Do You Eat Processed Food?

Graelwyn75

I tried eliminating almost all processed food, but found it quite limiting, given I don't really cook, and I ended up binge eating, probably as a result of a lack of variety in my diet (think poached or boiled salmon, boiled tuna steak, vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs, cottage cheese and greek yoghurt).

Now I have low calorie jelly, diet hot chocolate drinks, the occasional ready meal (eg moroccan vegetables with quinoa or soya sausages) and sometimes even a sandwich while out. But I do sort of question if this is going to really negatively impact my body and do find myself feeling guilty and worried about the less clean items I am eating.

How many here are maintaining good health and fitness while still eating processed foods/some artificial sweetners?

VelociMama

Me. I do cook a lot from scratch, but I also eat things like pizza, sodas, and such occasionally as well. The key is to balance it with healthy food and keep within your calorie and macro goals.

SomeoneSomeplace

I eat processed foods all the time I am a busy graduate student on EBT so I have to stick to certain foods that are covered by this.

They are easy and convenient. I got in the habit when I was living somewhere that didn't have a kitchen but only a toaster oven and microwave. I try and eat non-processed when I can but I gravitate toward a lot frozen Smart One's meals, canned black beans, canned corn, deli meat, prepacked chicken etc...

I've lost 30+ pounds, have perfect cholesterol and blood pressure and a BMI of 19.5 and can run 10 miles so I'm in good shape too. I eat fast food a few time a month, eat out to dinner a couple times a week when I'm grabbing food between classes & work and allow myself on cheat day a week.

I've had success this way.

jc86

i eat 100 calorie bags of kettle corn, sugar free jellos, splenda in my coffee and drink tons of diet coke, i eat sandwiches all the time and protein bars. ive gone from 138 to 118 lbs so whatever lol

AyaKara

I try to avoid it much as possible, but it's VERY hard when you don't live by yourself/ aren't the main food purchaser & cook of your household! To compensate, I don't drink anything but water & I try to limit processed foods as much as possible. Once I'm on my own, only natural foods for me!

mommajolynn

between being a single mom, working out for at least 30 mins a day, working almost full time, and being a full time student, I hardly ever have a chance to cook So its almost always microwave dinners or fast food. but I still have lost 30 pounds while doing it. Have to workout a lot more but its worth it. but I do try to cook at least one fresh meal a week.

lisamarie2181

In terms of weight loss yes it will work. I personally try to cut it all out because i have medical issues that can be effected by the stuff they put in those kinds of foods, so i stay clear of them as much as possible. This is easy for me though because i like to cook and it isnt just about weight loss, i want the healthiest body i can give myself. I dont think it's bad if you eat processed stuff necessarily, i think it is more in the quantity of which you eat it. You should have a balance and try and get some good fruits and veggies in, just to ensure you are getting enough nutrients. I have seen people on here who's diaries are filled with junk and all processed foods, no produce or healthy things. I do not believe that is good. There is a difference between this person and someone who balances their eating. Just try to incorporate some fresh fruit maybe some veggies easy things where you dont have to cook. Good luck to you!!

Emtabo01

I eat processed foods. I lost 10 pounds in 6-8 weeks and then plateaued. Everyone says clean up your diet, for those last few stubborn pounds. I haven't so far, we'll see how things end up turning out.

MidsummerNightsDream

I stopped eating processed foods in 2004, and have pretty much really eliminated them from my diet. It is a definity lifestyle change for the better.

tinagn

At the end of the day it's calories in vs calories out, no matter what foods you chose to eat, whether its a slice of pizza, or a slice of watermelon, with that said, unprocessed foods are ultimately better for you, but for me, I have a sandwich for lunch everyday, and instead of white bread, I have whole wheat bread.

Ocarina

I have a mix of both. Mainly from scratch though because it's amazing!! Especially if you have a food processor.

I eat granola bars, chips, ramen soups, diet coke ect but its not the cheapest stuff. I buy everything organic, chemical free, vegan friendly. It costs a lot more then regular but it's very yummy and complements my epic meals!

Graelwyn75

Oh, I do get a mix, I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, eggs, cottage cheese, nuts and fish still, but scattered around that are some full cream yoghurts(nothing nasty added), and as said, the sugar free jello, diet hot chocolate, sometimes an eat natural bar or a higher quality microwave meal (always check ingredients, the fewer the better). Sometimes I fancy a meal of veggie sausages, carrot and swede mash and veggies, and so break away from my usual fish.

dvisser1

I eat processed foods. I lost 10 pounds in 6-8 weeks and then plateaued. Everyone says clean up your diet, for those last few stubborn pounds. I haven't so far, we'll see how things end up turning out.

I eat processed foods too. Not an every meal, all processed all the time kind of thing. Some lunch meats, hot dogs, pizza and stuff like that once in a while. If I eat too much crap food like that my body doesn't like it (bloating, constipation, etc.). I do cook a lot more than I had for quite a while. For me it's less about the type of foods than being aware of what I eat, proper portions and keeping a wide variety in the things I eat. While the quality of your diet plays a huge roll in your health and continuing weight loss, but eating processed foods does not stop you from losing weight.

apocalypsepwnie

I limit processed foods because I like to be able to see what I'm putting into my body and track everything that happens. I'm re learning about food and nutrition and changing my relationship with food.

However, I still have them. They just aren't the highly processed things I would usually eat. Like oven baked chicken pieces or store name sausages. Who knows what are in those lol.
I still have chips and pizza... I'd probably go a bit crazy if I wasn't allowed them.

I find much processed stuff has high sodium which is why many people say it wont help you lose weight. It's true but as long as you limit it and try to drink as much water as you can to combat this you should be fine.

Verity1111

I tried eliminating almost all processed food, but found it quite limiting, given I don't really cook, and I ended up binge eating, probably as a result of a lack of variety in my diet (think poached or boiled salmon, boiled tuna steak, vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs, cottage cheese and greek yoghurt).

Now I have low calorie jelly, diet hot chocolate drinks, the occasional ready meal (eg moroccan vegetables with quinoa or soya sausages) and sometimes even a sandwich while out. But I do sort of question if this is going to really negatively impact my body and do find myself feeling guilty and worried about the less clean items I am eating.

How many here are maintaining good health and fitness while still eating processed foods/some artificial sweetners?

I almost only eat processed food lol oh well I am healthy and leaner than I was. No issues. :] I try to add in some fresh veggies and fruit, but they're expensive and we dont have our own place, so I cant cook beans for hours at a time either. I just do what I can to stick to my macros.

angiechimpanzee

Yes.

I eat the instant oatmeal that comes in packets. I eat stuff like Luna Bars and Kashi snacks, which although organic (or mostly organic?), are processed. I eat grilled chicken sandwiches on whole wheat buns from select fast food places, because it's pretty much all I have access to for lunch here in college. Besides the ridiculously high sodium content (which I believe is offset by my equally ridiculous water intake), they fit my macros quite well and they're satisfying.

I try to avoid artificial sweeteners and just stick to regular sugar if I absolutely need it. And I obvious things like poptarts, oreos, pizza rolls, hot pockets, McDonalds burgers & fries - the typical stuff people think of when they think "processed". But I don't exclude all processed foods. Some benefit me, are healthy (in my opinion), and don't need to be eliminated from my diet.

chooriyah

I don't eat ready meals ever, can't get them here anyway. Can't think of much that I eat that comes in a box... don't use sugar or sweetners much - not much of a dessert person, thank god. I do rely heavily on canned foods for cooking (beans, tomatoes, corn, lentils etc) and I guess those count as processed.

hughtwalker

Can you define "processed" please?


Unlesss you grow it, hunt it and/or kill it yourself, most food has some element of "process" in its manufacture

angiechimpanzee

Can you define "processed" please?


Unlesss you grow it, hunt it and/or kill it yourself, most food has some element of "process" in its manufacture

Basically anything not in it's natural state. So any cold cereals - cheerios, bran flakes, special K included. Snack/meal bars of pretty much any kind besides the ones that only contain fruit & nut pieces. Any packaged frozen meals.

TavistockToad

learn to cook!

MrsPixelbark

I think in this day and age eliminating processed food completely is not only difficult, but almost pointless in a way. Processing has sped up things dramatically, even those who cook from scratch may still use tins/the odd pre-prepared salad/pre-cooked meats/pre-packed spices/sauces.

Not everything processed can be automatically put into the 'bad for you pile'- and even if we exclude items like tins from being processed, some ready meals are fantastic now. All you have to do is walk down the isles in a big supermarket, they have everything from cous cous salads to sale, to pots packed full of veg + chicken in teriyaki sauce (which even then is packed separately in a bag if you're worried about sodium). Gone are the days where frozen ready meals have no nutritional (good nutrition that is) worth at all.

Anyhoo, that's just my two pence piece. I mostly cook from 'scratch', but I'm still happy to use tins/pre-packed spices and I'm not shy to say that some nights I'm downright lazy and we have 'healthier' ready meals in the freezer (think quiches etc).

brevislux

If you can't cook it would be almost impossible to stop eating processed food. MFP has a recipe board.

hughtwalker

If you can't cook it would be almost impossible to stop eating processed food. MFP has a recipe board.

Where? I can only access those recipes that I have created myself.

dawnshot

I don't eat processed food, but I suppose I'm lucky that I have the time and I like to cook, a lot of recipes can be made quite quickly and a lot of people make up batches of meals and freeze them for through the week. I used to do that when I worked full time.

Fozzi43

Yep I do.

I do try and balance it out though.

LINIA

This is an excellent topic, instead of not eating processed food, I aim to eat fewer foods that have a list of preservatives and chemicals in the ingredients. If it isn't. 2 difficult or 2 expensive I also choose organic.
As far as the earlier comment that "everything is processed", of course a fresh pineapple was handled b4 I purchased it but that is considered "non-processed" even though -, myself didn't grow it.
So maybe 20% of what is eat is processed but that is much better than b4 I became aware of how important it is to eat foods that have "no-ingredient" list.

NocturnalGirl

There is nothing wrong with allowing yourself to have processed foods. It is about your diet overall, fit it into your calories and macros for the day while getting sufficient micros.

lauren3101

I do eat processed foods. I think cutting them out completely would be very difficult.

I eat them for lunch a lot of the time, but I think microwave meals have come a long way. I buy the ones that have simple ingrediants on the back, and no artificial anything. A lot of the ones I buy have a portion of veg in them too. You pay more, but it's a much better quality of food.

dad106

I hope you know that cottage cheese and greek yogurt are also processed foods... so in reality, you didn't cut them all out.

Personally, I eat a lot of processed foods.. and I do fine. The reason why I'm maintaining so well is because I eat the same damn foods everyday.... and since I already know the calorie count in them, I know I'm not going over.

tracymnx

I eat things like cereal for breakfast, deli meats, tinned fish, sometimes sausages and pate but I cant remember the last time I ate a ready meal. I live in Uganda (East Africa) so we dont get much processed food here, I would say we make 90% of our own food including bread, ice cream, juices, cakes (not for me, I dont have a sweet tooth!), soups etc. Besides, I love to cook so its not a chore for me to be in the kitchen.

I do love a kebab and/or whopper with cheese whenever I visit family in the UK though! Its all about moderation.

takumaku

The only processed food I strive to eat are only salt free or very low sodium products. I am striving to keep my sodium levels at or under 2000. To me, this means a lot of canned, premade meals, and chain restaurants are out. I don't mind because I focus on what I can have, not on what I can't have. I like to bake and slow cook, so I find there are a lot of meals I can make for myself and my active lifestyle.