Cooking

RAFValentina

Cooking the act of preparing a food be it making a salad, baking, roasting, hobtop cooking, in a microwave, is all processing food.

So where do you draw the line with "processed foods" ...?

DISCUSS!

Zichu

I think people are worried about already processed foods lol. Something that's already prepared, cooked, frozen and all you have to do is stick it in the oven or microwave for like ~10 minutes and it's done lol.

melsinct

Like everything, everyone has a different definition of what is processed. Technically, yogurt and cheeses have been processed for thousands of years. I stay away from my definition of processed foods:

foods with an ingredient list a mile long

foods with ingredients I don't recognize or acknowledge as being food (preservatives like BHTQ, polysorbate 80, partially hydrogenated oils, etc.)

ready to eat meals in a box- frozen dinners or boxed dinners where you just add one ingredient and it is done

I do eat more natural things that are processed, like cheese (ingredients: milk, enzymes, salt); yogurt (ingredients: milk, live cultures); flour (ingredients: whole wheat flour)...

Things I avoid that are processed are something like Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Oriental frozen meal.
Ingredients: Cooked enriched white rice (water, enriched rice[white rice, ferric orthophosphate, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid], cooked glazed white meat chicken (white meat chicken, water, modified tapioca starch, sugar, salt, sodium phosphate, glazed with [water, caramel coloring, modified potato starch]), water, carrots, celery, bean spouts, water chestnuts, soy sauce {water, soybeans, wheat, salt}

Contains less than 2% of: red bell peppers, spinach, modified cornstarch, brown sugar, sherry wine (sherry wine, garlic extract, sulfites), maltodextrin (potato, corn), autolyzed yeast extract, salt, yeast extract, granulated onion, canola oil, (soy sauce [soybeans, wheat, salt], autolyzed yeast extract, molasses, brown sugar, natural flavors, thiamine hydrochloride), granulated garlic, annatto (color), xanthan gum, spice, gum Arabic, caramel color, chicken fat, tortula yeast, natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, white pepper, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and/or soybean oil, turmeric.

RAFValentina

And why is that? Because they've had no control over the process?

I can read what is in a "processed food" product on the ingredients list...If it looks bad I won't have it or maybe just have it less often... same goes for when I'm cooking though and processing my own food!?

There's nothing wrong with manufacturer processed food if the ingredients are OK and ethically sourced and the factory is generally managed well... I'm not afraid of them. Some I won't eat 'cos they have crap in, but likewise some meals I won't cook myself because they're so bad for me- deep fried foods, lots of salt? Lots of sat fat? ....

People, relax, check what's init, just as you would when preparing your own food! Have it in moderation and you'll be fine! x

virruth

Wow, thanks for the tip. Maybe I can start losing again with that thought!

melsinct

And why is that? Because they've had no control over the process?

I can read what is in a "processed food" product on the ingredients list...If it looks bad I won't have it or maybe just have it less often... same goes for when I'm cooking though and processing my own food!?

There's nothing wrong with manufacturer processed food if the ingredients are OK and ethically sourced and the factory is generally managed well... I'm not afraid of them. Some I won't eat 'cos they have crap in, but likewise some meals I won't cook myself because they're so bad for me- deep fried foods, lots of salt? Lots of sat fat? ....

People, relax, check what's init, just as you would when preparing your own food! Have it in moderation and you'll be fine! x

I'm not really sure what your point is here. Eat what you like and do what works for you. That is what we all do, whether you eat all natural foods, are vegetarian, follow Paleo, low carb, or if you eat fast food 3x/day. I am not sure exactly what you want to discuss...?

Sweet_Potato

There are some processed foods that I eat all the time: yogurt, canned tomatoes, olive oil, pasta, soy sauce, hot sauce, tofu, crackers.

Then there are the ones I generally try to avoid because they're expensive per serving and have a lot of packaging. High quality frozen meals would fall into this category. So would frozen vegetables. They're nice to have in case of emergency, but I try to make meals from scratch with fresh ingredients whenever possible.

There are also the junk food type items that I never buy but can't resist if they're around. Like potato chips or Diet Coke.

The processed foods I avoid entirely are the ones that really aren't good. Canned soups, sugary cereals, Wonder Bread, most packaged cookies, frozen meals like Lean Cuisine that have a weird chemical taste, etc.


So I guess my general rule of thumb is that I won't buy something processed if it tastes terrible, or if it's easy to make.

RAFValentina

And why is that? Because they've had no control over the process?

I can read what is in a "processed food" product on the ingredients list...If it looks bad I won't have it or maybe just have it less often... same goes for when I'm cooking though and processing my own food!?

There's nothing wrong with manufacturer processed food if the ingredients are OK and ethically sourced and the factory is generally managed well... I'm not afraid of them. Some I won't eat 'cos they have crap in, but likewise some meals I won't cook myself because they're so bad for me- deep fried foods, lots of salt? Lots of sat fat? ....

People, relax, check what's init, just as you would when preparing your own food! Have it in moderation and you'll be fine! x

I'm not really sure what your point is here. Eat what you like and do what works for you. That is what we all do, whether you eat all natural foods, are vegetarian, follow Paleo, low carb, or if you eat fast food 3x/day. I am not sure exactly what you want to discuss...?

My point is that some processed foods are OK and basically pretty much identical to what you could have cooked up at home...

Reasons you might not cook at home all the time?

Time... Cooking a meal after an exhausting day AND smashing a gym session.
Portion control... The weight watchers meals are generally not that bad, nor are the innocent veg pots...

They may have a long ingredient list but I would have but every single one of those ingredients in myself and could have got from my cupboard and fridge... curries for example, lots of herbs, spices, veg used and occasionally i add a little cornflour or similar to thicken it up... nothing wrong with that! The more exotic sometimes the longer the ingredient list....
2% pepper of a whole meal... likely if done by volume... the meaty part and starchey part take up the biggest part normally and might have added some pepper for flavour as any other veg. If it's by weight, when cooked a quarter of a pepper isn't going to weigh very much... its 30g raw ish... i would use maybe 2 peppers for 6 person meal!

Watch the pack for preservatives- not good but you may find this in some of your normal "safe" cupboard stores too like in flour etc...look out for high levels of calories, fat, sat fat, salt/sodium and sugars etc but I don't think people should be entirely against these foods...

Two other reasons I don't have manufactured processed food often? It's expensive and I love to cook myself!

Captain_Tightpants

Anything that is significantly altered between coming out of the ground/off the animal and getting to my oven.

RAFValentina

There are some processed foods that I eat all the time: yogurt, canned tomatoes, olive oil, pasta, soy sauce, hot sauce, tofu, crackers.

Then there are the ones I generally try to avoid because they're expensive per serving and have a lot of packaging. High quality frozen meals would fall into this category. So would frozen vegetables. They're nice to have in case of emergency, but I try to make meals from scratch with fresh ingredients whenever possible.

There are also the junk food type items that I never buy but can't resist if they're around. Like potato chips or Diet Coke.

The processed foods I avoid entirely are the ones that really aren't good. Canned soups, sugary cereals, Wonder Bread, most packaged cookies, frozen meals like Lean Cuisine that have a weird chemical taste, etc.


So I guess my general rule of thumb is that I won't buy something processed if it tastes terrible, or if it's easy to make.

Pretty much the same.. I don't buy crisps myself but I do buy diet coke. I have canned soups but always compare the labels and I don't have them often... Sometimes they're really handy for a busy day where I haven't much time but need a quick, hot meal and to eat relatively lightly. I try to opt for plain wholegrain fortified cereals, like porridge oats, oat bran, plain branflakes, occasionally fruit 'n' fibre, cornflakes etc. Very rarely have chocolate or "frosted" cereal. I prefer freshly home-baked goods as opposed to shop bought (supermarket-not PROPER bakery which are lush!) beause shop bought can taste bland, sticky and stale and slightly chemically. Plus freshly home baked goods are slightly warm too and you haven't added loads of preservative or unnecessary hydrogenated fats etc. Plus it's fun to bake! And you can have EXACTLY what you want!

wwk10

My definition:

Nothing out of a box or a can.
Yogurt comes in a plastic container. Eggs come in a carton. Milk comes in a carton.

Grains must be whole grains.
Brown rice, not white rice. Whole grain bread, not white bread.
No refined sugar.

Everything else is unpackaged food.
Apples, strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, cabbage, onions, peppers, lettuce, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli . . . . .