We have come a long way to the point where we read the number of calories in the canned food and drinks we eat daily, and make sure that canned orange juice does not equal home-made orange juice, and neither is equal to an orange full of fiber.

But with age, and frequent visits to doctors, the most important advice to avoid or mitigate diseases is to avoid packaged foods.

This advice may be too late, but in fact, the National Academy of Sciences, the US National Library of Medicine, and the US Food and Drug Administration warn against eating processed foods because they contain more than 2,500 chemicals, intentionally added to modify flavor, color, texture and preservation for longer periods, and even to reduce cost, This is in contrast to 12,000 other substances that may be inadvertently included in the components of the product, before and after the packaging process, all of which have been proven to be toxic.

Here are a few of the most common ingredients to avoid.

1- Sodium Nitrite and Nitrate

Have you ever asked yourself why cooked processed meat is pink?

Sodium nitrite is found in all processed and smoked meats, fish, and vegetables, as a preservative to prevent bacterial growth and add a salty flavor and pink color.

When processed meat is exposed to high heat, nitrite turns into nitrosamine, a compound that has many negative health effects.

The International Journal of Cancer and the National Library of Medicine have published two decades of studies confirming that intake of nitrites, nitrates, and nitrosamines is associated with an increased risk of stomach, colorectal, breast, bladder and type 1 diabetes.

You may not be able to be sure of this material in what you buy, because there is not enough space to write all the contents on the box, or buy the product in pieces;

Therefore, it would be better to replace sausage, luncheon meat and smoked turkey breast with healthy sources of protein, such as chicken, beef, nuts and eggs.

Intake of sodium nitrite and nitrate is associated with an increased risk of cancer and type 1 diabetes (Getty Images)

2- High fructose corn syrup

It is a sweetener made from corn, and is mainly found in soda, juice, candy, breakfast cereals and snack foods.

This ingredient is filled with a type of sugar called fructose, a simple sugar that has the disadvantages of a glucose-sweetened beverage.

A study published in the Journal of the American Society for Clinical Studies indicated that consuming a drink sweetened with glucose or fructose provides 25% of the energy needed by the body for 10 weeks, and even if the drink shows an increase in weight in both cases, the person who drinks fructose has elevated triglyceride concentrations.

You will also be surprised to learn that fructose is a major cause of weight gain, diabetes, decreased insulin sensitivity, and the concentration of belly fat and on the liver, causing fatty liver.

So it's best to replace the light dessert with fresh fruit or homemade juice without added sugar, or sweeten it with stevia or yacon syrup.

3- Artificial sweeteners

Remarkably, artificial sweeteners are used not only in packaged drinks, but also in low-calorie or sugar-free drinks, low-fat dairy, baby food, and nutritional supplements.

You may see some common names for it, such as: aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, and acesulfame potassium, and they all have a sweetening degree 200 times more than natural sugar, without any calories.

These sweeteners may seem like a great alternative to sugar, but in a study published in the US National Library of Medicine they have been associated with a range of medical conditions, such as: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess belly fat, and dangerous levels of cholesterol, which are conditions that increase the risk Stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Sweeteners may seem like a great alternative to sugar, but they have been linked to a host of medical conditions, such as high sugar and cholesterol (Getty Images)

4- Carrageenan

It may sound like a strange name, but it is found on food packaging under the name "derived from red seaweed".

This substance bears the properties of gelatin, and is used as a thickener, emulsifier and preservative in many food products, for its ability to preserve the consistency of jelly, ice cream, vegetable cheese and vegetable milk, and everything that maintains its texture under 60 degrees without melting.

Carrageenan increases the risk of high blood sugar levels, and negatively affects the health of the digestive system, causing ulcers in the intestines and ulcerative colitis.

Sodium benzoate has been linked to cancer and is higher in hard and ground beef (Getty Images)

5- Sodium Benzoate

This substance is found in almost all packaged foods, but in varying proportions.

It rises in cheddar cheese, processed ground beef and cola drinks, as high as 190 parts per billion, even though the US Environmental Protection Agency's limit is 5 parts per billion.

This substance has been associated with cancer in animals since the late 1920s, and its effect on humans has been recognized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

It affects multiple organs of the body, and has caused a high rate of reported symptoms of ADHD in adults.

You should avoid solid packaged foods, especially since the consumption of benzoate in foods outweighs its common negative effect in water and air, as it is derived from gasoline, and is actually formed during the burning of fuel and cigarettes.

6- hydrogenated oils

They are vegetable oils that are processed in a way that preserves packed foods for as long as possible, and we see them in their basic form with bags of instant noodles.

Hydrogenated oils include a type of unsaturated fat, called trans fat, found in restaurant frying oils and butter in bakery products.

Trans fats have been associated with an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol by 40%, and corn, soybean and palm oils are added to them, which cause heart disease if improperly processed or stored.