What exactly defines "processed" foods?

I have been trying to eat more whole foods lately, but I was wondering about what food that are non veggies and fruits are considered unprocessed exactly?? What about things like tofu, smartdogs, tortilla wraps, etc.??

Sorry I'm so uninformed! Thanks

it's not a yes-or-no propsition; there are sort-of layers of processing.  the closer the food is to it's natural state (the less processing), the better.

read your ingredients lists.  fewer ingredients = less processing.  no chemical ingredients = better than things you can't pronounce. 

tofu, smartdogs, and tortilla wraps aren't unprocessed, obviously (although i don't actually know what a "smartdog" is, i can guess that it doesn't grow out of the earth, and it's not a fresh cut of meat). 

edit: oh - and check the shelf life.  food shouldn't last for weeks without spoiling, you know?

all tofu and soy products are processed but they can be considered good meat alternatives for vegans.

im trying to stay away from most soy products because of how overly processed they are; but, if i have to choose between a steriod and hormone inhanced american slab of meat and a "smartdog", you can count on me to grab the smart dog.

Oh I see, so ideally what would be a good source of unprocessed protein besides tofu? I suppose beans and nuts, egg whites, but what else?

I believe tempeh is considered unprocessed, or very minimally processed.  Also, whole grains have a good amount of protein in their natural state.  Hemp is another great source.

Original Post by cowcow44:

Oh I see, so ideally what would be a good source of unprocessed protein besides tofu? I suppose beans and nuts, egg whites, but what else?

 

 actually any "ranged raised" and grass fed animals such as chicken and cows, even buffalo and yack are really good sources of protein that are not processed. read the package lable (if there is one) and see if any other chemicals were added just to make sure its just "meat"

i have been eating ranged raised, grass fed ground buffalo. no steriods, msg, or hormones added.  very nice!

fish is also a good source of protein if you don't freak over what chemicals were in the water that it was caught in. i personaly don't eat enough fish to worry all that much.

Original Post by moonbay:

all tofu and soy products are processed but they can be considered good meat alternatives for vegans.

there's another issue to consider: the chinese government has been appropriating farm land for industrialization at a crazy rate, which means they can no longer provide enough soy to feed the population.  this has created a huge demand for soy from other parts of the world.  so people are hacking down the rainforest in the congo to make room for soy farming.

the congo is the major source of oxygen for the planet.

it's kind-of a problem.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

Original Post by moonbay:

all tofu and soy products are processed but they can be considered good meat alternatives for vegans.

there's another issue to consider: the chinese government has been appropriating farm land for industrialization at a crazy rate, which means they can no longer provide enough soy to feed the population.  this has created a huge demand for soy from other parts of the world.  so people are hacking down the rainforest in the congo to make room for soy farming.

the congo is the major source of oxygen for the planet.

it's kind-of a problem.

yeah i was actually reading about some of that off of WWF the other day. i would like to grow my own food and have my own gym at home, maybe some day. south american tofu just sounds funny.

I'd recommend getting hold of a copy of Michael Pollan's excellent book 'In Defense of Food' for a good working definition of how to spot a 'food like substance' as opposed to 'real food'.  I can't remember all of his tips but some of them are

• Avoid any food with more than five ingredients or with ingredients that you can't pronounce or recognise
• Avoid any food making health claims.  (Genuinely healthy food can't do this.)
• Avoid foods that your great-grandmother wouldn't be easily able to identify as edible.

You'll find that a lot of vegetarian ready-made products fall foul of the first one because they need lots of ingredients to hold them together and add colour and flavour.   Something like Almond Breeze has a whopping 13 ingredients whereas a good quality pack of pasta should list the ingredients as 'wheat flour'... and not much else.

Unprocessed food generally requires a little preparation and cooking.

Gijane thanks for those tips, that will help my grocery shopping immensely :) Maybe I'll even start making own veggies burgers with veggies and stuff or something!

Here's the basic recipe I use... Spicy Beanburgers  It's just mashed, cooked/canned & drained beans, some oats, grated vegetables and bound together with beaten egg.   (Set aside for an hour to let it all firm up.)   If you have a little food processor that does the chopping part beautifully, I find. The flavour comes from garlic, onion, herbs and spices and you can change these to suit your tastes.   You can form the mixture into burgers or sausage shapes and it freezes great if you want to make some in advance.

Dead easy.... Once you've made your own you'll probably find the shop-bought ones taste rather bland and artificial. 

Original Post by gi-jane:

Here's the basic recipe I use... Spicy Beanburgers  It's just mashed, cooked/canned & drained beans, some oats, grated vegetables and bound together with beaten egg.   (Set aside for an hour to let it all firm up.)   If you have a little food processor that does the chopping part beautifully, I find. The flavour comes from garlic, onion, herbs and spices and you can change these to suit your tastes.   You can form the mixture into burgers or sausage shapes and it freezes great if you want to make some in advance.

Dead easy.... Once you've made your own you'll probably find the shop-bought ones taste rather bland and artificial. 

oh yes ive done that a few times, need to get back into it. if you want a more chunky style just mash the beans & everything together. plus the oats & beans make a more balanced protein. and with the oats you actually feel don't feel you need any bread with it.

I started to make my own tortilla wraps with flaxseed, egg & water. its a little annoying but basically they cook like crepes

Oh yum that sounds delicious! I don't have a food processor would a blender work instead?

Blenders only really work with lumpy liquids because the blades are pretty small.   You can get mini food-processors, they're good.  However, if you've got a cheese grater for the carrots, a fork or a potato masher for the beans and a big sharp knife for things like onions and herbs.... plus a wooden spoon and a bit of elbow-grease, you'll be fine.

Awesome thanks so much :)