015 What's Lurking in Your Pantry? Processed Snacks

Series: What's Really In Our Food

The Hidden Harm of Processed Snacks-and How to Choose Better

A Pantry Full of Good Intentions

I worked in the food industry for 30 years, and in that time, I saw a lot. In Blog 006, I shared how I watched ingredient labels shift—from just a handful of recognizable words to paragraphs filled with chemicals I couldn’t pronounce. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened, or even when I realized that many of these GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) additives were quietly doing harm. But I know this: I no longer want to put things into my body without understanding what they are or how they’re affecting me.

As I continue healing my body, I’ve learned that it’s the small, consistent steps that shape the bigger story. That’s why, in Blog 012, I turned my attention to what I drink. From excessive sugar to artificial sweeteners and preservatives, I began to see how even my beverages were impacting my energy, my inflammation, and my clarity. It may have seemed like a small shift, but it was one of the hardest—and most important—changes I’ve made.

So what’s next? What’s another area I can gently examine, reduce, and eventually release? I ask myself this as I stand in front of my pantry, staring at the colorful packages of processed snacks—chips, cookies, candy—all calling my name, all promising comfort.

I crave comfort foods like anyone else. And I’m not wrong for craving comfort. But what if the comfort I reach for is quietly working against me? In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the processed snacks we turn to daily—and begin to make sense of what they’re really offering us

Processed Snacks and the Illusion of Nourishment

Processed snacks promise ease, joy, and comfort—but beneath the packaging, they often deliver confusion, inflammation, and fatigue. But what are we really talking about when we talk about processed snacks? Are we talking about our beloved potato chips? The delicious coated nuts? The chewy candies? The milk-dunking-worthy cookies? Yes. All of them.

Processed snacks are foods that have been altered from their natural state. Sometimes that means something simple—like roasting a plain nut. But more often, it’s a complex process: ingredients are added, the food is baked or fried, and then even more additives are layered in. Processing exists on a spectrum, and it’s safe to say that most of what lines grocery store shelves have been processed to some degree.

These are the foods we see everywhere. They’re on commercials, billboards, and endcaps at the store. They’re wrapped in colorful labels and sold with feel-good slogans. We’re told they bring joy, happiness, and love—but too often, they contain ingredients that quietly sabotage our efforts to live a healthy, vibrant life.

My body is a temple. And I’m beginning to question whether these snacks honor that truth. I don’t feel good after I eat them. I feel swollen, tired, and disconnected. Maybe that inflammation is my body’s way of saying no more. Maybe it’s time to listen. Maybe it’s time to make a change.

Chips and Seed Oils: When Crunch Comes with a Cost

So let’s open the pantry door together and take a closer look—one processed snack at a time. How many different bags of chips do you see? Maybe a few favorites, or perhaps the variety pack with all the flavors. Now flip them over. Read the ingredient lists. Are there words you don’t recognize? Ingredients you can’t pronounce? That’s not just confusing—it’s a red flag.

Take seed oils, for example—soybean, canola, sunflower, safflower, corn. These oils are extracted using high heat and chemical solvents, then deodorized and bleached to mask their natural odor and color. They’re refined to last longer on shelves, but they’re also high in omega-6 fatty acids, which, when consumed in excess, can disrupt the body’s natural balance and fuel chronic inflammation. They’re cheap, convenient, and everywhere—but that convenience comes at a cost.

When chips are manufactured, they’re typically fried in these oils at extremely high temperatures. That process oxidizes the oils, creating harmful compounds like aldehydes and free radicals—substances that can damage cells and tissues over time. Add in preservatives, artificial flavorings, and stabilizers, and what started as a humble potato becomes a hyper-processed product engineered for crunch, shelf life, and craveability—not nourishment.

Still, we reach for chips when we’re tired, stressed, or simply craving something salty. I’ve done it for years—and I know I’m not alone. But I’ve come to understand that the oils they’re fried in may be quietly fueling the very inflammation I’m trying to heal. Maybe it’s time for a snack switch. If I still crave the crunch, air-popped popcorn, baked root chips, or even crisp fresh vegetables can offer that same satisfaction—without the hidden harm. The key is awareness. Because what we don’t know about our snacks can hurt us.

Cookies and Trans Fats: Sweetness with a Hidden Toll

Now let’s turn to the sweet comforts—the cookies that whisper nostalgia, warmth, and love with every bite. Go ahead, grab a box from your pantry and flip it over. Look at the ingredients. Chances are, it’s not just flour, butter, and sugar like the ones you made with your grandma. Instead, you’ll find a long list of additives, stabilizers, and oils—many of which you’ve never used in your own kitchen. What are these ingredients, anyway?

One of the most concerning is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil—a source of trans fats. These oils are created by adding hydrogen to liquid fats to make them solid at room temperature, extending shelf life and improving texture. But that convenience comes with a cost. Trans fats have been shown to raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and systemic inflammation. Even when labels claim “0 grams trans fat,” trace amounts can still be present due to labeling loopholes—meaning even a single cookie can quietly chip away at your health.

Cookies carry memories—of celebration, comfort, and connection. And we can honor those feelings without the inflammation. Try baking with almond flour or oats, using clean fats like grass-fed butter or coconut oil. Sweeten with maple syrup or mashed banana instead of refined sugar. Even a medjool date stuffed with dark chocolate can feel like a hug. These aren’t just healthier swaps—they’re invitations to create new rituals, ones that nourish both body and spirit. The goal isn’t to erase the past, but to build a future where comfort and clarity live side by side.

And then there’s sugar. It’s the ingredient that rarely hides—yet its impact often does. In cookies, sugar isn’t just a sweetener; it’s a trigger. It spikes blood sugar, fuels cravings, and leaves the body chasing balance it can’t quite find. I’ll explore this more deeply in a future blog, but for now, it’s enough to say: sugar may be sweet, but it’s not always kind.

The hard truth is that many of the cookies we reach for in moments of stress or celebration are no longer food in the way we remember. They’ve become highly engineered products—designed to trigger cravings, not nourish our bodies. And while they may offer a fleeting sense of comfort, they often leave behind a trail of inflammation, fatigue, and guilt. If my body is a temple, then what I offer it matters. And maybe, just maybe, it’s time to reimagine what comfort can look like—starting with what’s in the cookie jar.

Candy and Artificial Additives: The Rainbow That Robs You

And then there’s candy—the colorful, cheerful treats that promise joy but often deliver chaos to the body. Everyone has their favorites: chocolate, gummies, hard candy, soft chews. There’s something for every taste bud, every craving, every mood. But what’s your go-to? And have you ever turned the package around to read what’s really inside?

Many candies get their vibrant hues from synthetic dyes like Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1—colors that don’t come from nature, but from petroleum. These dyes have been linked to behavioral issues in children, including hyperactivity and irritability, and some raise concerns about allergic reactions and potential carcinogenic effects. While they make candy look playful and inviting, they may also be quietly disrupting the body’s balance. The rainbow in your candy isn’t just whimsical—it’s chemical.

Then there are the artificial flavors—lab-created compounds designed to mimic real tastes like vanilla, strawberry, and mint, without using the actual ingredients. They’re cheap, shelf-stable, and easy to mass-produce, but they offer no nutritional value and can confuse the body’s natural satiety signals. Paired with texture enhancers and preservatives, these flavors create a product engineered for addiction, not nourishment. What tastes familiar may be anything but real.

And sugar—often the first ingredient listed—isn’t just about sweetness. It spikes blood sugar, fuels cravings, and leaves the body chasing balance it can’t quite find. Excessive sugar intake has been linked to inflammation, insulin resistance, mood swings, and energy crashes. Over time, it can contribute to chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. In moments of stress or celebration, candy may feel like a reward—but the aftermath often tells a different story. The sweetness is fleeting, but the impact lingers.

But here’s the truth: we don’t have to give up joy to choose nourishment. If you’re craving something sweet, reach for dark chocolate with real vanilla, organic fruit chews colored with beet juice or turmeric, or frozen grapes that offer a natural burst of flavor. Even medjool dates stuffed with almond butter can feel indulgent without the aftermath. These aren’t just swaps—they’re small acts of care. Reminders that comfort and clarity can coexist. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s presence. It’s choosing, one snack at a time, to honor the body that’s trying to heal.

Reclaiming Your Pantry with Love and Clarity

This isn’t about guilt. It’s about grace.

It’s about opening the pantry door not with fear, but with discernment. About seeing the snacks we’ve leaned on—chips, cookies, candy—not as failures, but as invitations. Invitations to pause, to ask, to choose again.

In Blog 006, I began this journey by naming the shift from food safety to personal wellness. In Blog 012, I took a first step—reexamining what I drink, and how even that small change could ripple through my healing. Now, in Blog 015, I’m peering into my pantry with new eyes. Not perfect eyes. Just clearer ones.

Reclaiming your pantry doesn’t mean throwing everything out overnight. It means asking: What am I feeding? My fatigue? My fear? Or my healing? It means choosing one snack, one label, one moment of clarity—and letting that be enough for today.

Because this is not the whole story. But it’s a beautiful place to begin again.