Processed vs Natural Foods

paulzli

I know this may seem kind of obvious, but I've been thinking, aren't foods that most people consider natural (heirloom vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds) actually processed. Think about it, humanity has been cultivating these "natural" foods for the last couple of millenia and if they hadnt "processed" them since, there would be no way to eat these foods in their original unevolved forms.

So, whats your definition. Where do you draw the line?

BigT555

if i could pick it off a tree or cut it out of an animal--> natural

everything else is processed. but i dont bother making the distinction anymore, processed foods can be healthy, and natural foods can be unhealthy

Happymelz

I considered anything from a box or package processed. (Anything with a shelf life).

Do I still buy/eat that stuff?

Yes. Sometimes.

I'm not about to start making fresh pasta every time I want Spaghetti with chicken parm meatballs. lol.

sullus

Processed isn't the word. You're making the point that nearly everything we eat is a GMO - through, at a minimum, generations of selective breeding.

zyxst

I take a basic definition of processed, so anything that has to have something done to it in order for it to be edible is processed. It doesn't alter what I eat though. I enjoy processed food.

paulzli

if i could pick it off a tree or cut it out of an animal--> natural

everything else is processed. but i dont bother making the distinction anymore, processed foods can be healthy, and natural foods can be unhealthy

But think about it, pulling that fruit off the tree. Thousands of years ago, we wouldn't have been able to touch or eat that without dying, but after selective breeding, we have processed it to the extent that we can enjoy it. So would that still be deemed "natural"

paulzli

I take a basic definition of processed, so anything that has to have something done to it in order for it to be edible is processed. It doesn't alter what I eat though. I enjoy processed food.

I bring up the same point, we've done things to make these fruits and Heiloom vegetables edible. Would you then consider them to be processed?

cwoyto123

Nothing wrong with processed foods to be honest, it's just calories in vs. calories out.

BigT555

I considered anything from a box or package processed. (Anything with a shelf life).

Do I still buy/eat that stuff?

Yes. Sometimes.

I'm not about to start making fresh pasta every time I want Spaghetti with chicken parm meatballs. lol.

have you ever had fresh homemade pasta? nutrition completely aside, it kicks any boxed pastas *kitten* in the taste department

dbmata

if i could pick it off a tree or cut it out of an animal--> natural

everything else is processed. but i dont bother making the distinction anymore, processed foods can be healthy, and natural foods can be unhealthy

Hell, the act of cutting something out of an animal IS processing.

Washing a fruit? Processing for intake.

Processception!

Does that mean a twinkie is the same as a mango? Why yes, if you mean delicious and worth beating someone to death over.

Meerataila

I considered anything from a box or package processed. (Anything with a shelf life).

Do I still buy/eat that stuff?

Yes. Sometimes.

I'm not about to start making fresh pasta every time I want Spaghetti with chicken parm meatballs. lol.

have you ever had fresh homemade pasta? nutrition completely aside, it kicks any boxed pastas *kitten* in the taste department

Not to mention the home cook, even one as inexperienced as I am, is far less likely to let anything nasty slip into the dish. Try keeping food free of insects and insect excretions on an industrial scale of production! And some manufacturers are so nasty they add these foul things on purpose.

BowHunter1967

My definition is probably different from others. Most of the protein I eat is from Venison that I know is not processed because I take the animal and butcher the meat. Does anybody REALLY know what is in the beef from a store?

I try to eat veggies and fruits grown in my garden but supplement that with produce bought at farmer's markets and store-bought.

If it comes in a wrapper or box with nutritional info, it's processed IMO.

BigT555

if i could pick it off a tree or cut it out of an animal--> natural

everything else is processed. but i dont bother making the distinction anymore, processed foods can be healthy, and natural foods can be unhealthy

But think about it, pulling that fruit off the tree. Thousands of years ago, we wouldn't have been able to touch or eat that without dying, but after selective breeding, we have processed it to the extent that we can enjoy it. So would that still be deemed "natural"

certain fruits perhaps but humans have been eating fruits and vegs in different varieties for millennia. you cant eat many mushrooms off the ground but i wouldnt consider them processed

if your point is that humans have changed well thats just evolution, in which case literally everything living is processed

jmt08c

if i could pick it off a tree or cut it out of an animal--> natural

everything else is processed. but i dont bother making the distinction anymore, processed foods can be healthy, and natural foods can be unhealthy

But think about it, pulling that fruit off the tree. Thousands of years ago, we wouldn't have been able to touch or eat that without dying, but after selective breeding, we have processed it to the extent that we can enjoy it. So would that still be deemed "natural"

This is not processing this is natural selection. That's like saying cows have been processed over the years...no cows have evolved through selective breeding-i.e. us humans picking out the biggest and best to pass along their genes because they had traits we desired.

dbmata

But think about it, pulling that fruit off the tree. Thousands of years ago, we wouldn't have been able to touch or eat that without dying, but after selective breeding, we have processed it to the extent that we can enjoy it.

Amazing we didn't die off in a world filled with anything we could eat being toxic to us!

AllOutof_Bubblegum

if i could pick it off a tree or cut it out of an animal--> natural

everything else is processed. but i dont bother making the distinction anymore, processed foods can be healthy, and natural foods can be unhealthy

This. It all boils down to the amount you eat. I think most "natural" stuff usually tastes better, so I choose that whenever possible. But I'll for sure still hork down a coupl'a Din Dongs like nobody's business. And I won't feel bad about it.

Holly_Roman_Empire

Technically, fruits and vegetables arrive at the grocery store in boxes...

This is why I don't care to differentiate between processed and natural foods. People can go anti-GMO, anti-GE, and organic only, but nothing found in a produce market is as it existed in nature. Do you consider selective breeding and cultivars to be genetic engineering? I do.

Even dogs are (and were) bred for certain characteristics, whether it's for aesthetic or practical purposes. And yet, I don't hear anybody getting huffy about that.

jmt08c

Technically, fruits and vegetables arrive at the grocery store in boxes...

This is why I don't care to differentiate between processed and natural foods. People can go anti-GMO, anti-GE, and organic only, but nothing found in a produce market is as it existed in nature. Do you consider selective breeding and cultivars to be genetic engineering? I do.

Even dogs are (and were) bred for certain characteristics, whether it's for aesthetic or practical purposes. And yet, I don't hear anybody getting huffy about that.

To be genetically engineered there has to be a modification to a plant or animal's DNA...this does not happen in selective breeding as no genes are altered, merely selected.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genetic engineering

SezxyStef

Everything is processed a bit...venison taken to a butcher is processed (cutting/grinding)

I do not care one way or the other to be frank....

I prefer fresh pasta...found in the deli section not on a shelf but that is due to taste.

I make my own bread but use store bought flour, ditto on pies, cookies etc.

My salsa (which I grow the tomatoes and peppers for) and make myself still has store bought spices...why because we can't grow them all in a zone 4....

As for GMO's etc...it's been going on for decades and people now are jsut starting to get their *kitten* up...without it we would have massive food shortages...want that?

I just don't get it...if you want to lose weight CICO...everything else is just background noise.

Meerataila

Technically, fruits and vegetables arrive at the grocery store in boxes...

This is why I don't care to differentiate between processed and natural foods. People can go anti-GMO, anti-GE, and organic only, but nothing found in a produce market is as it existed in nature. Do you consider selective breeding and cultivars to be genetic engineering? I do.

Even dogs are (and were) bred for certain characteristics, whether it's for aesthetic or practical purposes. And yet, I don't hear anybody getting huffy about that.

To be genetically engineered there has to be a modification to a plant or animal's DNA...this does not happen in selective breeding as no genes are altered, merely selected.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genetic engineering

Someone is going to argue that selecting is altering.

Another way to put it, however is: I don't care what sort of mood music you put on, you are never going to breed a spider with a goat the old fashioned way!

It's actually really cool in a lot of ways, but it ain't the same thing as old fashioned plant and animal husbandry, and the risks ain't the same!


"Researchers from the University of Wyoming have developed a way to incorporate spiders' silk-spinning genes into goats, allowing the researchers to harvest the silk protein from the goats’ milk for a variety of applications. For instance, due to its strength and elasticity, spider silk fiber could have several medical uses, such as for making artificial ligaments and tendons, for eye sutures, and for jaw repair. The silk could also have applications in bulletproof vests and improved car airbags."

Read more at: http://phys.org/news194539934.html#jCp

dbmata

I want a goat silk bulletproof vest.

Meerataila

I want a goat silk bulletproof vest.

Me too. Can't think what shoes I'd wear it with, though! :laugh:

stealthq

if i could pick it off a tree or cut it out of an animal--> natural

everything else is processed. but i dont bother making the distinction anymore, processed foods can be healthy, and natural foods can be unhealthy

But think about it, pulling that fruit off the tree. Thousands of years ago, we wouldn't have been able to touch or eat that without dying, but after selective breeding, we have processed it to the extent that we can enjoy it. So would that still be deemed "natural"

Wait. What? Are you trying to tell me that thousands of years ago no fruits existed that weren't poisonous to humans?

Just, no.

You need to visit archaeological botany.

Then visit agriculture and genetics to learn that selective breeding has got nothing to do with GMO. Selective breeding doesn't do anything that couldn't have happened in nature. We just do what we think will improve the chances of a favorable outcome.

paulzli

if i could pick it off a tree or cut it out of an animal--> natural

everything else is processed. but i dont bother making the distinction anymore, processed foods can be healthy, and natural foods can be unhealthy

But think about it, pulling that fruit off the tree. Thousands of years ago, we wouldn't have been able to touch or eat that without dying, but after selective breeding, we have processed it to the extent that we can enjoy it. So would that still be deemed "natural"

Wait. What? Are you trying to tell me that thousands of years ago no fruits existed that weren't poisonous to humans?

Just, no.

You need to visit archaeological botany.

Then visit agriculture and genetics to learn that selective breeding has got nothing to do with GMO. Selective breeding doesn't do anything that couldn't have happened in nature. We just do what we think will improve the chances of a favorable outcome.

I never said anything about GMO. I'm just saying that I believe that human intervention and interaction is what makes processed foods "processed", which is ultimately why I don't understand most people's fascination with "whole-food", "organic", or "all natural"

BigT555

I never said anything about GMO. I'm just saying that I believe that human intervention and interaction is what makes processed foods "processed", which is ultimately why I don't understand most people's fascination with "whole-food", "organic", or "all natural"

its all just marketing gimics, with maybe organic as the exception since some pesticides and whatnot arent used. people are gullible, whaddya do

JupeJones

Hell, the act of cutting something out of an animal IS processing.

Not to mention subsequently cooking the thing you cut out an animal.

Heating food is a remarkable chemical process, causing all sorts of changes at the molecular level.

Anyway, this all calls for the obligatory Lloyd Dobler quote:

"I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that."

:happy:

Meerataila

if i could pick it off a tree or cut it out of an animal--> natural

everything else is processed. but i dont bother making the distinction anymore, processed foods can be healthy, and natural foods can be unhealthy

But think about it, pulling that fruit off the tree. Thousands of years ago, we wouldn't have been able to touch or eat that without dying, but after selective breeding, we have processed it to the extent that we can enjoy it. So would that still be deemed "natural"

Wait. What? Are you trying to tell me that thousands of years ago no fruits existed that weren't poisonous to humans?

Just, no.

You need to visit archaeological botany.

Then visit agriculture and genetics to learn that selective breeding has got nothing to do with GMO. Selective breeding doesn't do anything that couldn't have happened in nature. We just do what we think will improve the chances of a favorable outcome.

I never said anything about GMO. I'm just saying that I believe that human intervention and interaction is what makes processed foods "processed", which is ultimately why I don't understand most people's fascination with "whole-food", "organic", or "all natural"

I process my own food. I made peanut butter, hummus, sun dried tomatoes, and my own spices last week.

The difference?

No insects in the processing, unlike mass produced foods, which usually do have dead bugs in the mix.

No preservatives (unlike sun dried tomatoes and many spices that are in the store).

I picked the oil I used for the peanut butter. I used coconut oil. If I'd bought sugar free peanut butter, I might have ended up with a mix of peanut oil and palm oil (palm oil has at very least environmental issues). Plus of course the ubiquitous insects and insect excretions.

FatFreeFrolicking

IMO processed food is anything that comes from a box/package.

stealthq

I never said anything about GMO. I'm just saying that I believe that human intervention and interaction is what makes processed foods "processed", which is ultimately why I don't understand most people's fascination with "whole-food", "organic", or "all natural"

its all just marketing gimics, with maybe organic as the exception since some pesticides and whatnot arent used. people are gullible, whaddya do

^^
Basically this.

Except it's worse because pesticides and fungicides that are derived from 'natural sources' are used on organic produce, in the US, at least. And as most of us know (or should) nature is the best at producing highly toxic substances. And it certainly doesn't bother to make them toxic to only the target we'd like to kill.

3laine75

if i could pick it off a tree or cut it out of an animal--> natural

everything else is processed. but i dont bother making the distinction anymore, processed foods can be healthy, and natural foods can be unhealthy

Hell, the act of cutting something out of an animal IS processing.

Washing a fruit? Processing for intake.

Processception!

Does that mean a twinkie is the same as a mango? Why yes, if you mean delicious and worth beating someone to death over.

OP's question is deep =D

But, I have never been so disappointed as the first time I tried a Twinkie - we don't have them here seen them in the movies/TV. Very disappointing

richardheath

if i could pick it off a tree or cut it out of an animal--> natural

everything else is processed. but i dont bother making the distinction anymore, processed foods can be healthy, and natural foods can be unhealthy

But think about it, pulling that fruit off the tree. Thousands of years ago, we wouldn't have been able to touch or eat that without dying, but after selective breeding, we have processed it to the extent that we can enjoy it. So would that still be deemed "natural"

Wait. What? Are you trying to tell me that thousands of years ago no fruits existed that weren't poisonous to humans?

Just, no.

You need to visit archaeological botany.

Then visit agriculture and genetics to learn that selective breeding has got nothing to do with GMO. Selective breeding doesn't do anything that couldn't have happened in nature. We just do what we think will improve the chances of a favorable outcome.

I never said anything about GMO. I'm just saying that I believe that human intervention and interaction is what makes processed foods "processed", which is ultimately why I don't understand most people's fascination with "whole-food", "organic", or "all natural"

Maybe you didn't talk about GMO, but you do seem to be conflating it with processing. They are very different processes though. GMO (or selective breeding) happen upstream of the harvesting; processing happens downstream.

I agree that virtually all foods we eat nowadays have been selected through human interaction in some way.

Natural is what occurs in nature. Humans are natural. What we do is therefore natural. Ergo, modified foods are natural.