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Is the amount of easy access processed food harming dieters health?
clhoward6
Posts: 53 Member
I would be very interested to hear (read) what people think about this.
I've noticed on some of the "what people are eating" type threads, there's a lot of easily accessible heavily processed foods being eaten. Because it says low fat on the tin does this make it good for us? Lots of salt seems to be added to processed food as well as all sorts of other ingredients that I don't even know what they are.
I'm not knocking CICO at all, its working for me, and I am not a food saint. I include all sorts of foods in my diet including fatty food, chips/crisps, sweets and chocolate. I have to do this in moderation otherwise I would be starving all the time because of the amount of calories these things have in them. I would also rather have a bowl of home made soup than a can of chicken. I had literally never heard of canned chicken before today (its not used widely in the UK). I'm astounded. I haven't eaten canned tuna for years because of the welfare aspects of it. I tend to be quite conscientious in my food choice when it comes to animal welfare but I'm aware that I am lucky enough to be on my own and able to afford to be that way.
I know the main aim of dieting for most of us is to lose weight but what could processed food be doing to our organs? I'm honestly interested in whether being thin but eating these sorts of foods has a detrimental effect on health?
I've noticed on some of the "what people are eating" type threads, there's a lot of easily accessible heavily processed foods being eaten. Because it says low fat on the tin does this make it good for us? Lots of salt seems to be added to processed food as well as all sorts of other ingredients that I don't even know what they are.
I'm not knocking CICO at all, its working for me, and I am not a food saint. I include all sorts of foods in my diet including fatty food, chips/crisps, sweets and chocolate. I have to do this in moderation otherwise I would be starving all the time because of the amount of calories these things have in them. I would also rather have a bowl of home made soup than a can of chicken. I had literally never heard of canned chicken before today (its not used widely in the UK). I'm astounded. I haven't eaten canned tuna for years because of the welfare aspects of it. I tend to be quite conscientious in my food choice when it comes to animal welfare but I'm aware that I am lucky enough to be on my own and able to afford to be that way.
I know the main aim of dieting for most of us is to lose weight but what could processed food be doing to our organs? I'm honestly interested in whether being thin but eating these sorts of foods has a detrimental effect on health?
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Replies
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I guess I'm a bit confused as to why canned chicken is being called out here. For people who eat chicken, it can be an easy way to have a high protein food. It can be purchased in low sodium or even no salt added versions for people who are watching their sodium.
It's just . . . meat in a can. I can't see how it would harm someone's organs in a way that uncanned chicken wouldn't.2 -
Well choose any other processed food. I don't mind I'm just interested.0
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Well choose any other processed food. I don't mind I'm just interested.
You're the one theorizing that a processed food could be harming our organs. In order to discuss it, I think we need to talk about what specific harm is being done, which means we need to consider specific foods.
Canned chicken was the example you provided. I don't think canned chicken *would* harm organs.2 -
It's not harming me.
Granted, I don't live in the U.K. but I do have friends and family there and they can all get canned chicken.0 -
I'm sure that's true I've just never seen it or tried it.
Ok so someone who regularly eats canned chicken of the normal salt content variety. Assuming they also have other high salt foods in their diet will surely be less healthy for example high blood pressure than someone who avoids processed high salt foods? The one I saw had 11% salt. It also contained rib meat and some sort of bulking agent.0 -
I don't feel harmed by "processed" foods, but I have noticed that a balanced, varied diet consisting primarily of foods made from whole, single food ingredients, makes it easier for me to stick to my calorie allowance - I feel fuller, more energized, happier, more relaxed, and I feel satisfied, don't crave all sorts of stuff - so I guess there are some things in there that we need, and that's why we are adviced to eat real food more often than junk food.0
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I think this thread is pretty similar to this one: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10350519/ultra-processed-foods-study#latest
My opinion is expressed in that one.
I don't think ultraprocessed foods are different in their effects, but I think they are more easily available.0 -
wrong platform.
Everything food is good for you.
JUST KEEP SHOUTING CICO.4 -
Easy access to food has prevented a lot of deaths.....from starvation. Malnutrition is a close second. The modern food supply network allows us to access a wide variety of foodstuffs year-round, generally free from bacterial contamination (the big killer).
Fear of processed food, IMO, is a first-world problem.
That being said, home-made food where we control the salt and sugar content, can be of a great benefit. And not to mention economical.
There are some processed foods where I trust the modern food network to provide me cheap and safe alternatives, far better than I can. I include in this yogurt, cheeses, cereal grains like flaked oatmeal, juices, tap water, cookies, butter, and breadmaker's yeast.0 -
I eat tinned tuna, as far as I'm aware the ingredients are tuna and water so not sure how that's doing my insides any harm?0
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Also:I had literally never heard of canned chicken before today (its not used widely in the UK).
I doubt it's widely used in the US either, it's not common in my cohort, but I doubt it or canned tuna would count as "ultraprocessed" or is actually a bad thing to include in your diet unless you dislike them. (I hate canned tuna and have never tried canned chicken.)0 -
I'm sure that's true I've just never seen it or tried it.
Ok so someone who regularly eats canned chicken of the normal salt content variety. Assuming they also have other high salt foods in their diet will surely be less healthy for example high blood pressure than someone who avoids processed high salt foods? The one I saw had 11% salt. It also contained rib meat and some sort of bulking agent.
If someone is harmed by a diet that is high in sodium (and it's not clear that all people are), that's an issue with sodium. Not processing. There are lots of less processed foods that are high in sodium and some processed foods that are low in sodium.
I don't know if conflating the two is helpful.
What's wrong with rib meat?1 -
Not sure canned meat is a good example, the welfare issues around tuna don't depend if it's in a can or not.
My problem with tinned meats would be the origin and quality of the meat, if you get a piece of chicken it's clearly off one bird whereas there could be all manner of ground up "interesting bits" from multiple birds in a canned product.
Salt isn't that big a deal for healthy people with working kidneys and normal blood pressure. You would have to consider their whole diet not individual foods.
I did manage to find one example of canned chicken on the Tesco website, which is probably representative of my view of the concept :
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janejellyroll wrote: »
If someone is harmed by a diet that is high in sodium (and it's not clear that all people are), that's an issue with sodium. Not processing. There are lots of less processed foods that are high in sodium and some processed foods that are low in sodium.
I don't know if conflating the two is helpful.
What's wrong with rib meat?
I didn't say anything was wrong with rib meat it was just one of the ingredients.
Are you aware that your responses sound like you're jumping down my throat or is that the intended response to my enquiry?0 -
I think you have to be way more specific than "processed food".
This could encompass everything from organic chicken stock in a carton to potato chips to jelly beans.
I don't think processing a food product automatically makes it "harmful"' to our bodies.
I do think that easy access to highly processed foods that contain alot of calories and salt per serving can lead people who aren't paying attention and taking responsibility for their choices to eat too many calories, too much salt, and too much sugar, leading to obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. The cure is for people to read labels and monitor their diets.
While there have been plenty of hit-or-miss, poorly run studies that suggest links between "processed" foods, additives, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, etc to a whole litany of seemingly random health concerns, there is nowhere near a consensus that any of that is even remotely true.
As @jgnatca said, easy access to processed foods has made it possible for many people to have access to the food they need to live. The flip side is that those of us who are fortunate enough to not have to worry about going hungry, need to be careful not to over-consume ANY food, not just the processed kind.
I think if you want opinions on something harming our organs, you will need to give examples of specific ingredients, but I don't think there is anything to be concerned about in canned chicken.1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »
If someone is harmed by a diet that is high in sodium (and it's not clear that all people are), that's an issue with sodium. Not processing. There are lots of less processed foods that are high in sodium and some processed foods that are low in sodium.
I don't know if conflating the two is helpful.
What's wrong with rib meat?
I didn't say anything was wrong with rib meat it was just one of the ingredients.
Are you aware that your responses sound like you're jumping down my throat or is that the intended response to my enquiry?
Well, did you not post in the nutrition debate section? Sounds like she's debating you.1 -
Here in Canada we have the example of the 1845 failed Franklin expedition, the deaths linked to mercury poisoning from canned foods. We don't use mercury in modern canning.
http://www.historytoday.com/sheila-rowbotham/canned-food-sealed-icemens-fate0 -
Exactly. When it comes to something like canned chicken, I suppose if one doesn't care about the details of the chicken components, then there's no real incentive to avoid it.Not sure canned meat is a good example, the welfare issues around tuna don't depend if it's in a can or not.
My problem with tinned meats would be the origin and quality of the meat, if you get a piece of chicken it's clearly off one bird whereas there could be all manner of ground up "interesting bits" from multiple birds in a canned product.
I did manage to find one example of canned chicken on the Tesco website, which is probably representative of my view of the concept :
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janejellyroll wrote: »
If someone is harmed by a diet that is high in sodium (and it's not clear that all people are), that's an issue with sodium. Not processing. There are lots of less processed foods that are high in sodium and some processed foods that are low in sodium.
I don't know if conflating the two is helpful.
What's wrong with rib meat?
I didn't say anything was wrong with rib meat it was just one of the ingredients.
Are you aware that your responses sound like you're jumping down my throat or is that the intended response to my enquiry?
I apologize. That wasn't my intention -- my intention was to understand your posts. To me, a debate must begin with understanding the other person's position. I was trying to understand yours.1 -
I cannot believe we have made it this far into a discussion of tinned meats (and tangentially their availability in the UK), and there has not been a mention of Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam and Spam.
I am trying to remember the meats I usually bought at Marks & Spencer while a student there on a very tight budget, but I believe I wholly subsisted on fancy jam and baguettes.0 -
wrong platform.
Everything food is good for you.
JUST KEEP SHOUTING CICO.
As compared to appeal to ridicule without providing any of substance?
The people shouting CICO might be doing so to be heard over the undeniably cacophious and misinformed voices of the diet and fitness industry that wants to sell 10,000 methods that are unnecessary, untrue, or just don't work because there is little money to be made in teaching a person how to eat sustainably, removing them as a repeat customer.2 -
jmbmilholland wrote: »I cannot believe we have made it this far into a discussion of tinned meats (and tangentially their availability in the UK), and there has not been a mention of Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam and Spam.
I am trying to remember the meats I usually bought at Marks & Spencer while a student there on a very tight budget, but I believe I wholly subsisted on fancy jam and baguettes.
A canned meat I remember from college is Deviled Ham. Bought it once when it was on sale for super-cheap. Never again.0 -
Not sure canned meat is a good example, the welfare issues around tuna don't depend if it's in a can or not.
My problem with tinned meats would be the origin and quality of the meat, if you get a piece of chicken it's clearly off one bird whereas there could be all manner of ground up "interesting bits" from multiple birds in a canned product.
Salt isn't that big a deal for healthy people with working kidneys and normal blood pressure. You would have to consider their whole diet not individual foods.
I did manage to find one example of canned chicken on the Tesco website, which is probably representative of my view of the concept :
Funny thing, about your view of the concept - if an emergency ever happens, cat food is actually fairly safe to eat. Most dog food? Bad idea. Cats, however, are a little more vulnerable to health issues, and the food produced for them (US standards at least) has to be fairly close to human standards. Just a little zombie apocalypse survival tip if you find all your fellow survivors have raided the grocery stores but the pet food stores are unguarded, and you need to pick out which can to grab before the zombie grabs you.4 -
I think it just makes it really easy to have a pretty crappy overall diet. In and of themselves, I don't think it matters much...but people have really crappy diets in general and don't get proper nutrition...which is harmful.2
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jmbmilholland wrote: »I cannot believe we have made it this far into a discussion of tinned meats (and tangentially their availability in the UK), and there has not been a mention of Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam and Spam.
I am trying to remember the meats I usually bought at Marks & Spencer while a student there on a very tight budget, but I believe I wholly subsisted on fancy jam and baguettes.
I love spam! Not had it for yonks! It's going on the shopping list for next week regardless of what it's going to do to my internal organs!
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If you're concerned about what goes into processed foods, just read the labels. And by the way, most of what you eat is processed to some degree unless you grow it yourself (and in any case, being "processed" doesn't inject some mystical evil essence into a food).
I have two cans of imported Italian tuna in olive oil sitting on my counter ready to go with a package of frozen peas into a jar of marinara sauce which I'll have with whole wheat pasta. All of it, in other words, processed. I have absolutely no fears about what it might be doing to my internal organs -- other than tasting good and providing me with some good nutritional value.
And regarding one of the questions asked -- low fat does not make something good for you. That's why in spite of a couple of decades of high availability of low fat "diet" foods here in the USA people here are fatter than ever.3 -
If you're concerned about what goes into processed foods, just read the labels. And by the way, most of what you eat is processed to some degree unless you grow it yourself (and in any case, being "processed" doesn't inject some mystical evil essence into a food).
I have two cans of imported Italian tuna in olive oil sitting on my counter ready to go with a package of frozen peas into a jar of marinara sauce which I'll have with whole wheat pasta. All of it, in other words, processed. I have absolutely no fears about what it might be doing to my internal organs -- other than tasting good and providing me with some good nutritional value.
And regarding one of the questions asked -- low fat does not make something good for you. That's why in spite of a couple of decades of high availability of low fat "diet" foods here in the USA people here are fatter than ever.
People didn't actually reduce their consumption of fat, though. They just added in some additional carbs.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »jmbmilholland wrote: »I cannot believe we have made it this far into a discussion of tinned meats (and tangentially their availability in the UK), and there has not been a mention of Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam and Spam.
I am trying to remember the meats I usually bought at Marks & Spencer while a student there on a very tight budget, but I believe I wholly subsisted on fancy jam and baguettes.
I love spam! Not had it for yonks! It's going on the shopping list for next week regardless of what it's going to do to my internal organs!
What's a yonk?0 -
a singular member of the Yankees. Yonk.2
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I don't usually buy canned chicken (or tuna for that matter), but I assume this is along the lines of what you're referring to OP?
It's chicken breast meat packed in water - I'm not sure why that is supposed to be harmful to our organs?
INGREDIENTS:
CHICKEN BREAST MEAT WITH RIB MEAT, WATER, SEASONING (SALT, CHICKEN BROTH AND NATURAL FLAVORS), MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SODIUM PHOSPHATES.
I don't think a lot of people would eat this plain, but probably in a recipe like chicken salad, or something where you mix it with other ingredients (chicken pot pie or a dip?) it would be fine.
I buy the Tyson Grilled and Ready chicken strips on occasion when they are on sale to keep in my freezer to throw on top of a salad or in with pasta when I need some extra protein and want a quick meal. I don't see it as being any different than your canned chicken example so I'm happy to discuss why you think there would be something harmful due to the processing of that chicken that would be different than me grilling the chicken myself, cutting it into slices, and freezing it for use later (which I also do but the ready made bags come in handy when I haven't had time to meal prep).
Sorry not sure why the images are so differently sized!1
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