What is the "healthiest diet" to you? and why?

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Replies

  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    Whole food. Foods that aren't in a box, can or package. What do you think people were eating a long time ago? Lol.

    That's not a diet. You can eat huge range of ways without foods in a box, can, or package, some of which will be nutritionally adequate and some of which will not, even apart from whether one also has a healthy approach to food.
    Anything that is processed is bad whether it's fruit or veggies because they still add sugar or salt and other things to it.

    Numerous foods in a "box, can, or package" are without added sugar, salt, or "other things." For example, eggs in a carton (including the ones I get from a local farm). Meat in a package (same). Frozen fish. Canned beans or tomatoes, which can be purchased without any additives. Frozen veg and fruit (normally don't have additives). Most dairy. Dried beans and pasta. Oats. Rice. So on. Even plenty of protein powders.

    .....
    Protein powders are the very definition of a highly processed food. Everything else on that list is a whole food.

    So is cheese also a "highly processed food"? Or fruits and vegetables (most of which have been genetically modified and gas ripened)? Dairy which has been pasteurized from cows injected with hormones? What about yogurts?

    You fail to realize that all foods today are processed to some extent. Whey protein is a byproduct of the cheese making process.

    Yes, everybody knows that there are varying degrees of processing.

    Then how is making statements like "anything processed is bad" helpful as a rule to live by? The fact that there are so many varying definitions of a completely arbitrary rule is what many of us take issue with, when this advice is given.

    Well, people just have to use a bit of common sense. A blanket statement like "anything processed is bad" is meaningless and inaccurate because some minimally processed foods can be perfectly healthy whereas some highly processed foods can be part of a healthy diet if kept to a minimum. The silliness begins when one considers frozen spinach a processed food.

    I don't think it's silly to consider the washing, chopping, and freezing that goes into a bag of frozen spinach "processing."

    Common sense would be accepting that there are all sorts of processed foods and some of them are incredibly valuable from the POV of nutrition, accessibility, and affordability. That would lead us to conclude that "processing" isn't a great yardstick for determining whether one should eat a food and we should look at questions like "Does it fit my nutritional/calorie goals?", "Does it fit my budget?", and "Do I like the taste of it?" instead of the far less useful question "Is it processed?"

    So much this <3
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    Whole food. Foods that aren't in a box, can or package. What do you think people were eating a long time ago? Lol.

    That's not a diet. You can eat huge range of ways without foods in a box, can, or package, some of which will be nutritionally adequate and some of which will not, even apart from whether one also has a healthy approach to food.
    Anything that is processed is bad whether it's fruit or veggies because they still add sugar or salt and other things to it.

    Numerous foods in a "box, can, or package" are without added sugar, salt, or "other things." For example, eggs in a carton (including the ones I get from a local farm). Meat in a package (same). Frozen fish. Canned beans or tomatoes, which can be purchased without any additives. Frozen veg and fruit (normally don't have additives). Most dairy. Dried beans and pasta. Oats. Rice. So on. Even plenty of protein powders.

    .....
    Protein powders are the very definition of a highly processed food. Everything else on that list is a whole food.

    No, everything else on that list falls into the poster's definition of "processed foods" (in a box, can, or package), which that poster was saying couldn't be part of a healthy diet.

    I mentioned protein powder because -- although I of course agree it's highly processed -- it often has no added sugar or salt and often few additives beyond the whey it's made of. So it seems inconsistent with the poster's argument. Which was, rather obviously, the point.

    It would be helpful if you'd try to follow the discussion before jumping in, although if you have something to say that is actually relevant to that discussion I'd be interested.

    I was agreeing with your response with the exception of the protein powder since she was talking about what's a whole food. Seems like a perfectly relevant response on my part.

    And a product having no additives or additional ingredients doesn't make it a whole food. Olives are a whole food. Olive oil has one single ingredient, no additives and it's still a highly processed food.

    I would just like to point out that you don't eat olives straight from the tree. They are washed and then put in a salt bath for a month (at least) and then put in jars with their brine. Olive oil, on the other hand, is washed olives run through a press--we get cold pressed--then put in containers or bottles. In my opinion, olive oil is closer to a natural olive.
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    edited December 2016
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    Whole food. Foods that aren't in a box, can or package. What do you think people were eating a long time ago? Lol.

    That's not a diet. You can eat huge range of ways without foods in a box, can, or package, some of which will be nutritionally adequate and some of which will not, even apart from whether one also has a healthy approach to food.
    Anything that is processed is bad whether it's fruit or veggies because they still add sugar or salt and other things to it.

    Numerous foods in a "box, can, or package" are without added sugar, salt, or "other things." For example, eggs in a carton (including the ones I get from a local farm). Meat in a package (same). Frozen fish. Canned beans or tomatoes, which can be purchased without any additives. Frozen veg and fruit (normally don't have additives). Most dairy. Dried beans and pasta. Oats. Rice. So on. Even plenty of protein powders.

    .....
    Protein powders are the very definition of a highly processed food. Everything else on that list is a whole food.

    No, everything else on that list falls into the poster's definition of "processed foods" (in a box, can, or package), which that poster was saying couldn't be part of a healthy diet.

    I mentioned protein powder because -- although I of course agree it's highly processed -- it often has no added sugar or salt and often few additives beyond the whey it's made of. So it seems inconsistent with the poster's argument. Which was, rather obviously, the point.

    It would be helpful if you'd try to follow the discussion before jumping in, although if you have something to say that is actually relevant to that discussion I'd be interested.

    I was agreeing with your response with the exception of the protein powder since she was talking about what's a whole food. Seems like a perfectly relevant response on my part.

    And a product having no additives or additional ingredients doesn't make it a whole food. Olives are a whole food. Olive oil has one single ingredient, no additives and it's still a highly processed food.

    I would just like to point out that you don't eat olives straight from the tree. They are washed and then put in a salt bath for a month (at least) and then put in jars with their brine. Olive oil, on the other hand, is washed olives run through a press--we get cold pressed--then put in containers or bottles. In my opinion, olive oil is closer to a natural olive.

    Closer to a natural olive than an actual olive sitting in a salt bath is? Haha..ok.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    Whole food. Foods that aren't in a box, can or package. What do you think people were eating a long time ago? Lol.

    That's not a diet. You can eat huge range of ways without foods in a box, can, or package, some of which will be nutritionally adequate and some of which will not, even apart from whether one also has a healthy approach to food.
    Anything that is processed is bad whether it's fruit or veggies because they still add sugar or salt and other things to it.

    Numerous foods in a "box, can, or package" are without added sugar, salt, or "other things." For example, eggs in a carton (including the ones I get from a local farm). Meat in a package (same). Frozen fish. Canned beans or tomatoes, which can be purchased without any additives. Frozen veg and fruit (normally don't have additives). Most dairy. Dried beans and pasta. Oats. Rice. So on. Even plenty of protein powders.

    .....
    Protein powders are the very definition of a highly processed food. Everything else on that list is a whole food.

    No, everything else on that list falls into the poster's definition of "processed foods" (in a box, can, or package), which that poster was saying couldn't be part of a healthy diet.

    I mentioned protein powder because -- although I of course agree it's highly processed -- it often has no added sugar or salt and often few additives beyond the whey it's made of. So it seems inconsistent with the poster's argument. Which was, rather obviously, the point.

    It would be helpful if you'd try to follow the discussion before jumping in, although if you have something to say that is actually relevant to that discussion I'd be interested.

    I was agreeing with your response with the exception of the protein powder since she was talking about what's a whole food. Seems like a perfectly relevant response on my part.

    And a product having no additives or additional ingredients doesn't make it a whole food. Olives are a whole food. Olive oil has one single ingredient, no additives and it's still a highly processed food.

    I would just like to point out that you don't eat olives straight from the tree. They are washed and then put in a salt bath for a month (at least) and then put in jars with their brine. Olive oil, on the other hand, is washed olives run through a press--we get cold pressed--then put in containers or bottles. In my opinion, olive oil is closer to a natural olive.

    Closer to a natural olive than an actual olive sitting in a salt bath? Haha..ok.

    Yup--just like fresh squeezed orange juice is closer to an orange, than frozen, or dried.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited December 2016
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    Whole food. Foods that aren't in a box, can or package. What do you think people were eating a long time ago? Lol.

    That's not a diet. You can eat huge range of ways without foods in a box, can, or package, some of which will be nutritionally adequate and some of which will not, even apart from whether one also has a healthy approach to food.
    Anything that is processed is bad whether it's fruit or veggies because they still add sugar or salt and other things to it.

    Numerous foods in a "box, can, or package" are without added sugar, salt, or "other things." For example, eggs in a carton (including the ones I get from a local farm). Meat in a package (same). Frozen fish. Canned beans or tomatoes, which can be purchased without any additives. Frozen veg and fruit (normally don't have additives). Most dairy. Dried beans and pasta. Oats. Rice. So on. Even plenty of protein powders.

    .....
    Protein powders are the very definition of a highly processed food. Everything else on that list is a whole food.

    So is cheese also a "highly processed food"? Or fruits and vegetables (most of which have been genetically modified and gas ripened)? Dairy which has been pasteurized from cows injected with hormones? What about yogurts?

    You fail to realize that all foods today are processed to some extent. Whey protein is a byproduct of the cheese making process.

    Well yes and no - I understand processed food to be food that has preservatives added or sugar and salt added to preserve the food for longer. Processed does not mean cooking. Yes some cheeses like cheese slices or babybel is processed cheese

    That is not what "processed" means or what processed food is (it IS processed food, but so are many other foods, including all cheese).

    You seem to be mixing up "processed" with "preserved foods." (But as far as that goes, frozen foods are preserved, and food I can at home also are.)

    Without preserving foods, traditionally those of us (including you and me, Jake), who live in more northern climates wouldn't have much produce in the winter or early spring.

    http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/what-are-processed-foods.aspx I'm not mixing up anything. Many people here don't like the term - be it is the term used here. Sure there are probably grey areas...but raw chicken...not processed.....microwave chicken dinner - processed. There will be grey areas

    From your source: "The term 'processed food' applies to any food that has been altered from its natural state in some way, either for safety reasons or convenience."

    So all cheese then, as well as frozen spinach. I would argue that even a package of raw chicken is processed compared to its natural state (that is, on an ambulatory chicken). Butchering *is* processing, is it not?

    Yes, this.

    Further, from the same link:

    "However, even homemade food sometimes uses processed ingredients. Read on to find out how you can eat processed foods as part of a healthy diet."

    (IMO, that assumes we are idiots, but I suppose it's good for the gov't to help people who really are starting from a know nothing position.)

    "What counts as processed food?

    Most shop-bought foods will have been processed in some way.

    Examples of common processed foods include:

    breakfast cereals
    cheese
    tinned vegetables
    bread..."

    In other words, it's agreeing with what I said, not the claim that it's only "preserved" foods.
  • Savagedistraction
    Savagedistraction Posts: 312 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Primarily whole foods with to include a lot of plant based foods (not just vegetables) as well as lean sources of protein (I eat a lot of fish and chicken), and healthy fats...because, whole foods are pretty healthy.
    What is a "half food" or "quarter food"?
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    Whole food. Foods that aren't in a box, can or package. What do you think people were eating a long time ago? Lol.

    That's not a diet. You can eat huge range of ways without foods in a box, can, or package, some of which will be nutritionally adequate and some of which will not, even apart from whether one also has a healthy approach to food.
    Anything that is processed is bad whether it's fruit or veggies because they still add sugar or salt and other things to it.

    Numerous foods in a "box, can, or package" are without added sugar, salt, or "other things." For example, eggs in a carton (including the ones I get from a local farm). Meat in a package (same). Frozen fish. Canned beans or tomatoes, which can be purchased without any additives. Frozen veg and fruit (normally don't have additives). Most dairy. Dried beans and pasta. Oats. Rice. So on. Even plenty of protein powders.

    .....
    Protein powders are the very definition of a highly processed food. Everything else on that list is a whole food.

    No, everything else on that list falls into the poster's definition of "processed foods" (in a box, can, or package), which that poster was saying couldn't be part of a healthy diet.

    I mentioned protein powder because -- although I of course agree it's highly processed -- it often has no added sugar or salt and often few additives beyond the whey it's made of. So it seems inconsistent with the poster's argument. Which was, rather obviously, the point.

    It would be helpful if you'd try to follow the discussion before jumping in, although if you have something to say that is actually relevant to that discussion I'd be interested.

    I was agreeing with your response with the exception of the protein powder since she was talking about what's a whole food. Seems like a perfectly relevant response on my part.

    And a product having no additives or additional ingredients doesn't make it a whole food. Olives are a whole food. Olive oil has one single ingredient, no additives and it's still a highly processed food.

    I would just like to point out that you don't eat olives straight from the tree. They are washed and then put in a salt bath for a month (at least) and then put in jars with their brine. Olive oil, on the other hand, is washed olives run through a press--we get cold pressed--then put in containers or bottles. In my opinion, olive oil is closer to a natural olive.

    Closer to a natural olive than an actual olive sitting in a salt bath? Haha..ok.

    Yup--just like fresh squeezed orange juice is closer to an orange, than frozen, or dried.

    Ok...you got me....I surrender! By this logic, this means foods like olive oil, potato starch, whey isolate, soy isolate etc which are all extracted from the whole food, are in fact closer to the original whole food than if the original food has been dried, frozen, cooked, brined etc. Brilliant!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    Whole food. Foods that aren't in a box, can or package. What do you think people were eating a long time ago? Lol.

    That's not a diet. You can eat huge range of ways without foods in a box, can, or package, some of which will be nutritionally adequate and some of which will not, even apart from whether one also has a healthy approach to food.
    Anything that is processed is bad whether it's fruit or veggies because they still add sugar or salt and other things to it.

    Numerous foods in a "box, can, or package" are without added sugar, salt, or "other things." For example, eggs in a carton (including the ones I get from a local farm). Meat in a package (same). Frozen fish. Canned beans or tomatoes, which can be purchased without any additives. Frozen veg and fruit (normally don't have additives). Most dairy. Dried beans and pasta. Oats. Rice. So on. Even plenty of protein powders.

    .....
    Protein powders are the very definition of a highly processed food. Everything else on that list is a whole food.

    No, everything else on that list falls into the poster's definition of "processed foods" (in a box, can, or package), which that poster was saying couldn't be part of a healthy diet.

    I mentioned protein powder because -- although I of course agree it's highly processed -- it often has no added sugar or salt and often few additives beyond the whey it's made of. So it seems inconsistent with the poster's argument. Which was, rather obviously, the point.

    It would be helpful if you'd try to follow the discussion before jumping in, although if you have something to say that is actually relevant to that discussion I'd be interested.

    I was agreeing with your response with the exception of the protein powder since she was talking about what's a whole food. Seems like a perfectly relevant response on my part.

    Okay, but if you notice her comment was that ANYTHING in a can, box, or package is "bad."
    And a product having no additives or additional ingredients doesn't make it a whole food. Olives are a whole food. Olive oil has one single ingredient, no additives and it's still a highly processed food.

    Yes, of course. You keep (weirdly) arguing as if someone had said that protein powder was not a processed food when obviously it is. My point was that being "processed" (or in packaging -- which I agree includes whole foods but that protein powder is not a whole food) DOES NOT mean that something has sugar, salt or other additives which is what the poster I was responding to had claimed, and further asserted that's what makes them bad.

    I happen to prefer to mostly eat whole foods (although I don't stick to that 100%, as that wouldn't be healthy for me in that I tend toward the obsessive), but I DON'T pretend like not being a whole food makes something "bad" or not consistent with a healthy diet. I also think there are differences between foods that are properly classified as "processed."

    You've hit on a point here that I think is really important. While I do think, generally speaking, that whole foods can be a great choice nutritionally, that's very different from saying that non-whole foods are bad for us.

    It's going to depend on the food and that is where we are able to take advantage of our own knowledge about food (and our individual needs and the overall context of our diet) to make our decisions.

  • Susieq_1994
    Susieq_1994 Posts: 5,361 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    I would just say that there is no such thing as a "healthiest diet", and then quote Ellyn Satter (again):

    What is Normal Eating?

    Normal eating is going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied. It is being able to choose food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it -not just stop eating because you think you should. Normal eating is being able to give some thought to your food selection so you get nutritious food, but not being so wary and restrictive that you miss out on enjoyable food. Normal eating is giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are happy, sad or bored, or just because it feels good. Normal eating is mostly three meals a day, or four or five, or it can be choosing to munch along the way. It is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or it is eating more now because they taste so wonderful. Normal eating is overeating at times, feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. And it can be undereating at times and wishing you had more. Normal eating is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating. Normal eating takes up some of your time and attention, but keeps its place as only one important area of your life.

    In short, normal eating is flexible. It varies in response to your hunger, your schedule, your proximity to food and your feelings.

    For more about eating competence (and for research backing up this advice), see Ellyn Satter's Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family: How to Eat, How to Raise Good Eaters, How to Cook, Kelcy Press, 2008. Also see www.EllynSatterInstitute.org/store to purchase books and to review other resources.

    ©2016 by Ellyn Satter published at www.EllynSatterInstitute.org.

    - See more at: http://ellynsatterinstitute.org/hte/whatisnormaleating.php#sthash.pJdd5s1u.dpuf

    I've never heard of her before, but I really like this.

    I like this too...

    Me, three.

    Me four!
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    JoyMaillet wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Primarily whole foods with to include a lot of plant based foods (not just vegetables) as well as lean sources of protein (I eat a lot of fish and chicken), and healthy fats...because, whole foods are pretty healthy.
    What is a "half food" or "quarter food"?

    Leg and thigh = quarter food.
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    Whole food. Foods that aren't in a box, can or package. What do you think people were eating a long time ago? Lol.

    That's not a diet. You can eat huge range of ways without foods in a box, can, or package, some of which will be nutritionally adequate and some of which will not, even apart from whether one also has a healthy approach to food.
    Anything that is processed is bad whether it's fruit or veggies because they still add sugar or salt and other things to it.

    Numerous foods in a "box, can, or package" are without added sugar, salt, or "other things." For example, eggs in a carton (including the ones I get from a local farm). Meat in a package (same). Frozen fish. Canned beans or tomatoes, which can be purchased without any additives. Frozen veg and fruit (normally don't have additives). Most dairy. Dried beans and pasta. Oats. Rice. So on. Even plenty of protein powders.

    .....
    Protein powders are the very definition of a highly processed food. Everything else on that list is a whole food.

    No, everything else on that list falls into the poster's definition of "processed foods" (in a box, can, or package), which that poster was saying couldn't be part of a healthy diet.

    I mentioned protein powder because -- although I of course agree it's highly processed -- it often has no added sugar or salt and often few additives beyond the whey it's made of. So it seems inconsistent with the poster's argument. Which was, rather obviously, the point.

    It would be helpful if you'd try to follow the discussion before jumping in, although if you have something to say that is actually relevant to that discussion I'd be interested.

    I was agreeing with your response with the exception of the protein powder since she was talking about what's a whole food. Seems like a perfectly relevant response on my part.

    Okay, but if you notice her comment was that ANYTHING in a can, box, or package is "bad."
    And a product having no additives or additional ingredients doesn't make it a whole food. Olives are a whole food. Olive oil has one single ingredient, no additives and it's still a highly processed food.

    Yes, of course. You keep (weirdly) arguing as if someone had said that protein powder was not a processed food when obviously it is. My point was that being "processed" (or in packaging -- which I agree includes whole foods but that protein powder is not a whole food) DOES NOT mean that something has sugar, salt or other additives which is what the poster I was responding to had claimed, and further asserted that's what makes them bad.

    I happen to prefer to mostly eat whole foods (although I don't stick to that 100%, as that wouldn't be healthy for me in that I tend toward the obsessive), but I DON'T pretend like not being a whole food makes something "bad" or not consistent with a healthy diet. I also think there are differences between foods that are properly classified as "processed."

    Oh boy...round and about we go. Splitting hairs. Look, I agree with literally 99% of what you've said. You're essentially 'preaching to the choir'. I merely contradicted/clarified one simple statement. Let's move on, shall we?
  • ktfranke
    ktfranke Posts: 217 Member
    The "healthiest diet," for me... it depends on what my fitness goals are!

    All summer I was running ultra marathons, so my diet was high carb. I ate a lot of fruits like dates and bananas, fruit puree, coconut water, Gatorade, honey gels and power gels... purely because I performed well with those fuel sources... and they provided me with the instant sugars I needed to perform a high endurance sport.

    This winter, my focus has shifted to strength training, building muscle, and losing fat. So I've switched to a low carb, higher fat/protein based diet. Lots of meats, dairy, and high fiber greens. So fish, eggs, avocado, cottage cheese, whey protein, spinach, broccoli, etc. And steering away from the processed carbs such as breads, crackers and sweets. And I've had great success in changing my body composition! I'm getting a leaner and more muscular physique!

    I think your diet should remain fluid depending on how active you are, and what your training for, as well as your own specific health needs.

    But I think most people would agree, that there are universal food items that should be avoided or at least consumed in moderation. Such as alcohol, ice cream, cakes, candies, chips, soda, fast food, and other heavily processed catbohydrates/fats.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    I'm in Italy, so we use the Mediterranean diet. Italians are very into quality ingredients and want to know where their food comes from. My sons have been educated at the table so they know what we're eating, where I bought it and how it was prepared. It makes it easy to hit my macros.

    Ahhh food in Italy. I get a rush just thinking about it.. it's magical. That is my dream diet right there. Here in Canada the food is just, not the same :/
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    edited December 2016
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    Whole food. Foods that aren't in a box, can or package. What do you think people were eating a long time ago? Lol.

    That's not a diet. You can eat huge range of ways without foods in a box, can, or package, some of which will be nutritionally adequate and some of which will not, even apart from whether one also has a healthy approach to food.
    Anything that is processed is bad whether it's fruit or veggies because they still add sugar or salt and other things to it.

    Numerous foods in a "box, can, or package" are without added sugar, salt, or "other things." For example, eggs in a carton (including the ones I get from a local farm). Meat in a package (same). Frozen fish. Canned beans or tomatoes, which can be purchased without any additives. Frozen veg and fruit (normally don't have additives). Most dairy. Dried beans and pasta. Oats. Rice. So on. Even plenty of protein powders.

    .....
    Protein powders are the very definition of a highly processed food. Everything else on that list is a whole food.

    No, everything else on that list falls into the poster's definition of "processed foods" (in a box, can, or package), which that poster was saying couldn't be part of a healthy diet.

    I mentioned protein powder because -- although I of course agree it's highly processed -- it often has no added sugar or salt and often few additives beyond the whey it's made of. So it seems inconsistent with the poster's argument. Which was, rather obviously, the point.

    It would be helpful if you'd try to follow the discussion before jumping in, although if you have something to say that is actually relevant to that discussion I'd be interested.

    I was agreeing with your response with the exception of the protein powder since she was talking about what's a whole food. Seems like a perfectly relevant response on my part.

    And a product having no additives or additional ingredients doesn't make it a whole food. Olives are a whole food. Olive oil has one single ingredient, no additives and it's still a highly processed food.

    I would just like to point out that you don't eat olives straight from the tree. They are washed and then put in a salt bath for a month (at least) and then put in jars with their brine. Olive oil, on the other hand, is washed olives run through a press--we get cold pressed--then put in containers or bottles. In my opinion, olive oil is closer to a natural olive.

    Closer to a natural olive than an actual olive sitting in a salt bath? Haha..ok.

    Yup--just like fresh squeezed orange juice is closer to an orange, than frozen, or dried.

    Ok...you got me....I surrender! By this logic, this means foods like olive oil, potato starch, whey isolate, soy isolate etc which are all extracted from the whole food, are in fact closer to the original whole food than if the original food has been dried, frozen, cooked, brined etc. Brilliant!

    I would think that maybe you should visit a factory (I have witnessed olive oil being pressed) because you should see what you're demonizing up close and personal. These ideas are absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. Processed, not processed, whole, or not whole......if you think that these things get you closer to "healthy" eating, so be it. Everyone needs a fantasy. B)

    What? Where? Defining what a processed food is, is not demonizing. It's just calling a spade a spade, though it's clear that definitions are apparently quite fluid.

    I currently define my healthy diet as getting 85% of my calories from whole foods (beans, lentils, whole grains, potatoes and other tubers, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds). If it physically looks like it did when harvested AND has one single ingredient, it's a whole food to me. The remaining 15% goes to processed/junk food and that includes ice cream, chocolate, biscuits, added oils etc. I evaluate this, as well as the nutrition value (on Cronometer.com) on a weekly basis, not daily.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Traveler120 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    manther88 wrote: »
    Whole food. Foods that aren't in a box, can or package. What do you think people were eating a long time ago? Lol.

    That's not a diet. You can eat huge range of ways without foods in a box, can, or package, some of which will be nutritionally adequate and some of which will not, even apart from whether one also has a healthy approach to food.
    Anything that is processed is bad whether it's fruit or veggies because they still add sugar or salt and other things to it.

    Numerous foods in a "box, can, or package" are without added sugar, salt, or "other things." For example, eggs in a carton (including the ones I get from a local farm). Meat in a package (same). Frozen fish. Canned beans or tomatoes, which can be purchased without any additives. Frozen veg and fruit (normally don't have additives). Most dairy. Dried beans and pasta. Oats. Rice. So on. Even plenty of protein powders.

    .....
    Protein powders are the very definition of a highly processed food. Everything else on that list is a whole food.

    No, everything else on that list falls into the poster's definition of "processed foods" (in a box, can, or package), which that poster was saying couldn't be part of a healthy diet.

    I mentioned protein powder because -- although I of course agree it's highly processed -- it often has no added sugar or salt and often few additives beyond the whey it's made of. So it seems inconsistent with the poster's argument. Which was, rather obviously, the point.

    It would be helpful if you'd try to follow the discussion before jumping in, although if you have something to say that is actually relevant to that discussion I'd be interested.

    I was agreeing with your response with the exception of the protein powder since she was talking about what's a whole food. Seems like a perfectly relevant response on my part.

    And a product having no additives or additional ingredients doesn't make it a whole food. Olives are a whole food. Olive oil has one single ingredient, no additives and it's still a highly processed food.

    I would just like to point out that you don't eat olives straight from the tree. They are washed and then put in a salt bath for a month (at least) and then put in jars with their brine. Olive oil, on the other hand, is washed olives run through a press--we get cold pressed--then put in containers or bottles. In my opinion, olive oil is closer to a natural olive.

    Closer to a natural olive than an actual olive sitting in a salt bath? Haha..ok.

    Yup--just like fresh squeezed orange juice is closer to an orange, than frozen, or dried.

    Ok...you got me....I surrender! By this logic, this means foods like olive oil, potato starch, whey isolate, soy isolate etc which are all extracted from the whole food, are in fact closer to the original whole food than if the original food has been dried, frozen, cooked, brined etc. Brilliant!

    I would think that maybe you should visit a factory (I have witnessed olive oil being pressed) because you should see what you're demonizing up close and personal. These ideas are absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. Processed, not processed, whole, or not whole......if you think that these things get you closer to "healthy" eating, so be it. Everyone needs a fantasy. B)

    What? Where? Defining what a processed food is, is not demonizing. It's just calling a spade a spade, though it's clear that definitions are apparently quite fluid.

    I currently define my healthy diet as getting 85% of my calories from whole foods (beans, lentils, whole grains, potatoes and other tubers, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds). If it physically looks like it did when harvested AND has one single ingredient, it's a whole food to me. The remaining 15% goes to processed/junk food and that includes ice cream, chocolate, biscuits, added oils etc. I evaluate this, as well as the nutrition value (on Cronometer.com) on a weekly basis, not daily.

    Well, I live in Italy, where healthy, informed eating is the norm--not the exception. We have fabulous gelato, chocolates,pizza, pasta, cheeses, hams,sausages, breads, etc, etc. Healthy eating has nothing to do with "whole" foods--it has to do with quality ingredients.

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