Processed foods
packersfan0103
Posts: 251 Member
What’s your opinion. I’ve heard different things. Like you shouldn’t eat anything that comes in a package. Well as far as snacks go. Pretzels come in a package but considered a healthy snack. Ground turkey or most meats for that matter come in a package. Then I heard you shouldn’t consume processed foods that have more the 4/5 ingredients. Some whole grains breads, now please correct me if I’m wrong have more than 5 ingredients. I’ve also heard MINIMALLY processed foods are ok.
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I don't eat very many highly processed foods, but I don't really think there's anything inherently wrong with them.
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My opinion - eat foods you like, any foods, within your calorie allowance. Make good choices, but don't cut out foods you love.
I occasionally eat pizza and cheeseburgers, potato chips, etc. I have ice cream or chocolate pretty much every day. I have been losing just fine.
Scare mongering food is huge. And unnecessary. Unless you are allergic to it or have another medical reason not to eat something, eat anything you please.12 -
As you have pointed out, there are many problems with the silly "rules" that you are talking about. You can eat whatever you like in moderation and within your calorie and macro goals. If you like pretzels, then eat pretzels...even if they break the "rules".8
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I eat food that's tasty, and fits my calories and macros.
And fruit and veg.6 -
we live in a world where everything is processed. Following unnecessary rules is, Unnecessary lol.6
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It's all sort of processed. Even putting fresh raw fruits through a juicer delivers a processed product which is devoid of valuable fiber.
Your OP prompts me to describe the ingredients in my homemade whole wheat bread.
1. Butter
2. Flour, 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 fine bread flour
3. water,
4. milk powder, although some recipes call for milk instead of both water and milk powder.
5. sugar
6. yeast, in the recipes that call for milk, this would be 5 ingredients
7. ground flax seeds
8. chia seeds
My last 2 ingredients are not necessary to make basic bread. They add Omega 3, protein, and fiber to the bread. They do not render the bread 'junk'.4 -
Thank you all for your feedback. I guess it’s really all about making healthy choices. Pretzels over say, Oreos. Whole grain toast over maybe sourdough. Unless maybe one slice of sourdough. Baked potato over French fried. Grilled chicken over fried chicken. As far as dessert goes. I have an ice cream maker and it does say in the little user handbook to consume what you’ve made within a few days because it does not have all of the preservatives as store bought stuff.1
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »It's all sort of processed. Even putting fresh raw fruits through a juicer delivers a processed product which is devoid of valuable fiber.
Your OP prompts me to describe the ingredients in my homemade whole wheat bread.
1. Butter
2. Flour, 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 fine bread flour
3. water,
4. milk powder, although some recipes call for milk instead of both water and milk powder.
5. sugar
6. yeast, in the recipes that call for milk, this would be 5 ingredients
7. ground flax seeds
8. chia seeds
My last 2 ingredients are not necessary to make basic bread. They add Omega 3, protein, and fiber to the bread. They do not render the bread 'junk'.
So do you make just enough so that it is all consumed within a few days.
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At one stage of this journey, I was treating 1 serving of prunes as sweet dessert, fruit, and fiber all at the same time. These days I include 4 oz of Blue Bell No Sugar Added ice cream, 90 calories, almost every day, and try to include 1 square of dark chocolate each evening.3
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I haven't seen any evidence that there is anything wrong with eating processed food. It's such a meaningless word.
The key IMHO is making sure you are getting the nutrition you need, and my gut tells me including a reasonable amount of whole foods is a good idea for health. I just make sure I get enough protein and fiber and am constantly trying to increase the veggies and fruit in my diet. Beyond that, I don't think having a Hot Pocket or a Twinkie is that big deal. <shrug>6 -
packersfan0103 wrote: »What’s your opinion. I’ve heard different things. Like you shouldn’t eat anything that comes in a package. Well as far as snacks go. Pretzels come in a package but considered a healthy snack. Ground turkey or most meats for that matter come in a package. Then I heard you shouldn’t consume processed foods that have more the 4/5 ingredients. Some whole grains breads, now please correct me if I’m wrong have more than 5 ingredients. I’ve also heard MINIMALLY processed foods are ok.
Any saying about processed foods that could be put on a bumper sticker probably won't help you make better diet and life choices.4 -
I eat processed foods, but i also eat fresh whole foods. I try not to make processed foods the majority of my diet, just a part of it.2
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I haven't seen any evidence that there is anything wrong with eating processed food. It's such a meaningless word.
The key IMHO is making sure you are getting the nutrition you need, and my gut tells me including a reasonable amount of whole foods is a good idea for health. I just make sure I get enough protein and fiber and am constantly trying to increase the veggies and fruit in my diet. Beyond that, I don't think having a Hot Pocket or a Twinkie is that big deal. <shrug>
Just not for breakfast lunch and dinner.1 -
astronaught wrote: »packersfan0103 wrote: »What’s your opinion. I’ve heard different things. Like you shouldn’t eat anything that comes in a package. Well as far as snacks go. Pretzels come in a package but considered a healthy snack. Ground turkey or most meats for that matter come in a package. Then I heard you shouldn’t consume processed foods that have more the 4/5 ingredients. Some whole grains breads, now please correct me if I’m wrong have more than 5 ingredients. I’ve also heard MINIMALLY processed foods are ok.
Any saying about processed foods that could be put on a bumper sticker probably won't help you make better diet and life choices.
Agreed. I’ve just heard so many different things. I was curious about what others thought.
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I eat what I want. I feel best when I exercise fairly regularly, and meet my minimum protein, fat, fiber, and other nutrition goals... And when I get most of the carbs allowed it to me for the day. I don't worry about going over for my sugars or going over for my sodium.
I eat a lot of Lean Cuisine and other packaged food. I really don't care. I eat what I like and what is convenient.
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Christine_72 wrote: »I eat processed foods, but i also eat fresh whole foods. I try not to make processed foods the majority of my diet, just a part of it.
I’ve heard so many different things. I was just wondering what others thought about the whole processed vs. fresh foods only and was hoping to get some tips on what others might recommend as far as snacking.
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You will find 90 gazillion different opinions over everything.
You don't have to eat clean to lose weight you only have to watch your calories. I used to be all angsty over food... Organic versus non-organic... Process versus not processed... And then I realized we're all going to die anyway. LOL. I might as well enjoy myself while I am here.
Most important way to stay healthy is to be at a healthy weight. And all I need to do that is cut my calories. A calorie truly is a calorie regardless of what other people, and so-called gurus and experts, Macy.1 -
The only rules I follow are:
1) Hit my macros
2) Get my nutrients and fiber
3) Make sure I hit my minimum protein
The rest is all noise, if I feel like Pizza and I have my three rules in check, then I'll have my pizza or my kraft processed cheese or whatever is listed as junk or processed.
It's all about our individual choices, if you want to eat only "healthy" food and it makes you happy, so be it. I like to Yolo as long as my goals are being met.3 -
I eat what I want. I feel best when I exercise fairly regularly, and meet my minimum protein, fat, fiber, and other nutrition goals... And when I get most of the carbs allowed it to me for the day. I don't worry about going over for my sugars or going over for my sodium.
I eat a lot of Lean Cuisine and other packaged food. I really don't care. I eat what I like and what is convenient.
It’s the convenience part that gets me. Working 2 jobs dealing with the kids trying to keep the house in order.
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packersfan0103 wrote: »I eat what I want. I feel best when I exercise fairly regularly, and meet my minimum protein, fat, fiber, and other nutrition goals... And when I get most of the carbs allowed it to me for the day. I don't worry about going over for my sugars or going over for my sodium.
I eat a lot of Lean Cuisine and other packaged food. I really don't care. I eat what I like and what is convenient.
It’s the convenience part that gets me. Working 2 jobs dealing with the kids trying to keep the house in order.
Exactly. You've got to do what works for you, that will keep you on track without overwhelming you or causing you to burn out and give up. Too many rules makes it a huge burden.2 -
packersfan0103 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »I eat processed foods, but i also eat fresh whole foods. I try not to make processed foods the majority of my diet, just a part of it.
I’ve heard so many different things. I was just wondering what others thought about the whole processed vs. fresh foods only and was hoping to get some tips on what others might recommend as far as snacking.
Processed foods are such a range of different things that I think anyone who generalizes about them as if you could just isn't thinking it through. And so often the people who slam processed foods the most eat them and just seem to pretend like the ones they eat aren't "processed" somehow, or perhaps not to understand what "processed" means.
I have personal preferences about how I like to eat, and a lot of that is cooking from whole foods (and some processed ones, like tofu or canned tomatoes or dried pasta or steel cut oats, for just a few examples, and some pre-ground spices or even a spice mix or condiment like sriracha). But if asked whether something is healthy I don't think whether it's "processed" is a good measure at all. I'd read the nutrition label and ingredients (if it had one) and think about how it fits into my overall diet and goals. I can make french fries at home, in theory, with a deep fryer (although I never do) or buy them, and that they are "only occasionally" foods for me because hard to fit into my usual goals and something I tend to overeat is not affected by whether I make them from whole potatoes at home or someone else does at a restaurant for me. (Now if I cook them in a less caloric way it might, but that has nothing to do with processed or not.)1 -
I also think that thinking about what's sustainable for YOU is what's important. If obsessing about having to never use a convenience product makes it harder and something you are less likely to consider worth it, and using a convenience product fits well in your life and you have a healthy diet with lots of micronutrients using that convenience product, why not? Before I knew how to cook I used to make a package of rice and beans and then add some vegetables -- baby step cooking. Not a bad choice at all, even though someone who thought "processed" was unhealthy might have discouraged me and made me think I might as well not bother and just ignore nutrition since I wasn't doing it right anyway. That's why the anti processing bothers me in part (the other part is just that it makes no sense, why not focus on nutrition and not pretend like something being "processed" tells us anything much about it, without more),3
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packersfan0103 wrote: »Thank you all for your feedback. I guess it’s really all about making healthy choices. Pretzels over say, Oreos. Whole grain toast over maybe sourdough. Unless maybe one slice of sourdough. Baked potato over French fried. Grilled chicken over fried chicken. As far as dessert goes. I have an ice cream maker and it does say in the little user handbook to consume what you’ve made within a few days because it does not have all of the preservatives as store bought stuff.
I think this is a better mind set than blanket statements about good/bad. I eat pretzels, peanut butter, and chocolate almost daily. But I also eat fresh veggies, a little fruit, and some protein daily. I'm a big veggie eater. One of my friends nicknamed me "Rabbit".2 -
Processing makes food more calorically dense. If you are staying within your calorie goals without feeling hungry then that's not a problem. If you are struggling with hunger, then eating more unprocessed food can help satisfy with fewer calories.7
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once you cook meat, its processed. pretty much aside from raw fruits and veg, everything is processed in SOME way.
what i consider (and everyone is different) is the prepackaged (often frozen) convenience foods. frozen meals. hamburger helper (which ive always though was gross lol), etc.
i make most things from scratch. its healthier and cheaper once you have a well stocked kitchen of staples. does that mean i never break down and throw a frozen pizza in the oven, or a frozen lasagna, or some kind of frozen skillet meal? no, i do. but i try to keep it rare. but im a single mom, i work full time, am gone 12 hours a day, and if i havent planned .... it happens. cause the kid has to eat something. i really do try to keep it to a couple of times a month though.
preplanning is your friend. the crock pot is your friend. usually on friday i figure out roughly what im going to make, and make my shopping list accordingly. i shop on saturday morning. crock pot stuff i can usually prep ahead and put in a freezer bag to pull out the morning i want it, and the other stuff i have a plan of attack for as to if i need to prep the morning before, or if its something i can toss together right after work.2 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »once you cook meat, its processed. pretty much aside from raw fruits and veg, everything is processed in SOME way.
what i consider (and everyone is different) is the prepackaged (often frozen) convenience foods. frozen meals. hamburger helper (which ive always though was gross lol), etc.
i make most things from scratch. its healthier and cheaper once you have a well stocked kitchen of staples. does that mean i never break down and throw a frozen pizza in the oven, or a frozen lasagna, or some kind of frozen skillet meal? no, i do. but i try to keep it rare. but im a single mom, i work full time, am gone 12 hours a day, and if i havent planned .... it happens. cause the kid has to eat something. i really do try to keep it to a couple of times a month though.
preplanning is your friend. the crock pot is your friend. usually on friday i figure out roughly what im going to make, and make my shopping list accordingly. i shop on saturday morning. crock pot stuff i can usually prep ahead and put in a freezer bag to pull out the morning i want it, and the other stuff i have a plan of attack for as to if i need to prep the morning before, or if its something i can toss together right after work.
I 100% agree with this. You explained it perfectly
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"Processed foods" just isn't a very useful term in my opinion. I generally prefer food that is altered as little as is practical but there are few rules written in stone and none that I would try to impose on anyone else. My steel cut oats are a lot closer to the way the seed comes off the plant than rolled or instant oatmeal but I buy them that way because I like them better.
Pretty late in life to think about becoming a vegetarian or vegan but the idea appeals to me. Gave away all the smoked hocks, bacon, ham and such from the fridge and freezer the first of the year, Have resolved not to buy processed meats anymore but did it to improve the quality of my life, not the pigs and cattle that I think we're abusing. By processed meats I mean cured, smoked, or salted, for example, bacon, ham, smoked hocks, and most sausage.
Gave up most cheeses in 2018 too; not because I've got anything against the cheesemaking or fermentation processes but because I'm personally unable to moderate my cheddar and swiss consumption. Going to try to keep parmesan on hand though; we'll see how that works out. Nothing against distillers or moonshiners but don't keep whiskey in the house on the same principal. Tempted to quit dairy in general because I disapprove of the way agribusiness treats animals but instead, I'm going to become acquainted with milk alternatives and learn how to cook tofu. Might go further down that road.
I get most of my groceries from the produce, meat/fish, and dairy sections but there are always at least a few "processed" items on my list from the center aisles.2
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