Becky is a 35-year-old woman who is trying to lose weight and lead a healthy life. Every morning, she eats an English muffin for breakfast. English muffins, like various other breads, pastas, and dessert products, are often produced using refined grains. These grains are heavily processed and have fewer nutrients than whole grains. They have been linked to several health problems, including heart attacks, diabetes, and high cholesterol.

Becky packs a sandwich for lunch every day. Since she's trying to lose weight, she doesn't put butter or mayonnaise on it. However, her sandwich always contains meat that is heavily processed and loaded with sodium4 . Even though all of us need sodium to live, too much sodium in our body can lead to high blood pressure, fluid retention, and dizziness.

Going for a jog after work is Becky's favorite way to unwind after a long, hard day. As sure as the sun sets in the west, Becky will reach for an energy drink after every run. She is completely unaware that the benefits of her run are being eroded by the high-fructose corn syrup that she's drinking. High-fructose corn syrup is used as a sweetener in a wide range of foods, from soft drinks to breakfast cereals. Studies have linked its consumption to obesity, cavities, and poor nutrition.

Becky likes to cook dinner for her family. Even though the meals she cooks are often very nutritious, she tends to use a lot of margarine. Studies have shown that the high levels of trans fats in margarine can boost bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol. People with high levels of bad cholesterol are more likely to have heart disease, cancer, and even depression.

Becky may have gone on like this forever if not for a phone call from her mom one Sunday evening. Her mom informed her that she had read a fascinating article in an English textbook that highlighted the nutritional deficiencies of everyday foods. "This article says that there's an easy way to be healthy," Becky's mom explained. "All you need to do is eat fresh foods that are not highly processed!"

貝琪是一位努力減肥，想過健康生活的35歲女性。她每天早上就吃一個英式馬芬當早餐。英式馬芬就像其他各式麵包、麵條和甜點製品一樣，通常是以精製穀物所製成的。這些穀物都經過大量加工，養分比全穀物少。它們與幾種健康問題習習相關，包括心臟病、糖尿病與高膽固醇。

貝琪每天都帶一個三明治當午餐。因為她想要減肥，所以她並沒有在三明治裡塗上奶油或美乃滋。但是她的三明治總是夾上大量加工並含有鈉的肉品。雖然我們都需要鈉才能存活，但是體內太多的鈉會導致高血壓、水腫和暈眩。

辛苦了一天，慢跑是貝琪下班後最喜歡的放鬆方式。就像每天太陽一定從西邊落下一樣，貝琪在每次跑步後就會喝一杯提神飲料。她完全沒發現，跑步所帶來的好處已經被她所喝的高果糖玉米糖漿給抵消掉了。高果糖玉米糖漿被用來當做許多食物的增甜劑，從清涼飲料到早餐的玉米片。許多研究已經將它的攝取，與肥胖、蛀牙和營養不良畫上等號。

貝琪喜歡為她的家人烹煮晚餐。雖然她煮的每一餐通常很營養，但是她習慣用很多的人造奶油。研究顯示，人造奶油中的大量反式脂肪會增加「壞的」膽固醇，降低「好的」膽固醇。壞膽固醇含量高的人較可能罹患心臟疾病、癌症，甚至憂鬱症。

要不是因為她母親在星期天傍晚的一通電話，貝琪可能就一直這樣持續下去。她的母親告訴她，她在一本英文教科書中讀到一篇很棒的文章，裡面強調日常食物中營養的不足。「這篇文章告訴我們一個維持健康的簡單方法」，貝琪的母親解釋：「妳只要吃未經多次加工的新鮮食物就行了！」