processed food

angelexperiment

If you use your own processor to process your own foods is it then considered a processed food? Like if you made hummus? Or is a processed food only considered processed when you add preservatives?

Liftng4Lis

Nope

DeguelloTex

angelexperiment wrote: »

If you use your own processor to process your own foods is it then considered a processed food? Like if you made hummus? Or is a processed food only considered processed when you add preservatives?

Depends on who's doing the considering.

I think a lot of people are using "processed" as a proxy for some other word or concept. I mean, when you have people who say things like "I don't eat processed food, but I love me some Greek yogurt" it may be that processing isn't really the issue they have in mind.

Bshmerlie

I think most people think of processed food as those that come out of a package. Those foods tend to have a lot of preservatives and sodium. Although not always. Bottom line is just eat the foods you like....just less of them.

lemurcat12

The question is what do you mean by "processed food." What's the point in using the label?

A food you process at home using the same ingredients as something you buy would, of course, still be processed, and not have any meaningful differences. But you can control the ingredients, so if the purchased thing has ingredients you would rather not eat you can leave them out when you make something at home instead.

This is why I always say the focus on "processed" or not is rather meaningless. Look at the ingredients and decide if you think the nutritional content is good or not, if you want to eat what it is, or not. And if you don't know what the ingredients are, makes sense to find out rather than just assuming they must be bad, or at least that's my view.

(I tend to make things from scratch more often than not, but not because store-bought is bad for you, just because I prefer to cook that way and tend to enjoy my own creations. And, in some cases, like dressing, because I'd rather keep the ingredients down and control them.)

justrollme

lemurcat12 wrote: »

The question is what do you mean by "processed food." What's the point in using the label?

A food you process at home using the same ingredients as something you buy would, of course, still be processed, and not have any meaningful differences. But you can control the ingredients, so if the purchased thing has ingredients you would rather not eat you can leave them out when you make something at home instead.

This is why I always say the focus on "processed" or not is rather meaningless. Look at the ingredients and decide if you think the nutritional content is good or not, if you want to eat what it is, or not. And if you don't know what the ingredients are, makes sense to find out rather than just assuming they must be bad, or at least that's my view.

(I tend to make things from scratch more often than not, but not because store-bought is bad for you, just because I prefer to cook that way and tend to enjoy my own creations. And, in some cases, like dressing, because I'd rather keep the ingredients down and control them.)

This is the most well-rounded reply I've ever read in response to this question!

kat_princess12

I think by "processed" most people mean "highly processed to the point that it is almost unrecognizable as the food it started out as", generally containing an ingredients list longer than my hometown's graduating class and full of unpronounceable words very few people know the meaning of.

Store-bought, packaged, or "processed" is not always bad. In some cases, those foods can be a lifesaver for those of us with busy schedules. Many foods will contain higher levels of sodium or sugar than they would if you made them at home. And some foods - yogurt comes to mind - change in texture and taste with the addition of common preservatives. As usual, it's up to each person to decide what's important to them in their food.

earlnabby

angelexperiment wrote: »

If you use your own processor to process your own foods is it then considered a processed food? Like if you made hummus? Or is a processed food only considered processed when you add preservatives?

All food is processed unless you picked it from your own garden and ate it just as you picked it.

How about forgetting the word "processed" and designate foods that are prepared for you by the manufacturer as "convenience foods" instead. Much easier to understand.

jgnatca

Back when "processed" made sense, think of what is done to flour. Grinding is great because it saves us a lot of chewing, and flour is so flexible. You can make bread, thicken stews, all sorts of things. Then we did other things to the flour because we could, like remove the bran and bleach it. Now we can make big white fluffy creations just for fun.



"Processed" all by itself is not bad. We just have to keep track of all the things we are doing to the food product.

angelexperiment

jgnatca wrote: »

Back when "processed" made sense, think of what is done to flour. Grinding is great because it saves us a lot of chewing, and flour is so flexible. You can make bread, thicken stews, all sorts of things. Then we did other things to the flour because we could, like remove the bran and bleach it. Now we can make big white fluffy creations just for fun.



"Processed" all by itself is not bad. We just have to keep track of all the things we are doing to the food product.

Im loving this pic♥!

I was just curious. I really wondered if I make it at home would it be processed. But I think I got it now. I mean I am on a foid plan where you are to eat no processed meats and no frozen premade meals etc. But I wondered how processed was yogurt and things like that. But I just kinda cant afford some of those meats so I just buy what I cam afford and so far it hasn't affected anything and I still lose.

jgnatca

For meats I can save a bundle by starting with a roast and using it for several meals throughout the week. It won't have any nitrates in it, and you control the salt. Possible roasts include beef, pork loin, or a whole chicken. After you have the cooked meat, you can freeze it and include it in all sorts of meals and again, you control the ingredients.

DeguelloTex

Sounds like you're winning.

angelexperiment

Cool ideas thanks:)

auddii

I don't bother labeling food, but I'm also not following a specific diet. I look at the foods I'm eating and see if I'm hitting my goals. I try to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods, add in some smaller treats, and then I'll look back and see where my diet is lacking (I recently noticed I'm often low on fat). Then I try to make adjustments. I'm far from perfect (most of my failures are due to binging issues), but I feel like putting to many rules of what I can or can not eat are just going to set me up for failure. I can get really down on myself when I eat more than I should in a binge; it was worse when I believed there were foods I couldn't or shouldn't eat.

lemurcat12

angelexperiment wrote: »

I mean I am on a foid plan where you are to eat no processed meats and no frozen premade meals etc. But I wondered how processed was yogurt and things like that. But I just kinda cant afford some of those meats so I just buy what I cam afford and so far it hasn't affected anything and I still lose.

I think you need to ask questions to understand the restrictions and why they exist.

For example, one standard meaning of "processed meats" is sausage and deli meats and bacon, but of course you can make sausage and bacon at home and some is much better for your than others. Another meaning would include any ground beef or boneless, skinless poultry, but although that's more processed I'm not sure why it would be worse for you. (I get beef from a farm, sometimes pre-ground, and I don't think the nutritional quality suffers just because it's ground.) And, of course, any meat must be processed to be sold commercially. So you should be sure you understand what exactly it is you are avoiding and why.

Similarly, there's a huge variety in frozen premade meals. You can get ones that are basically like things you'd make yourself, but made for you (some catered stuff). You can get quite decent ones with few added ingredients (although they tend to be light on veg and not as tasty as homemade to my personal taste). And you can get ones with tons of calories and poor nutrient quality (again, from my perspective). I'd focus on individual things and understand my goals -- like perhaps to lower sodium or eat more vegetables.

Even plain Yogurt is processed, which is why I get frustrated with blanket statements like "avoid processed foods." Why?

In any case, these things are all about health/nutrition, not weight loss.

WinoGelato

lemurcat12 wrote: »

angelexperiment wrote: »

I mean I am on a foid plan where you are to eat no processed meats and no frozen premade meals etc. But I wondered how processed was yogurt and things like that. But I just kinda cant afford some of those meats so I just buy what I cam afford and so far it hasn't affected anything and I still lose.

I think you need to ask questions to understand the restrictions and why they exist.

For example, one standard meaning of "processed meats" is sausage and deli meats and bacon, but of course you can make sausage and bacon at home and some is much better for your than others. Another meaning would include any ground beef or boneless, skinless poultry, but although that's more processed I'm not sure why it would be worse for you. (I get beef from a farm, sometimes pre-ground, and I don't think the nutritional quality suffers just because it's ground.) And, of course, any meat must be processed to be sold commercially. So you should be sure you understand what exactly it is you are avoiding and why.

Similarly, there's a huge variety in frozen premade meals. You can get ones that are basically like things you'd make yourself, but made for you (some catered stuff). You can get quite decent ones with few added ingredients (although they tend to be light on veg and not as tasty as homemade to my personal taste). And you can get ones with tons of calories and poor nutrient quality (again, from my perspective). I'd focus on individual things and understand my goals -- like perhaps to lower sodium or eat more vegetables.

Even plain Yogurt is processed, which is why I get frustrated with blanket statements like "avoid processed foods." Why?

In any case, these things are all about health/nutrition, not weight loss.

So much this. OP - where did you get this plan, and if you don't understand what is allowed and isn't allowed by the plan, how are you going to be successful on it?

angelexperiment

Well I do understand the plan. Ive not had any problems being successful on it. I understand he means deli meats and beef thats not pasture fed etc nitrate free uncured.

I was more curious what people consider processed. He says no canned foods, no box meals, its basically meat and veg and healthy carbs. Probably considered clean.

I suppose it means different things to different people. I am focusing more on healthier foods I make at home and veggies and some meats.

WinoGelato

angelexperiment wrote: »

Well I do understand the plan. Ive not had any problems being successful on it. I understand he means deli meats and beef thats not pasture fed etc nitrate free uncured.

I was more curious what people consider processed. He says no canned foods, no box meals, its basically meat and veg and healthy carbs. Probably considered clean.

I suppose it means different things to different people. I am focusing more on healthier foods I make at home and veggies and some meats.

Who is "he"?

I commend anyone who wants to focus on getting more nutrients into their diet and try to become healthier. I am not a fan of arbitrary labels and restrictions based on terms that have vague meanings and create confusion amongst those trying to follow some prescribed plan.

beemerphile1

Technically any food in a condition other than original would be considered "processed". Peel an apple? You processed the apple.

In reality it doesn't matter, call it whatever you want, it has nothing to do with commercially processed food like substances.

rybo

Back before the internet, (or at least internet message boards) people knew what "processed" meant. Now they they just like to argue about what it means.

janejellyroll

rybo wrote: »

Back before the internet, (or at least internet message boards) people knew what "processed" meant. Now they they just like to argue about what it means.

What did people understand it to mean before internet message boards were created?

angelexperiment

WinoGelato wrote: »

angelexperiment wrote: »

Well I do understand the plan. Ive not had any problems being successful on it. I understand he means deli meats and beef thats not pasture fed etc nitrate free uncured.

I was more curious what people consider processed. He says no canned foods, no box meals, its basically meat and veg and healthy carbs. Probably considered clean.

I suppose it means different things to different people. I am focusing more on healthier foods I make at home and veggies and some meats.

Who is "he"?

I commend anyone who wants to focus on getting more nutrients into their diet and try to become healthier. I am not a fan of arbitrary labels and restrictions based on terms that have vague meanings and create confusion amongst those trying to follow some prescribed plan.

Chris powell. I have no confusion on it I just wanted to see what people consider processed. He is very clear in his book and easy to understand. Tgere are lists and all that. But I do it according to my dietary needs.

lemurcat12

rybo wrote: »

Back before the internet, (or at least internet message boards) people knew what "processed" meant. Now they they just like to argue about what it means.

How are my posts above argumentative? People use "processed" in confusing and unhelpful ways. If you mean "nutrient dense" or "without additives" or "convenience foods" why not just say that?

OP's comment confusing pasture vs. grain fed beef with an issue of processing is a good example of how these terms get used in ways that no one can be expected to follow.

I don't think whether my plain greek yogurt or smoked salmon or homemade whole grain bread is considered "processed" or not really provides much information as to whether it fits well into my nutritional goals.

lemurcat12

Based on this: http://idealbite.com/chris-powells-diet-plan-for-huge-results/, I wouldn't really say Chris Powell's plan is about no processed foods.

maillemaker

Unless you have rendered the food toxic, no "processing" makes it harmful. You can slice it, dice it, mix it, cook it, package it, whatever, as long as it's not toxic it's not harmful.

Now you still have to watch your calories. A perfectly natural rack of baby back ribs is well over 1000 calories of food, and I can knock one back without even trying.

angelexperiment

No he says very limited processed foods. No canned foods. No deli meats (unless you specifically go to the butcher) no boxed meals. Basically things as close to their natural state. Grass fed meats without hormones added no hot dogs etc.

maybe I posted in an incorrect wording or taken out of context I do not know. I was simply wondering that original thought if it were considered processed if you do it at home. It really had nothing to do with my plan or confusion.

jgnatca

@angelexperiment you are doing well with your plan, and at the end of the day that's all that matters. It sounds like you modify the guidelines to match your circumstances. You've opened up the pandora's box of definition around the word "processed", so the discussion has expanded well beyond your original question.

jgnatca

BTW, on another thread I took a meaning of the word "processed" to point out that milk is "processed" by the cow from grass, and grass is "processed" sunshine. Sunshine is "processed" hydrogen. By mechanical, chemical, or organic means, a potential food source is modified for convenience along the chain. I don't think anyone is suggesting that we eat pure hydrogen to avoid all processing.

WinoGelato

angelexperiment wrote: »

No he says very limited processed foods. No canned foods. No deli meats (unless you specifically go to the butcher) no boxed meals. Basically things as close to their natural state. Grass fed meats without hormones added no hot dogs etc.

maybe I posted in an incorrect wording or taken out of context I do not know. I was simply wondering that original thought if it were considered processed if you do it at home. It really had nothing to do with my plan or confusion.

I'm curious why no canned foods? Canned vegetables are usually just vegetables, packed in water.

Your question is not unusual, and the fact that you asked whether making hummus at home renders it "processed" and therefore invalid for this program demonstrates why people try to encourage the use of alternative terminology beyond "processed". As others have pointed out, unless you are eating foods straight off the vine or the back end of the cow - everything is processed in some way. If you are trying to limit artificial preservatives, hormones, and nitrates (which is I think what he's getting at) then I think that would be a more clear way of describing the plan than to say "nothing processed" but that's just me.

I'm glad you are doing well with the plan and it is working for you.

jgnatca

Campbell's Soup got in trouble in Canada when it came out that their soups here were much higher in sodium than elsewhere. A diet plan may simplify things by saying, "no cans".

Or we can all learn to read labels.

lemurcat12

Yeah, I don't think it needs to be a source of argument; I just don't happen to think "processed" is a particularly useful term when we are talking about weight loss or nutrition, as most things are processed and usually people mean something else.