What is a "processed" food?
Posted by weelittlebuddy on Apr 21, 2008 · Member since Oct 2006 · 304 posts
This is probably the most ridiculous & stupid question ever...but what is a "processed" food?? Is everything that comes in a box/bag (i.e. not fresh foods) such as cereal, crackers, vegan cheese, pasta, etc. considered processed? And even if they are organic, are they still bad for you?
ahhh, i'm so confused!
:giraffe:
Thanks for your help!
Well, I wouldn't call all packaged foods processed. Like, oatmeal, that's minimally processed. It's only one ingredient. Anything like cereal, crackers, and cheese would be processed, yes. In general, it's things that aren't fresh or whole...things that have been made for you at a factory and are prepackaged. Good question! It's hard to explain, actually.
Not all processed food is necessarily bad. It's just nice to know exactly what the ingredients in your food are and exactly what happens to them. Processed foods tend to have added chemicals and preservatives, which might be better avoided. But I don't think there is anything wrong with eating processed foods now and again. It just might not be a good idea to base your diet around them, in my opinion.
Stupid question!? Bah. A stupid question might be, "is meat vegan?" And even then....we're here to help each other! ;)b
:biggrin:
Thanks KissMeKate
Anything with more chemicals than natural ingredients in it is processed. Preservatives, colour, and aromas are part of the process where they take all the goodness out and then put crap in.
I always say, if it comes in a brightly-coloured polythene bag with big letters splashed on the front--it's not food! ;)
It seems the question "what is processed food" has been answered... In my opinion its anything that is in a form that it can't be found in nature. As in, if you can't pull it out of the ground or pluck it from a tree how its being sold, then its been processed. In fact, even certain foods like fruit can be considered "processed" if they're irradiated or something similar, although I wouldn't really go that far.
As far as it being healthy, I am also of the opinion that nothing that can be bought in an unnatural state... However I'm also a believer in 80/10/10 so these go hand in hand. I recognize its a very improbably diet for most people to follow but thats still my stance. If its not found in nature as you buy it, or rather as you eat it, then its not good for you. For instance, you can't eat rice as it is out in nature because its too hard.
Agreed good descriptions. I'll add things that are polished as in grains. Hulled barley as opposed to polished or pearled. Wheat berries as opposed to other wheat products ie flour, bran... no white rice. My drift is understood.