Processed foods
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'm talking about home cooking and knowing the providence of your food to avoid hidden calories from completely unnecessary chemical additives.
Hidden calories from unnecessary chemical additives?
I wonder how many hidden calories I'm consuming from unnecessary chemical additives. Let me look at my data.
Calorie deficit for the last month was 9,532. In that time I lost 3.2 pounds.
I guess I'm somehow avoiding those "hidden calories" from the "chemical additives."
I wonder which chemical additives you think have hidden calories, anyway?0 -
oh please.
yes I do believe my home cooked food to be not processed when quite obviously you're taking the word "processed" out of the context of this debate.
We all know that processed in this context refers to pre-made foods and fast food etc....
We are not talking about processed to mean food that has not been washed, chopped, peeled, steamed, baked, boiled etc...
He's just compensating for insecurities, along with the other guy in this thread (with the fake 8-pack profile pic) who has never, to my knowledge, said anything helpful, supportive, kind, un-sarcastic or just plain nice.
I see you're new here. Welcome to MFP. (Or is this not your first (or only) MFP account?)
Interesting diagnosis you have made based on review of his forum posts in this thread. I disagree with your conclusion, but nonetheless, it is interesting.
Based on the two posts of your that I have ever seen myself, I'm not yet convinced that you are particularly helpful, supportive, kind, or "plain nice" either...
...but it would be presumptuous (and not plain nice) of me to make that accusation based only on your forum posts.
I wish you nothing but success in all your fitness and health goals. You got this! :flowerforyou: - ©2013
I make no apolgies...I allow myself to be annoyed by sarcastic, snarky jerks. Do I act like one, at times? Absolutely.
Have I ever insulted a person for asking a simple, obviously well-intentioned question such as this? No.0 -
And now I'm being painted as someone completely ignorant of nutrition and a proponent of fad diets because i advocate eating fresh food??
THIS SITE :sad:
No, it's because you think obesity cannot be caused by home cooked food, you think "chemical additives" have "hidden calories," etc.0 -
And now I'm being painted as someone completely ignorant of nutrition and a proponent of fad diets because i advocate eating fresh food??
THIS SITE :sad:
No, it's because you think obesity cannot be caused by home cooked food, you think "chemical additives" have "hidden calories," etc.
QFT0 -
And now I'm being painted as someone completely ignorant of nutrition and a proponent of fad diets because i advocate eating fresh food??
THIS SITE :sad:
I actually wasn't referring to you. I don't agree with you but you also so far seem to be having a pretty reasonable discussion. Most of the onslaught in here occurred much earlier and has been deleted by the mods. think the other guys are doing a pretty good job at discussing this with you socratic method style though. I'd listen.0 -
oh please.
yes I do believe my home cooked food to be not processed when quite obviously you're taking the word "processed" out of the context of this debate.
We all know that processed in this context refers to pre-made foods and fast food etc....
We are not talking about processed to mean food that has not been washed, chopped, peeled, steamed, baked, boiled etc...
He's just compensating for insecurities, along with the other guy in this thread (with the fake 8-pack profile pic) who has never, to my knowledge, said anything helpful, supportive, kind, un-sarcastic or just plain nice.
I'm pretty sure trying to correct bad information in the face of an onslaught of ignorance is helpful. At least it is for those of us who actually care of about the science of nutrition and not what is preached by Dr. Oz on daytime TV.
And I'm VERY sure that it can be done without being mean and sarcastic.
Your "science of nutrition" and "Dr. Oz" jibes just shows you're one of them.
Implying that anyone who has a opinion not aligned with yours is a Jerry Springer/Sally Jesse watcher, an uneducated junk food eater, or a charlatan follower. Well done! You WIN!0 -
Anybody have any good tips as to how to cut out processed foods?
www.eatcleandiet.com I've been following this lifestyle for 1 1/2 years and have cut out processed foods.0 -
oh please.
yes I do believe my home cooked food to be not processed when quite obviously you're taking the word "processed" out of the context of this debate.
We all know that processed in this context refers to pre-made foods and fast food etc....
We are not talking about processed to mean food that has not been washed, chopped, peeled, steamed, baked, boiled etc...
He's just compensating for insecurities, along with the other guy in this thread (with the fake 8-pack profile pic) who has never, to my knowledge, said anything helpful, supportive, kind, un-sarcastic or just plain nice.
I'm pretty sure trying to correct bad information in the face of an onslaught of ignorance is helpful. At least it is for those of us who actually care of about the science of nutrition and not what is preached by Dr. Oz on daytime TV.
And I'm VERY sure that it can be done without being as a**hole. ...
Your "science of nutrition" and "Dr. Oz" jibes just shows you're one of the breed.
Implying that anyone who has a opinion not aligned with yours is a Jerry Springer/Sally Jesse watcher, an uneducated junk food eater, or a charlatan follower.
Well done! A master-of-debate.
Step away and go read some common websites on nutrition information. Look at the number of scare tactics that are used. And yes, seriously listen to Dr. Oz. There you have a gentleman who is very intelligent and a highly qualified surgeon and who, rather than using his talents to help people, has completely sold out. The unfortunate truth is that many people listen to him because he is a doctor.
Once you're done with that, get on pubmed and start doing some real research on nutrition. Once you've educated yourself, then those of us who have already been through that process may concern ourselves with your opinion. Until then, you're just part of the problem and not to be taken all that seriously. Insult me all you want. I'm happy to simply chuckle at the insults and move on.0 -
Well statistically the most obese states are in the South and Midwest. You ever had a home cooked Southern meal............................everyday?So you GENUINELY think that obesity is all down to poeple stuffing their faces with too much home cooked fresh food?
LULWUT? :noway: :laugh:
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I tend to make what I call 'hobo stew' every week, and that can be a few meals: I'm vegetarian, so I buy a bunch of organic raw grains/lentils/legumes like quinoa, lentils, beans, rinse them and put them in a pan of filtered water to cook (and they vary in time etc. so I make sure I know what takes long etc.), and I also put in whatever organic vegetables are on sale that week, and stuff like raw organic garlic and onions etc. for taste. Sometimes I use a can of organic soup or Bragg's aminos if I want it to be easier, and sometimes I chuck in whatever leftovers there are, including stuff that is processed like vegetarian meats etc., but lately I have been so grossed out by the degree of processed food in the place we moved to (NJ) that I am getting much stricter about organic only, and non-crap only. If I get sick of a particular week's stew, I can freeze half and eat things like organic salad, organic fried eggs, whatever. Good luck!0
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look up Allrecipes.com! have a look at many different recipes according to your taste and you will see how you can cook using many different types of food,for example how to make a pizza from base to sauce to finish.I never thought I could do it and now I wouldnt think of buying one,thats just one example!best of luck!
How long does it take to mill your flour for your pizza?
Touché
Well I'll be helpful here since everyone seems to be picking on the homemade or "sort of homemade" pizza.
Buy the pre made dough at Whole Foods. Nothing bad in it. You can even get the frozen dough or the dough that's already baked (there's some local pizza companies that sell their all natural dough in the Whole Foods refrigerated section).
Grab a bunch of your favorite toppings. Leftover grilled chicken and fresh veggies works well. Measure all of your ingredients to make it easier to log (the dough is easy to log because it lists the nutrition information).
Use fresh organic cheese (from a local source if you can). Slice it up and add to the pizza.
Use a pizza stone to cook the pizza (and follow the directions that came with the dough). It's usually 400F+ for 8-10 minutes. You also have to make sure to pre-heat.
In my experience the homemade pizza--even using an all natural local dough from Whole Foods--is way less calories and no preservatives compared to other pre-made dough on the market.
It's really easy to log because you pre-measure the ingredients and just divide by 4 or 2 depending on how many slices you have.
^ This.. this i like..0 -
And now I'm being painted as someone completely ignorant of nutrition and a proponent of fad diets because i advocate eating fresh food??
THIS SITE :sad:
No, it's because you think obesity cannot be caused by home cooked food, you think "chemical additives" have "hidden calories," etc.
Ok i apologise for my post, it's inaccurate - I'm at work and typing quickly...
Chemical additives - artificial flavours, texture enhancers, colourings, MSG etc.. just unnecessary. Why would you want to eat them, just why?
Addition of excessive salt and sugar - salt, bad for your health, sugar = empty calories, no nutritional value.0 -
I guess I'm wondering what the desired end result of this argument is intended to be.
Can you lose and or gain weight eating anything? Yes. Yes, you can. Is *that* the argument someone is trying to 'win'?
Yes, you can lose weight on a diet of poptarts, soda, hot dogs, and Krispy Kreme donuts. All you have to do is count calories and work out, I suppose.
However, if the argument is whether eating pop tarts, donuts, and soda is EQUALLY as nutritious as eating vegetables and fruits in a balanced diet then that's quite the quixotic line of attack...0 -
And now I'm being painted as someone completely ignorant of nutrition and a proponent of fad diets because i advocate eating fresh food??
THIS SITE :sad:
No, it's because you think obesity cannot be caused by home cooked food, you think "chemical additives" have "hidden calories," etc.
Ok i apologise for my post, it's inaccurate - I'm at work and typing quickly...
Chemical additives - artificial flavours, texture enhancers, colourings, MSG etc.. just unnecessary. Why would you want to eat them, just why?
Addition of excessive salt and sugar - salt, bad for your health, sugar = empty calories, no nutritional value.
I eat them for the reasons food manufacturers put them in, really. Makes the food taste better and last longer.
What's wrong with empty calories, anyway? When I go out mountain biking or playing tennis for hours, know what I do? I bring along literal sugar packets and sugar water. I eat them because they are an efficient source of energy.
A calorie is a unit of energy. I consume food because my body needs energy to function. Did you know that sugar is what we call a "nutritive sweetener"? That's because it provides nutrition. Sugar is, literally, a macronutrient. Notice the word nutrient in there. Sugar, by all definitions of the phrase, has nutritional value. It is nutritive. It is a nutrient.
And salt is bad for your health? Are you kidding me? Salt is literally an essential nutrient. There's a reason it tastes good - your body literally requires you consume it on a daily basis in order to run. People who take the low sodium diet thing a little too far increase their chances of death quite significantly. Furthermore, there's no clinical benefit to strictly limiting your salt intake to something arbitrary like 2500mg if you don't have hypertension.
This is why you are "being painted as someone ignorant of nutrition." You don't even know what the word nutrition means, and many of the things you say are literally exactly wrong.0 -
I guess I'm wondering what the desired end result of this argument is intended to be.
Can you lose and or gain weight eating anything? Yes. Yes, you can. Is *that* the argument someone is trying to 'win'?
Yes, you can lose weight on a diet of poptarts, soda, hot dogs, and Krispy Kreme donuts. All you have to do is count calories and work out, I suppose.
However, if the argument is whether eating pop tarts, donuts, and soda is EQUALLY as nutritious and healthy as eating vegetables, and fruits in a balanced diet then that's quite the quixotic line of attack...
The argument is over whether "processed food" (a term we have clearly established to be essentially meaningless, as virtually all food is processed) is inherently bad and should be avoided. Some people are making the claim that cutting out "processed food" will somehow prevent obesity, or that consuming sugar leads to diabetes, or that salt and sugar are inherently bad and should be avoided, etc.
That's all nonsnse. Scaring people away from food that tastes good is a surefire way to set them up for ultimate failure. What we need to be doing is not telling people to stop eating processed food, but teaching them how to consume food they love while achieving their fitness and health goals. They're not incompatible.0 -
oh please.
yes I do believe my home cooked food to be not processed when quite obviously you're taking the word "processed" out of the context of this debate.
We all know that processed in this context refers to pre-made foods and fast food etc....
We are not talking about processed to mean food that has not been washed, chopped, peeled, steamed, baked, boiled etc...
He's just compensating for insecurities, along with the other guy in this thread (with the fake 8-pack profile pic) who has never, to my knowledge, said anything helpful, supportive, kind, un-sarcastic or just plain nice.
I'm pretty sure trying to correct bad information in the face of an onslaught of ignorance is helpful. At least it is for those of us who actually care of about the science of nutrition and not what is preached by Dr. Oz on daytime TV.
And I'm VERY sure that it can be done without being as a**hole. ...
Your "science of nutrition" and "Dr. Oz" jibes just shows you're one of the breed.
Implying that anyone who has a opinion not aligned with yours is a Jerry Springer/Sally Jesse watcher, an uneducated junk food eater, or a charlatan follower.
Well done! A master-of-debate.
Step away and go read some common websites on nutrition information. Look at the number of scare tactics that are used. And yes, seriously listen to Dr. Oz. There you have a gentleman who is very intelligent and a highly qualified surgeon and who, rather than using his talents to help people, has completely sold out. The unfortunate truth is that many people listen to him because he is a doctor.
Once you're done with that, get on pubmed and start doing some real research on nutrition. Once you've educated yourself, then those of us who have already been through that process may concern ourselves with your opinion. Until then, you're just part of the problem and not to be taken all that seriously. Insult me all you want. I'm happy to simply chuckle at the insults and move on.
Part of the problem.....? I never mentioned nutrition..
No insult intended...This thing has gone awry, and my own angry remarks are not helping.
I was attacking the sarcastic guys that MUST post smart-a** coments ("how long did it take you to mill your flour?") ("frozen veggies ARE processed"), etc. Deliberately comments calculated to cause pain to others....snarky comments whenever someone unsuspecting person asks a simple, innocent question. I'm sick of it in the forums, man....
That said my engagement helps nothing...I should not get involved. I apologize to anyone I offended, including the Snarky Boys.0 -
oh please.
yes I do believe my home cooked food to be not processed when quite obviously you're taking the word "processed" out of the context of this debate.
We all know that processed in this context refers to pre-made foods and fast food etc....
We are not talking about processed to mean food that has not been washed, chopped, peeled, steamed, baked, boiled etc...
He's just compensating for insecurities, along with the other guy in this thread (with the fake 8-pack profile pic) who has never, to my knowledge, said anything helpful, supportive, kind, un-sarcastic or just plain nice.
lol who might you be referring to with fake pics?I was attacking the sarcastic guys that MUST post smart-a** coments ("how long did it take you to mill your flour?") ("frozen veggies ARE processed"), etc. Deliberately comments calculated to cause pain to others
Or perhaps enlightening people from going on the folly of the ignorant and trying to eliminate processed foods without even understanding what processed means?0 -
oh please.
yes I do believe my home cooked food to be not processed when quite obviously you're taking the word "processed" out of the context of this debate.
We all know that processed in this context refers to pre-made foods and fast food etc....
We are not talking about processed to mean food that has not been washed, chopped, peeled, steamed, baked, boiled etc...
He's just compensating for insecurities, along with the other guy in this thread (with the fake 8-pack profile pic) who has never, to my knowledge, said anything helpful, supportive, kind, un-sarcastic or just plain nice.
I'm pretty sure trying to correct bad information in the face of an onslaught of ignorance is helpful. At least it is for those of us who actually care of about the science of nutrition and not what is preached by Dr. Oz on daytime TV.
And I'm VERY sure that it can be done without being as a**hole. ...
Your "science of nutrition" and "Dr. Oz" jibes just shows you're one of the breed.
Implying that anyone who has a opinion not aligned with yours is a Jerry Springer/Sally Jesse watcher, an uneducated junk food eater, or a charlatan follower.
Well done! A master-of-debate.
Step away and go read some common websites on nutrition information. Look at the number of scare tactics that are used. And yes, seriously listen to Dr. Oz. There you have a gentleman who is very intelligent and a highly qualified surgeon and who, rather than using his talents to help people, has completely sold out. The unfortunate truth is that many people listen to him because he is a doctor.
Once you're done with that, get on pubmed and start doing some real research on nutrition. Once you've educated yourself, then those of us who have already been through that process may concern ourselves with your opinion. Until then, you're just part of the problem and not to be taken all that seriously. Insult me all you want. I'm happy to simply chuckle at the insults and move on.
Part of the problem.....? I never mentioned nutrition..
No insult intended...This thing has gone awry, and my own angry remarks are not helping.
I was attacking the sarcastic guys that MUST post smart-a** coments ("how long did it take you to mill your flour?") ("frozen veggies ARE processed"), etc. Deliberately comments calculated to cause pain to others....snarky comments whenever someone unsuspecting person asks a simple, innocent question. I'm sick of it in the forums, man....
That said my engagement helps nothing...I should not get involved. I apologize to anyone I offended, including the Snarky Boys.
So you come in here openly insulting people, delete one of the insults, and finally realize that your approach was perhaps wrong? You'll excuse me if I don't offer you a cookie.0 -
Sugar and salt are not inherently "good" or "bad". We need them and we like them. That said, they do have an impact on our biology and it's good to understand what that is.
Do you need salt? Yes. But you probably don't need the levels of sodium found in many highly processed packaged foods. The reason those levels of sodium are so high is often *not* because that's the level needed to make it salty-goodness. In fact sometimes they have to go to a bit of work to mask how truly salty the product has become because there's a great deal of sodium there to extend the shelf life of the product. It's optimizing the product profitability, not necessarily for our enjoyment or for our health. And, in some cases -- such as soda -- it's there to balance the sweetness so that they can add even more sugar to max out the 'bliss point' while masking sodium added that will actually make you thirstier... for more soda.)
Now, there's nothing 'wrong' with a company concerning itself with its profit margin, that's what companies do! Still, from the processors point of view, the purpose of the higher levels of sodium in highly processed food is for profit rather than because human biology actually needs it, particularly wants it, or demands it.
Same story with sugar. We like it. We want it. And it also extends shelf-life of products (it's why they add it to dog food. Dogs don't actually *need* added sugar (or corn for that matter), but it makes dog food last longer -- and is cheaper than meat -- so sugar is added. And hey, they like it too! Doesn't mean they need it or that it's good for their health that it's in their food. And they aren't the ones going to the store to buy it.)
Since 1983 the amount of sugar consumed by Americans has gone up by 30% (coinciding with the rising levels of obesity in the U.S. -- not evidence of causation, but it's probably worth a "hmmm..."). Spend a week trying to avoid high fructose corn syrup by reading labels on products and you quickly learn its in a LOT of things, things that -- for flavor purposes-- it doesn't even need to be in (such as processed cheese or canned corn). Also add that labels often break 'sugar' into multiple components (under different names) so that rather than it being the first or second ingredient on the list of ingredients (which we instinctively recognize as being 'a lot of sugar' ) is instead listed as four or five separate things at the end of the list (under more technical terms like dextrose, galactose, etc. but also as things like "concentrated fruit juices" making it sound like "fruit juice? That's healthy, right?" when what that product in industrial chemical terms is just straight sugar. Everything of the original fruit *but* the sugar was stripped out of that particular food additive. Yes, the sugar came from apples and pears rather than sugar cane, but it's still, chemically, just straight sugar...even if on the label it's listed *separately* than the sucrose. ).
Start reading labels and you begin to just realize how easy it is to have added (without even noticing) that 30% increase in sugar intake. (Seriously, why does canned corn need added sugar? It's CORN. It was tasty to begin with!)
Now, this doesn't make sugar 'bad'. But consider whether we were perhaps better off (and probably thinner) when we consumed the dietary suggested guideline of 10tsp a day of added sugar per day rather than the current U.S. average of 50(!)tsp (with your average teen male clocking in at 109tsp per day). Calculate that in terms of calories this has *added* to the daily U.S. diet.
But, again, yes, that still falls under 'eat less'.
But here's the thing -- it's easier to 'eat less of it' when paying attention to the labels and perhaps avoiding unnecessary added sugars in products where it honestly *doesn't* help the flavor (seriously, there are cottage cheeses and sour creams that have "added sugar" in them when the traditional sugarless version tasted just as good or even BETTER. ) If you want to hew closer to the 10tsp of sugar rather than the 50, here's a thought: buy the sour cream without extra added sugar. Processors didn't add that sugar because it made the product more 'healthy' so you can just save those tsp of sugar for something you actually want there to be sugar in!
As to the rise in diabetes, what causes diabetes? It comes after years of insulin resistance, when your pancreas has been creating more and more insulin to ever diminishing results until the system no longer holds. What is the cause of insulin resistance? Years and years of raised insulin levels in your blood stream. What raises the insulin levels in your blood stream? Blood sugar levels. What raises blood sugar levels... well that's pretty obvious isn't it. And the more refined the sugar, the more easily (and quickly) it raises blood sugar. At the end of the day, excessive sugar consumption over an extended period of years/decades isn't optimal.
So, again, do we really need the extra calories in the 30% increase in sugar consumption (primarily in the form of processed foods) that has taken place since 1983? Do we really want added sugars in things that aren't even sweet? Or because it can max-out the chemical bliss-point because that increases consumption/sales of a product? Or is there because it increases *shelf-life* of the product? Some people actually thought Old Coke tasted better than New Coke, y'know. Adding more sugar and more salt doesn't always mean that it TASTES better, and if you're looking for places to cut calories and/or sugar, I for one first choose the places where I can't even tell the difference. (No sugar in my cottage cheese, thank you.)
Now, everyone can and should eat whatever the hell they want to eat. It's up to you.
But there's little need to behave as though it's 'crazy' to pay attention to the ingredient labels on foods. Choosing to read them and to make consumer choices based on that information is at least AS VALID as choosing to ignore those labels because you want what you want when you want it.0 -
We're fatter because food tastes better and is cheaper, making it easy to eat lots of delicious food.
The trick isn't to abstain from delicious food. It's just to eat less of it. Convincing yourself that a delicious burger from McDonald's suddenly makes you feel physically ill isn't a sign of strength or progress, it's a sign of disordered eating and insanity.
This doesn't need to be torture. You don't need to think of all that salty sugary delicious food as inherently bad. You just need to control how much of it you eat.0
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