Are Processed Foods "Bad"?

Some processed foods are great. Some are pretty calorie heavy and nutrient poor.

Can't make a blanket statement

I noticed processed foods, factory not home made foods have a tendency to include sweeteners when there is no real reason for them too. Who expects sweeteners in savoury meals? Its usually in there! Also processed foods sold as low fat have to conceal the lack of fat with the addition of sweeteners. Also processed foods are often high in artificial flavourings. In the past months people who consume high volumes of processed foods are being shown to be at greater risk of our 21st century health issues. Home preparation gives you control of the different substances/chemicals you introduce into your body. Its each to their own.

How else can the " organic food" industry be able to enter the food market, compete and profit against the big processing companies that are a big part of your life? By spreading propoganda. The strategy works in politics too.

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

I think it is snobbery to me.

Do you mean some people have an attitude of being better than others or superior because they claim to not eat processed foods? I do notice that a lot. It's weird because we're so fortunate to have access to these types of foods. It seems contradictory to me.

Yes. The “I only make things from scratch” mantra. Some people just don’t have time to do this and then the guilt of not making things from scratch. Or don’t use frozen foods because shucking peas is easier. Right? Makes me feel like a loser Yes, I have a flour mill at home to grind my own grain. JK Therefore, you are not good enough. When I see these statements, I want to say a big fat “Whatever”.

I am a bit of an amateur here, but I am going to take a whack at it.

"Processed" literally means something has been done to it. So if you have too much corn, say, and you freeze it, it is now processed. Cooking is processing food. Pasteurization is processing. Cutting meat and packaging it is processing. Not all processing is bad.

I think the "processed food" to which you refer is convenience foods or refined foods. Convenience foods are generally bad because they have additional fats, salt, and sugar added for stability and taste. What they also do is cause an insulin spike when eaten. This creates a feeling of satiety but it also tricks the blood and brain into thinking you've eaten enough and therefore processes the rest into fat. You've heard of things like "glycemic index," they can tell you how quickly the food is converted into sugars.

Refined foods are much the same. White flour, white sugar, quick oats, breakfast cereals. They all convert right to sugar. Quickly. So your insulin spikes, the body thinks you've eaten enough, the rest gets stored as fat.

Someone said they think it is snobbery, and, to a certain extent, they are correct. Processed and refined foods are often associated with the poor. And there is nothing white folk love to do more than to sit around and discuss what is best for the poor. Most believe if they just went to education camps, they wouldn't do silly things like shop at Wal-Mart or eat Kraft Dinner. They'd buy Priuses and shop at Whole Foods and farmers' markets.

Calories are calories. If weight loss is your goal, then take in fewer calories than you burn. I'm with you. I love a glass of booze, maybe two. I like some Ben & Jerry's (well, until the Hippie hypocrites took their billion-dollar payout from Unilever). But, because I am working so hard, it is a choice and I make sure I have the calories available to do so. But to deprive yourself is just silly. And diet ice cream sucks.

My neighbor, a vegetarian, ordered a pizza and they delivered one with meat. They said keep it and they'll bring the right one. He brought it over for me. Hell, yeah, I ate some. I just exercised more during the week and took away some calories. Obviously, I am trying to lose weight. And I am doing great at it. My birthday is in April and I am going to drink booze and eat all kinds of crap. I'll just take in fewer calories the week before and after and exercise a little more.

Don't avoid foods because they are there for convenience. One of my favorite lazy-lunches is the Celeste Pizza for One. I am eating right and counting calories and it means I am cooking everything. Once in a while, I don't want to cook. And those little pizzas come in at around 360 calories. That and a side of vegetables makes a quick meal. But the Marie Callender pot pie, at 1,100 calories, I avoid those.

But if I want a pot pie, I'm gonna eat it. I'm just going to have a smaller breakfast and lunch.

Do what works for you. I eat 1,800 calories a day and fast on Mondays. I don't want to deal with a 1,500 calorie diet, making choices and saying yes or no. I don't want to plan meals for the week. So fasting one day a week gives me flexibility. And it gives me a hedge if a neighbor shows up with a pizza. I exercise six days a week. I average about four pounds per week of weight loss. I have always been thin, so I know with some judicious behavior right now, I'll be the way I want in a few more months. You are doing something different and that is fine. But if all this work sucks, what's the point? Eat the cake, have the booze. Just make sure it's not all the time.

Enjoy life, eat well, and remember we're on a marathon, not a sprint.

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

Packerjohn wrote: »

Some processed foods are great. Some are pretty calorie heavy and nutrient poor.

Can't make a blanket statement

I don't usually see people who claim to avoid processed foods to distinguish between the ones that are "great" and the one that are calorie heavy and nutrient poor.

Besides, what's wrong with a delicious piece of cake on occasion esp if it's within the context of an overall balanced diet?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a delicious piece of cake every so often. The problem is people by nature are wired to suck at moderation. Understand that from an evolutionary aspect, to encourage our survival we are wired to crave and desire sugar, fat, and salt laden foods. This is where processed foods begin to spiral downward for a lot of people. The term "processed" doesn't mean it's inherently bad. Ground flax seeds are technically processed. For those of us who choose to minimize processed foods we are looking at the nutritional effects of the processing and overall product. White vs whole grain wheat is a decent example. Complete removal of the germ and endosperm from the wheat kernel results in it becoming devoid of micronutrients. That's where enrichment starts to come in. Enrichment of vitamins is great, but you still lose phytochemicals by stripping 2/3 of the kernel away. This is a pretty simple example but yes there are nutritional concerns with processed foods. The frozen meals, potato chips, crackers, packaged cereals, pre-flavored rice and noodle packets, etc. are all highly processed and typically filled with at least one of the three crave worthy flavors I listed above. Sadly, because they are often so tasty, it actually encourages and makes it harder for us to stop eating. The how's and why's of that are still being investigated and it is largely pointing to how your microbiome changes while you eat. Overall, calories are still king and even if you eat a processed diet, if you keep your calories in check you should be able to gain, lose, or maintain weight as you choose. For health though, overall, processed foods come with concerns.

For me, I stick to minimal processing. Buying things like nuts already out of the shell, ground flax seeds, etc. What I don't like is feeling like something has control over me. It's why I quit smoking. I do not like food cravings and I struggled with them for a long time. When I stick to my non-processed way of eating, (which is also plant centered for my main source of all nutrients) my cravings vanish within a few days and that is amazing to me. What I've been noticing and finding interesting also is that when a holiday comes around and I eat the more processed foods (sweets especially) I end up with cravings again for a few days.

It just comes down to how a person views what is processed. Red potato is a staple in a lot of my meals. It's 1 ingredient but it went through some machine before being put in a bag and sent to Costco but is that packaging or is it processed? I personally look at processed as anything I can't pronounce in plain English or added salts/sugars that have no real purpose in being added. Mostly I just follow an 80/20 logic. All the food in my apartment are things like chicken, vegetables, fruits, coconut and sparkling water. I even have bags of Cape Cod Sea Salt Kettle Potato chips. You would think chips are bad and while not great from a calorie/carb perspective it's actually just potato, sea salt and a basic oil prepared in a kettle. But I'm not so hardcore with it that if I want to stop at Baskin Robbins and have an ice cream I can't. Just a personal preference that I've stuck to for over a year that has shed the weight, built muscle mass and gotten me out of pre-diabetes range. I can't say that I count every calorie and I mostly use MFP to track nutrients, carb/protein/fat intake etc since eating mostly simple foods keeps me from feeling hungry and usually calories aren't an issue. My workouts are so intense between HIIT, lifting and Power Yoga that it all balances itself out in an overall week.

Prime_Rib wrote: »

Someone said they think it is snobbery, and, to a certain extent, they are correct. Processed and refined foods are often associated with the poor. And there is nothing white folk love to do more than to sit around and discuss what is best for the poor. Most believe if they just went to education camps, they wouldn't do silly things like shop at Wal-Mart or eat Kraft Dinner. They'd buy Priuses and shop at Whole Foods and farmers' markets.

So white folk can't be poor? That's news to me and the people I live around! Hey guys - you aren't poor; you only think you are!

My view in it is as long as my diet is overall well balanced, I get my micronutrients and fiber...then having a processed food here and there isn't the end of the world. I won't lose sleep over it that's for sure.

The Diet industry needed a new catchphrase and “processed foods” appeals to food snobs whilst being too ambiguous to ever prove or disprove scientifically.

It’s not that there’s anything inherently ‘bad’ about processed foods assuming portions are controlled, but junk food manufacturers very carefully create their products to be extremely palatable. There’s evidence your brain responds to foods that are high in salt, fat, and sugar by increasing your appetite so you want to eat way more than you need. You can avoid this response more easily with home cooked food. So yes, you can eat processed foods and still lose weight, you just need to be aware.

The book ‘outsmarting the hungry brain’ is written by an obesity researcher and describes this phenomenon in more detail.

When someone says "processed foods" my mind immediately goes to Cheetos Puffs and Velveeta. Both of those items have a (limited) spot in my diet.

happytree923 wrote: »

That's true, but I'd bet most home kitchens don't have a team of researchers tweaking recipes to make them as palatable as humanly possible. Large-scale food manufacturers do.

Home cooked unhealthy food is also way less convenient, when's the last time someone you know stopped at the grocery store to get everything they needed to make homemade burgers and fries and then went home and spent an hour making it instead of stopping at McDonald's? So yes, it's possible, but you really need the convenience of fast/packaged foods to make impulsive bad food decisions.

I am a researcher of one plus my test subjects( hubster and kiddo) in which I am forever tweaking recipes to make them more palatable. I make hamburgers with fries at home all the time.