Why buy processed foods?

I don't mean to flame, but I do not understand why there is so much emphasis here on branded foods. (veggie burgers? vegan mayo? salad dressings?)

If you wish for health and lower weight, I believe that processed foods, even the vegan ones, are not going to help you. Starting from raw fresh ingredients is much more healthful. You avoid preservatives, emulsifiers and fillers.You control the amount of sugar, salt and fat that goes into your food. You control the vitamins and minerals you consume. And freshly prepared food tastes better, too.

Doesn't anyone cook for themselves? Microwaving a tofu dog or pouring  jarred sauce over pasta isn't cooking. It's assembling. I assemble from time to time, but it's not such a common occurance.

Of course I buy processed ingredients: I don't grind my own flour or make my own soymilk. I buy muesli and tinned kidney beans and dried lentils I didn't grow myself. My container garden doesn't grow enough lettuce to make many salads so I shop for produce. But I put ingredients together into my own veggie burgers. I create my own salad dressings to avoid the emulsifiers and preservatives.

Even when I was eating meat, eggs and dairy I eschewed processed foods for health and flavor reasons. Now that I am being as vegan as possible in a country where fish is in everything,  I do it even more intensely.

Please help me understand why someone (you?) would risk their health, ruin their palate, and spend their money on processed foods.

Well, my grocerie list is mostly fresh produce and frozen veggies, and I buy my bread (when I even bother to buy bread) at a local health food store. I do however occasionally pick up a couple soy burgers, just cause sometimes I need something quick and easy, and pulling them out of the freezer, defrosting in the microwave and cooking takes less than 5 minutes. But, I'll admit I only eat this like once every couple weeks, and the rest of my food (except my soy milk and protein powder) is all from scratch.

I can undertsand why people would opt for the packaged stuff though. Making good meals from scratch takes time, and some people just don't have that luxery.

Is the time needed to feed yourself well a luxury or a necessity? I don't know a single person who can't find 30 minutes in their day to cook a meal if they want to. It's usually that they'd rather persue a hobby or a relaxing activity than care for themselves in the kitchen.

I don't buy the "too busy to cook" explanation.

I agree with Mediathinker. We are in control of our own lives. We choose what we want to do with our time. That's just a cop out. They just CHOOSE not to take the time to cook a meal. There's nothing wrong with that if that's what a person wants to do. I'm just pointing out that the "time thing" is an excuse.

I dunno.. I've had days where I get up, go to work, get home and suddenly a million things are requiring my attention. Some days just are so busy! Like, during exam season at school, You get up, spend the entire day cramming and that 30 minutes could be the difference of a pass or a fail on the exam, or 30 minute you couldve used for much needed sleep.

I imagine having a few kids around the house could make time difficult to find as well.

But, I agree, for the most part. Alot of people are eating packaged food when they really dont need to be. But I think once a week wouldnt be so bad.

I'm not sure how constructive your approach is. Although there may be a few people out there who don't realise what they are doing, i think i would tend to credit most people with enough intelligence to realise that eating everything prepackaged is perhaps not the best idea. Making people feel more guilty about something they do, perhaps out of necessity, be it time pressures or whatever, is generally not going to help change behaviour. Especailly since you seem to be directing this towards a vegetarian audience, who i would imagine to be more aware of their food choices.

As a non American i find the types of process foods discussed here mind boggling, but I certainly would never criticise somebody for choosing to use them. Although i am sure we can all be healthier, for many people using tofu burgers or pasta sauce may be a big improvement over the fastfood they were eating before. They may not have appropriate cooking facilities, or live by themselves which makes going and cooking more elaborate meals from scratch actually take alot of time per serving of food. Also I imagine they would be handy if you were the only vegetarian in the house and had to make you meals fit in with those who were eating meat.

mediatinker, is it really so inconceivable that you cannot possibly understand it? you admit to using some processed items, what are your reasons? i bet they're not so different from the rest of us. how about these for reasons : convenience. taste. limited resources. different priorities.

good for you if you have the ability & inclination to make so many of your meals from scratch, but not everyone can or wants to do that - either because they don't have the resources or they aren't talented cooks or they just plain like the taste of prepared foods. your holier-than-thou approach is kind of uncalled for and mean. 

and i think your initial premise is way off base : this site has LOTS of emphasis on the nutritional superiority of fresh/whole/raw/unprocessed foods; but the practical reality is that people live lives that don't 100% revolve around food, so sometimes factors other than making the most healthful meals come into play. the "time thing" isn't an "excuse," it's simply a statement of priorities, and like it or not, some people place other things as a higher priority than always eating a healthy meal. occasionally, this isn't a problem and i think it's very condescending of you to treat it as a problem.  

i think it's laudable that folks here are trying - trying to make healthy choices and trying to replace processed foods with whole/home-made foods in their diets. i don't think it's constructive to treat the choice to eat processed food as some indefensible crime against our bodies. to the extent people do not realize processed foods might be less healthful than whole foods, your effort to educate folks on that point could be presented in a much less inflammatory manner. intentional or not, i think you did flame.

I'm not trying to be constructive.

I've been constructive for years and it's gone nowhere, really. I've helped friends learn to cook, shown them how to choose healthy food options, shared recipes, fed them well-designed meals myself. Not in an overbearing way but with enthusiasm from all parties. But they always seem to slide back into "I'm to busy to cook" and buy unhealthy, processed convenience foods to assemble meals quickly. They value their leisure over their health and the pleasure of good food.

I'm not a martyr to healthy eating.  I like junk food as well as anyone. But I try not to indulge very often if I want to stay healthy.
 
I know many people are aware of what they eat and try their best like I do. But there are so many posts in even these vegetarian forums about processed foods that I thought this might be a suitable place to ask people with favorite brands why they buy them at all.

"just plain like the taste of prepared foods"

Do you know that when you travel, you can taste the differences between what food regulations and laws are on the books in the countries you visit? Various kinds of preservatives, emulsifiers, fillers taste different. So depending on what is allowed or not allowed, you'll find that processed food and snack foods taste different. It's subtle and difficult to describe, but it's noticable.

I guess people get used to the flavors of these additives, but doesn't it seem a shame that they prefer them to unadulterated foods?

I find this thread upsetting because I know I eat more processed stuff than is good for me, but I feel stuck. I have mental health problems (I'm on disability - can't work) and I just don't have the energy to create things in the kitchen very often. Time is not an issue; energy is. So a lot of the time when I'm deciding what to eat it's "what can I put between two slices of bread"

In the bad old days this was typically something like ham. Then I went through a stage of cooking up several chicken breasts to make into sandwiches. Now it's veggie burgers and stuff, more often than not: I'm eating a lot more processed food now that I'm vegetarian. I don't really like it but I feel stuck.

I want to make good food a priority but I have a limited ability to respond to that call. And I'd really rather not be called lazy.

I guess people get used to the flavors of these additives, but doesn't it seem a shame that they prefer them to unadulterated foods?

Why is it a shame what other people prefer?

all I have to say is TO EACH HIS OWN!

It is VERY difficult to avoid processed food and/or ingredients even MOST of the time let alone ALL of the time.

To think, that so many people are doing the best they can in acheiving their goals just to have someone come and squash them because they are not doing it THEIR way.

There is more than one right way.

There are healthy things you can slap on bread that aren't processed.

Slice a tomato and grab some lettuce or spinach leaves. Stuff them into a pita or onto some bread. Voila, a healthy sandwich in less time than it takes to nuke a veggie burger.

Use the times you do have kitchen energy to prepare for when you don't. Mix up a nut spread, make a black olive paste, stir up a tofu dip/dressing. Those will all keep in the fridge for a couple of days and can be slathered on bread, used to top a salad or as a dip with sliced vegetables.

Or cook up lentil stew or beans and rice in a large batch. Freeze individual portions and treat it as convenience food on a busy day.

If you care about getting unstuck in your eating habits, use your energy to make another small change. You've already switched from ham to chicken to veggie burgers. You can make another small change and then another and soon you'll be closer to where you really want to be.

I don't mean to call people lazy and I understand that we comprise a wide variety of situations and motivations. It's helpful for me to hear some of yours. Thanks.

Dude, its like you're lecturing us for no reason, thats all.  I totally agree with you as far as all these nifty little creations that you can prepare for yourself, I do that too. But as far as somebody passing judgement on my level of creativity and motivation because my diet is mixed with processed foods sometimes....its just not right.

Furthermore, sometimes $ = TIME. We are not all here to save a buck. Plenty of us have plenty of bucks.

This is a very interesting topic, and one that I am very passionate about.  I think processed foods should be used as sparingly as possible.  I also know that I eat something processed every day, and it's because I make the choice to prioritize my time in other manners such that I do not have the ability to eat everything unprocessed.

To follow up on lysistrata's post #10, what I think is a shame is that this could be a wonderful, thought provoking question that could really open some people's eyes up to the situation.  And mediatinker, it's a shame that you initiated it guns blazing, putting people on the immediate defensive.  If you aren't trying to be constructive, as you said, I'm not sure why you started the post?  I would like to hear people's opinions, but it will be harder for people to post if they feel you (or anyone else) are going to attack them for explaining why they eat processed foods.

Let's all give this topic the attention and thought it deserves.  And while we're at it, please respect the posting guidelines and refrain from making inflammatory comments or posts.  The obligatory moderator statement is a good reminder here. 

I don't buy the "too busy to cook" explanation.

Don't buy the "too busy to cook" explanation?  I have four sons and work extensive hours.  Our daily routine consists of waking up at 5:30 am to get ready for school/work.  I don't arrive home until 5:30 pm, in which we have to be to the baseball field by 5:45 every night of the week.  We have a game at 6:15, then one at 8:10 so we don't arrive home until 10:15 most nights.  Yes, I LOVE to cook, so much so that I would like to pursue a culinary career later in life when my kids are grown.  BUT, as you can see, some of us truly have to rely on the evils of processed and fast food as much as we dislike it.  I do try to prepare as many meals as possible on the weekend (and during the weekdays that we do have free time) to eat during the week, but again, on the weekend we have endless activities aside from cleaning a house where 6 people live, homework, cooking, etc. and we're just plain exhausted sometimes!  I would love more time, but just simply don't have that luxury! 

Why *did* I start this topic? 

I was browsing the forums this morning seeing post after post relating to processed foods - KFC, Newman's salad dressing, egg-washed breads, gelatine-containing whatever, favorite veggie burger brands. It stunned me. Where were the whole food, healthy eating posts? Aren't we all trying to diet here? Aren't vegetarians usually more actively involved in the provenance of their food? I had to find out where my assumptions and the reality of the forums had split.

I didn't intend to get the guns out, but judging by the angry reactions to my irritated post, I guess I must have. Having been online for longer than some of you have been alive, I should know better. My apologies for stirring the pot.

I hope we can move on to have a civilised discussion about processed foods and their role in a contemporary diet.

No doubt you already can tell my views - processed foods feed the corporate congolmerates but not our bodies or souls. What do you think?

Its cool, and I would much rather cook or prepare food in my own kitchen as well - my #1 concern is food poisoning because I've had it 3 times and the final one I ended up in the hospital for. It's hard to trust people with your food!

Raw fresh ingredients are going to be better for you all around and I'd rather make my own dressings, marinades, sauces, spreads,  and all that stuff. I'm not even vegetarian but just very much a do it yourselfer when it comes to food. There are shortcuts that are not 100% fresh too - for example, if you're making a spaghetti sauce instead of buying it ready made in a jar, just using tomato paste or sauce and adding the water and other herbs/spices/veggies to it yourself.

I'm sure everybody could improve....and it does help with weight and over all health. 

One thing I'm not sure about is the saving money part....it all depends.

After all of the effort I went through to lose weight, I totally agree that processed foods will not be your savior--even high fiber, low fat ones.  Canned soups are okay, but too salty, tinny, overcooked, and preserved (no matter how good the brand).  Canned beans?  They don't provide any of the power that my own cooked beans do (and you know what I mean by that).  I actually don't buy much in the cans, anyway.  I'm even iffy about cereal (often high sugar, and a co-worker read that the sprayed triglycerides affect the fiber content--made me wonder why my cereal is so shiny). 

My whole weight loss experience proved that you must cook at least half of it yourself, and maybe buy prepared foods from a reputable local market (and have a good eye and tongue to know that their ingredients are all fresh and not over-prepared). 

I will say this until I die--you MUST make fiber your best friend if you ever plan to lose weight the healthy way, and for good.  The creeps at Atkins should be shot for trying to keep you from it. 

processed foods feed the corporate congolmerates but not our bodies or souls.

I think this statement is impossibly broad.  As you've said, it is basically impossible to eat no processed foods at all.  Even produce at the grocery store has been "processed" in the sense that it has been mechanically harvested, sorted, cleaned and packed before heading to the grocery store.  Processing does not necessarily affect the nutritional value of food.  I'm not sure I understand the point you're making about feeding the soul.

So, in my mind, the real issue is where to draw the line.  Like you, I buy processed whole foods like beans, grains, frozen fruits and vegetables, canned tomatoes, packaged spices, eggs, etc.  I also buy processed manufactured foods like soy milk, soy sauce, cheese, noodles, and, yes, veggie burgers (sometimes).  Most of the meals I cook - and I cook pretty much every night of the week - include a mix of manufactured foods and whole foods.  So, for example, if I have a veggie burger for dinner, I'll have it on homemade wholegrain bread with some vegetables on the side.

Why do I buy the manufactured foods?  For convenience.  I am perfectly capable of making delicious curries from scratch, as well as breads and vegetable dishes, and I do so pretty often.  But, as carrihound pointed out, I also have a lot of other interests besides cooking.  Sometimes I might prefer to take the 60-90 minutes I would ordinarily spend cooking and go out with my husband instead.  On those occasions, a veggie burger is a very convenient option for me to have around.

So I take the opposite view; by having a variety of options available, including some manufactured foods, I am able to feed myself and my family a healthy, well-rounded diet, and enjoy the time with them that makes a long, healthy life worth living.

mediatinker: I appreciate your response to my post in this thread. I already do a few of things you suggest: my cucumber and tomato sandwich should sound familiar to you, and I often will cook up a huge batch of chili and freeze most of it (yum mushrooms and beans!). I responded to the urgency in your post (what? I have to reform right away? I'm a bad veggie!) with a wish that I'd hurry when, after all, I've only been vegetarian for 2 1/2 months. I'm still in the learning phase. I do like what I hear from people like you and pandajenn, and fresh food is much tastier, anyway.

(btw using spinach instead of cucumber in those sandwiches sounds great, and would help me with my intake of those precious Dark Green Leafy Veggies:)