Healthcare professionals wonder how and when processed foods in America became problematic. Processed foods arrived with the industrialization of foods, which occurred gradually over decades, and Americans are experiencing negative health effects throughout their lives. In order to stay in business, food companies had to do something to meet consumer demands. Below are five specialty foods created to keep processed food sales at all-time highs. Whole Foods The more we learn about nutrition, the more it seems like we should eat like we did a hundred years ago. It seems that recent research is directing us towards the consumption of "whole foods", that is, foods that are as close to their natural form as possible. “The idea of ​​whole foods is also gaining traction in the popular imagination. Consider the now-ubiquitous grocery chain Whole Foods Market, which began in 1980 as a single store in Austin, Texas. Its mission was simple: "to provide a more natural alternative to what the food supply typically offered at the time" (Whole Food Web MD). Eating foods as close to their natural form as possible was implemented when researchers began to educate consumers about processed foods. . Adverse health effects have started to increase and some studies have linked these health effects to processed foods. Once the research became public, the people attracted to whole foods are people looking to improve their health. Everyone who wanted to improve their health began to eat as close to the earth as possible. Eating whole foods was a great alternative to processed foods, but it didn't completely solve the problem. While everyone would prefer to prioritize their health, cost is still a factor. “Processed foods cost less than half as much as paper… Americans recommend that adults in general consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Natural Grocers offers organic low-sodium Pacific soups, Muir Glen organic canned diced tomatoes and Cadia free-range chicken broth. A consumer who chooses the low sodium product over the original has made the better choice. Works cited "Web". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com and Web. June 3, 2014. Print. “Americans consume too much sodium (salt).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 24, 2011. Web. June 18, 2014."Breakfast cereals." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 6 June 2014. Web. 18 June 2014. Nestlé, Marion. What to eat. New York: North Point, 2006. Print. “MyPlate and Historical Food Pyramid Resources.” Home. Np, nd Web. June 18 2014.