Seriously, be careful.

How many times have you picked up something that looked super yum from the market, looked at the ingredients and got confused by all of the technical, scientific terms? Or something like "natural and artificial flavors?" Doesn't that sound super sketchy?

Maybe it's not a good idea to put something you have never heard of, and have no clue about, into your body. Processed foods are your enemy here. They're completely unnatural and definitely do not make you feel like the best version of yourself. Sadly, the majority of the food people eat every single day are highly processed and contain almost no nutrients. Which means they're full of empty calories and are by no means good for your health.

If you look at the ingredient list of a highly processed food, you'll probably find some new words to add to your vocabulary. A lot of these unknown ingredients are used in order to increase the shelf life and improve the flavor that disappears when the food isn't as fresh anymore. Sounds a lot like cheating, doesn't it?

Here's an example of an "evil" label: it's full of a of random vocab fillers. Do you know what half of these things are? It's definitely not what you signed up for as a food customer and consumer.

This ingredient list was taken from a granola bar. You've always assumed those were totally healthy, right? Yeah, some of them! You have to shop around and check ingredient lists. It's a scary world out there.

It's not necessary to completely cut processed foods out of your diet. In fact, that's a pretty impossible feat nowadays. However, it is smart to slowly cut these things out of your diet. Don't try anything too drastic if you're just starting out, as that can actually backfire and cause ridiculous cravings. A good way to cut back is to eat out of portion-controlled bowls instead of taking the entire bag straight to bed with Netflix.

Really and truly, your body wants - no, craves - the natural things in life. That's how we were built, and that's how it was before processed foods made their conveniently terrible entrance.

So, here's a challenge for you the next time you're shopping for food: pay some attention to those ingredient labels and replace a snack you would've bought with something a little more natural.

This article was adapted from the wellness and balancing lifestyle blog, The Summer Lover. View the original post here.