so what is considered processed foods?

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lauraleenaft
lauraleenaft Posts: 58
in Introduce Yourself
I am trying mfp again,and i want to really make a go at it! I know i eat bad foods,and eveyone says stay away from processed foods,but i am not sure what is all processed. info please??? and TIA!:bigsmile:

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  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
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    if there are chemicals added to preserve it longer, it is processed. When you go to theh grocery store shop along the outer walls where there is the veggies and fruit, and meats and you will do fine.
  • ruststar
    ruststar Posts: 489 Member
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    Look at the labels on your food - the more ingredients it has, particular those that aren't actual food but chemicals, the more processed it is. The closer a food is to it's natural state the better. That's not to say that all prcessed food is bad, but just reduce the amount of food you're eating that came from a box or a bag. People often talk about shopping on the perimeter of a grocery store, buying most of their food from the produce, meat, and dairy, as a way to reduce their relaince on processed food.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    Pick up "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan. He says anything with more than 5 ingredients is too many. Great book. Quick read.
  • aubry87
    aubry87 Posts: 34 Member
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    I am also cutting out processed food. I website that I live by now is http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/ it really helps with eating a healthier real food diet. There are even meal plans there!
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    Anything that comes in a box or a bag (other than something like frozen veggies or bagged lettuce or nuts or dried beans -- you get the pciture) is most likely processed. Anything that has ingredients that you couldn't have pulled out of the ground or off an animal, is probably processed. Anything with ingredients that you can't pronounce, definitely pocessed. Try to stick to whole, fresh foods, and prepare as much of your food as you can yourself, at home. If you do buy packaged/processed foods, stick to those that have as few ingredients as possible, and ingreditents which, like I said above, you could have yourself gone and pulled out of the ground, picked from a tree, or cut off of an animal.
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    Pick up "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan. He says anything with more than 5 ingredients is too many. Great book. Quick read.
    I agree with this philosophy to a point, but not completely. I have made plenty a meal that had far more than 5 ingredients, yet were fresh and whole int he end. As far as buying things at the store in boxes of bags, this philosophy probably does apply.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
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    Yeah, check your ingredient list. I saw a "new to us" item at work last night so picked it up planning on fitting it in as a snack... turned it over and started counting. Knew I was putting it down after 10 ingredients, was sick by the time I finished counting at 51 ingredients for a 150 calorie snack bag. That's a processed food I won't be touching.
  • bethrs
    bethrs Posts: 664 Member
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    You could go with the 5 ingredient rule or the "nothing I can't pronounce rule". So I buy the following "packaged" foods- cans of veggies, oatmeal, peanut butter, yogurt.

    But the ingredients are all things I know- such as "green beans, water" or "oats" or "peanuts, salt, molasses" or "Milk, [and some names of bacteria that I can't spell but make yogurt turn to yogurt]" etc.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I am trying mfp again,and i want to really make a go at it! I know i eat bad foods,and eveyone says stay away from processed foods,but i am not sure what is all processed. info please??? and TIA!:bigsmile:

    Processed foods generally means pre-packaged foods. But that is not always true. Frozen veggies/fruits are packaged but many have no other processing than to stick them in a bag and stick the bag in a freezer. In general stick to fresh "whole" foods. Whole foods meaning foods as close to nature as possible. When buying packaged foods, buy those without a lot of additives. The fewer ingredients on the label the better.
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    People often talk about shopping on the perimeter of a grocery store, buying most of their food from the produce, meat, and dairy, as a way to reduce their relaince on processed food.
    This is a great way to operate. My husband and I find that the only reason we ever enter the actual supermarket aisles nowadays is to buy toothpaste, deodorant, napkins, dried beans, nuts in the baking aisle, etc.....and of course the very occasional processed/packaged item like cookies, for example. We really do stick to the perimeter. And we're loving it.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    We are starting to do this as a family, but its finding things that has less ingreedents and keep in mind, you wont be able to cut everything out, we are just finding stuff here and there we make from scratch or buy better options for.
  • ryandylan
    ryandylan Posts: 62
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    So if you don't eat processed foods, what exactly DO you eat? Just wondering??
  • lauraleenaft
    lauraleenaft Posts: 58
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    thanks everyone! this really helps! so i am not a big breakfast eater,and i know that you should not skip it.. so normally i would grab a bowl of cereal! now i see that this is prob a processed item. Is kashi a good one? or does anyone have suggestions for quick breakfast foods!
  • pauterson
    pauterson Posts: 65
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    Try for breakfast making some hard boiled eggs and keeping them in the refrigerator as a quick grab-n-go. Also, you could do oatmeal but try to do the steel cut and just cook it in a tupperware with water a little longer than you would have to cook instant oatmeal (I still do instant oatmeal eventhough I know steel cut is the way to go - woops!)

    One of the things that I sometimes do when I need a change is make a egg souflee type thing. LOL.... I put 6 eggs and about 1/2 c. egg whites in a deep skillet with a lid (after spraying some non stick cooking spray of corse). Then I put it on LOW and add in chuncks of my favorite meats and vegetables such as turkey and spinach. Cover and simmer for a little while, then gently lift off of the edges and bottom to allow the insides to cook. repeat until the whole thing is firm and eggs are almost done (I sometimes cut it in 1/4's when it's about 3/4 of the way done and flip. Then put some cheese on top, and cover until completely cooked. Then I take out my scale and tupperware containers and measure out enough to be a serving size and wa-la, yummy breakfast to go. Quick, nutritious and yummy.

    good luck!
  • lauraleenaft
    lauraleenaft Posts: 58
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    Try for breakfast making some hard boiled eggs and keeping them in the refrigerator as a quick grab-n-go. Also, you could do oatmeal but try to do the steel cut and just cook it in a tupperware with water a little longer than you would have to cook instant oatmeal (I still do instant oatmeal eventhough I know steel cut is the way to go - woops!)

    One of the things that I sometimes do when I need a change is make a egg souflee type thing. LOL.... I put 6 eggs and about 1/2 c. egg whites in a deep skillet with a lid (after spraying some non stick cooking spray of corse). Then I put it on LOW and add in chuncks of my favorite meats and vegetables such as turkey and spinach. Cover and simmer for a little while, then gently lift off of the edges and bottom to allow the insides to cook. repeat until the whole thing is firm and eggs are almost done (I sometimes cut it in 1/4's when it's about 3/4 of the way done and flip. Then put some cheese on top, and cover until completely cooked. Then I take out my scale and tupperware containers and measure out enough to be a serving size and wa-la, yummy breakfast to go. Quick, nutritious and yummy.

    good luck!
  • lauraleenaft
    lauraleenaft Posts: 58
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    thanks sounds good!!
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    So if you don't eat processed foods, what exactly DO you eat? Just wondering??
    Anything/everything else....fresh veggies, meats, cheeses, dairy products. Stuff you find on the outer rim at the supermarket basically, plus other "in the aisles" stuff like I said above before (such as frozen veg, canned-no-salt-veg, dried beans, etc.).

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