essential to carry out a varied diet based on fresh products. It is also advisable to practice physical exercise on a regular basis.

Why is industrial bakery unhealthy?

What do we understand by industrial pastries? This group of products includes sweets of different types, such as buns, cakes, cookies, breakfast cereals, bars, chocolates, etc. All these foods have some characteristics in common, such as their richness in:

• Calories
• Refined flours.
• Poor quality vegetable oils.
• Trans fat.
• Sugars

Let’s see what these components of industrial bakery are and what dangers consuming them entails.

They are a calorie bomb

Industrial bakery is characterized by having a high amount of calories concentrated in a low volume. 100 grams give us an average of 450 kcal, which is equivalent to eating 600 grams of potatoes or 16,000 grams of green beans. This is also equivalent to running an hour to burn it. This amount of kilocalories represents 30% of the total calories that a person eats per day.

The calories in industrial bakery that do not contribute anything to the body are called empty calories : many calories and little amount of nutrients. This is so because they do not contain good quality protein, healthy fats, fiber, or micronutrients, except for salt, which is usually found in high amounts.

They have hydrogenated or trans fats

Hydrogenated or trans fats are generated by a chemical process that has many advantages for the food industry: mainly, the cost, since they are cheaper.

The industry introduces hydrogen to certain ingredients that naturally contain fat in a liquid state, such as oils, at very high temperatures to transform them into solids.

Thus, these foods last much longer, are more appetizing and are easier to cook. Consuming as little as 5 grams of trans fat is already considered unhealthy, according to a study published in Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome.

Industrial bakery is unhealthy due to excess sugar

According to the WHO, the sugar in our diet should not exceed 5% of the daily diet, about 7 lumps, or 30 grams, for adults and about 4 lumps, or 19 grams, for children. For example, with just consuming four chocolate cookies, which have about 34 grams of sugar, equivalent to 8.5 cubes, we already exceed the daily limit.

Refined sugars and simple sugars such as sucrose, glucose or invert sugar have been shown to produce considerable increases in blood insulin levels, with the consequent risk of type 2 diabetes.

High salt content

The content of vitamins and antioxidants is practically zero in these products, which will favor the production of free radicals. The presence of minerals is very poor, sodium being the only mineral found, and in excess. High salt intake can cause high blood pressure. 

They have refined flours

Refined flours are flours that undergo an industrial process in which finer and smaller particles are created by removing some of the fundamental components of whole grain flour. They give rise to an ingredient that is more digestible and that allows it to be used more easily in pastry products.

Thus, these flours are eliminated from the bran and the germ, which is where the vitamins, minerals and fiber are found.

They have poor quality vegetable oils

One of the reasons why industrial bakery is not healthy is because of its content in poor quality vegetable oils. These oils are refined oils from which, like flours, vitamins and minerals are extracted.

Its elaboration consists of an industrial process where very high temperatures are used, producing the oxidation of fats and chemical products. This type of oil enhances the flavor of food, making it tasty and lowering production costs. Therefore, they replace other quality oils, such as olive oil.

Industrial bakery can cause health problems

Industrial bakery seriously harms our health due to all the ingredients it contains. It can cause problems such as:

Generates addiction

The degree of processing of a product and the combination of fats and sugars it contains makes us want to eat more and never get satiated, as this study published in PlosOne shows .

In addition, sugars reduce stress in the body by lowering cortisol levels in the blood. So when we are stressed, we turn to pastries and we can become dependent.

Industrial bakery is not healthy because it causes obesity and diabetes

Due to its high caloric intake and the rest of the ingredients it has, it makes us gain weight. In addition, as we have commented previously, by not satisfying ourselves and stimulating our appetite, it is easy for us to eat more than we should.

Since these products have a high glycemic load, the consumption of industrial pastries is associated with a greater probability of suffering from type 2 diabetes.

Increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases

Consuming trans fats, refined oils, and salt increase the risk of hypertension and cholesterol, which leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. These compounds contribute to the oxidation of LDL lipoproteins, inflammation and the elevation of triglycerides in the blood.

Industrial pastries are harmful to health

In conclusion, industrial bakery does not bring us any benefit, therefore, eliminate or reduce it as much as possible and choose to make healthy homemade sweets.