What are processed foods?

Im trying to eat way healthier, its one of my New Years resolutions. Im going to limit myself to one junkfood treat a week if that, only whole grains, lots more fruits and veggies and stuff etc.

I also want to cut out processed foods but Im not really sure what examples of processed foods are? Can anyone help me out on this? Like, what are processed foods and what are examples of processed foods so I can avoid them, thanks

Technically, processed foods are mostly the ones not found in the produce department in their natural state. 

Processed foods more recently though refers to those which lose nutritional value or become otherwise less healthy because of processing.  This excludes processed foods like the milk that is homogenized, flaxseed that as been ground or vegetables that are quick-frozen.

Refined flour foods are one of the most comman.  Theyve had critical fiber and nutrients removed to extend shelf life.  They sometimes use enriched flour to supplement back some of the nutrients which is better then having none but still lack the fiber and important nutrients lost in processing.     

Additives like presevatives, sodium, sweetners and fat are another source of processing that should be avoided or limited in consumption.  Checking canned goods and condiments can help with this. 

It is a comman marketing ploy to promte a product healthy that isnt by focusing on one healthy component.  Checking ingredient listing can help determine this.  Promoting low sugar, sodium or fat may include a high replacing it with a high amount of one of the other two or both.  Whole grain products range from healthy to misleading, based on how early in the ingredient listings the term whole grain appears and to be healthy, it should be listed first.

This LINK is to a calorie count post which includes lots of examples of processed foods, as well as healthier choices.

Vegetables that are quick-frozen I would label as minimally-processed as their nutritional values normally remain high. 

When looking at ingredient labels of packaged foods, if you see things added like HFCS, sugar, or things you can't pronounce (like perservatives etc), then I consider them highly processed as the manufacturer is adding things back into the product since  the good things were stripped away during processing (as sun123 stated).

In order to avoid "processed foods," you should try eating locally - buying fresh vegetables from local farmers at markets and obtaining free range, pastured chickens and eggs, grass-fed beef, etc. Grow your own garden. These things may not be available to you if you are in a city, but check out

http://www.localharvest.org

to see if there are farmers in your area that offer produce/meat to the public.

ALMOST anything that comes in a box, bag, or can is processed, with the exception of flash-frozen fruits and veggies and as someone mentioned certain ground (usually bulk purchased) grains and some milks. Avoiding this is often called "clean eating" which is a good search term for you.

It's almost certainly the healthiest way to eat (regardless if you are an omnivore, veg or vegan) but extremely time consuming and expensive.

Good luck!!

Sorry to say this, but if you have to ask that question then its going to be nearly impossible for you to do it.

I follow my K.I.S.S expression,
Keep It Simple Stupid
[not calling anyone stupid, just a cool catch phrase I like to advetise]

and just don't eat anything packaged .

Wow, maybe Ill just try to eat less  processed foods instead of cutting them out completely. I eat alot of frozen fruits and veggies, oops thanks guys though!

Look for ingredients you can't pronounce...Avoid partially hydrogenated oils, High fructose corn syrup, MSG if you can (not always possible but I limit it). Try to eat as much fresh as possible but if you're really busy it's okay to keep some frozen Kashi meals around if it keeps you out of the McDonalds drive through. If you can buy organic try to. If MOST of your choices come from whole/organic/unprocessed foods then the occasional food that's not won't have as much impact. If you're not a chef then try to keep it simple as someone else said. Make some chicken breasts at the start of your week and keep them for salad toppers, sandwich fillers etc. Keep a few sweet treats around that you can have a small piece of without starting a binge. I have certain sweets that I can just eat a little of and some that I can't so I don't buy those things. Eat some things you love buy tweak the receipe to be healthier. I lOVE ceasar salads but they can have up to 1200 calories depending on who makes them so I make them myself and still love them. It's a huge learning process and you will come a long way here. MOST people are very helpful. Good luck!

Try to avoid additives... the ingredients list should be things that you can pronounce and understand without needing a dictionary. Ideally, it should at least SOUND like something you could make in your own kitchen without a science degree.

For one example, if you look at one of those energy bars over by the health food section, they're pretty highly processed:

Hmm...very interesting - CLIF bars has introduced a new line called 'nectar' for people who are trying to eat 'clean'. Their 'nectar' pecan and cinnamon bar has the following ingredients list: Organic Dates, Organic Roasted Pecans, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Vanilla. You could make them up in your own kitchen if you wanted to. 

The regular CLIF bars on the other hand look more like this: Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro™ (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Malt Extract, Calcium Carbonate], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Toasted Oats (Organic Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice), Pecan Pralines (Pecans, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Salt), Organic Maple Syrup, ClifCrunchTM (Organic Oat Fiber, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Bran, Psyllium),Organic Date Paste, Safflower Oil Roasted Pecans, Natural Flavors, Almond Butter, Organic Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt. They may be 'natural' and 'organic' but they're processed to heck! 

Greta post, kajikit! Thanks for the heads up on CLIF bars etc. Nice example.

Original Post by noelle31:



It's almost certainly the healthiest way to eat (regardless if you are an omnivore, veg or vegan) but extremely time consuming and expensive.

Good luck!!

 i disagree. my family of 4 eats almost exclusively "whole" foods. i can easily whip up dinner in less than 30 minutes. we are also extremely NOT rich.

Here it is August and I am just now jumping on the bandwagon of limiting my and my husband's intake of "processed foods". I think it will be a little difficult- but I am willing to try. We try to eat healthy and have always read labels. We have rarely bought anything that has HFCS or MSG as an ingredient- or at least a main ingredient. But, I need to do something different to lose the extra pounds and be healthier.

Here's my question- breads from a bakery. Do they contain a high amount of processed flour, etc? I don't eat a lot of bread items, but I make sandwiches regularly for my husband's lunches and occassionally like a sandwich too. I haven't done a lot of research in this area yet, and any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!