NEW YORK, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Studies show that eating a lot of ultra-processed foods like frozen pizza is associated with a higher risk of developing chronic diseases, while health experts say it's a good idea to limit your intake, but that you don't have to avoid them at all costs, reported The Washington Post on Tuesday.
Ultra-processed foods make up about 70 percent of all food items sold in U.S. grocery stores, and they are tasty, convenient and affordable. One can include some processed foods in the diet and still be healthy. That's because they're not all created equal, according to the report.
Dozens of frozen pizza brands were analyzed and it was discovered that some use mostly simple ingredients like wheat flour, tomato sauce, olive oil, garlic powder and mozzarella cheese, while others contain so many preservatives, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers and artificial ingredients that their ingredients lists can sound like a high school chemistry experiment.
"You probably shouldn't eat frozen pizza every day, nutrition experts say, but it can still be part of a healthy, occasional lunch or dinner," noted the report. "The key is to purchase a quality brand and to make it part of a balanced meal."
One could steam some broccoli or chop up carrots and cucumbers to eat with pizza, or maybe make a hard-boiled egg to go along with it. And have some fresh fruit, walnuts or mixed nuts at the end of meal, it added.
