Are You Anti- Processed Food? If So, Why? (ingredients, substances, Burger King)

[lkmax]

A lot of people are against processed foods nowadays.

I'm just wondering why?

I definitely love making a lot of things from scratch, but I like using certain convenience foods, like frozen biscuits, boxed mac and cheese (although I make a great homemade baked mac and cheese, I do make the boxed stuff for weeknight sides), etc.

Do you eat processed foods?

If so, when?

If not, why?

[lucknow]

I avoid them as much as possible. I have a number of reasons for it. Generally they are full of all kinds of chemicals I can't even pronounce. I can make much better food from scratch myself and they are expensive compared to make it yourself.
We have one local maker of Italian foods that have no chemicals or weird additives in their products. They are also reasonably priced, so occasionally I go to their store and but a few items.

[Lodestar]

I keep some on the shelf for emergency purposes and as ingredients in old favorite recipes from my mom. But we are so accustomed to eating fresh food that processed foods usually taste too salty to me.

As Lucknow says you can save money and make more food paying less when you cook from scratch as well.

I am certain that I can taste the preservatives and flavor enhancers as well and it's not appealing to me. My DH says it's not true for him.

Finally there are the possible health considerations.

[stan4]

I think the biggest reason I'm against processed foods is that they are not even legally required to tell you everything that's in there and where it came from and what has been done to the ingredients prior to their being put in.
Not only are they not required to tell you, but the companies that make these foods fight against any legislation that would require this.
I mean, that's gotta be a big red flag.

The next thing is the fact that they are so stable and don't spoil. These characteristics are due to very unnatural substances being integrated into the food. the human body wasn't designed to deal with all these toxic interlopers. Many of which, by the way, are illegal in many other countries.

[stan4]

Also, I totally agree with everyone who says that they do not taste as good as freshly made food from real ingredients that are meant to be consumed by human beings.

[LoriBee62]

For me the problem with processed foods is they cause me to eat more. There's something about them that makes me want them in progressively bigger quantities. They also mess with my blood sugar, and a few hours after eating them I'm feeling shaky and I "need to eat". None of that happens to me when I make my own food. For whatever reason, when I prepare my own foods from scratch, I have a much easier time with portion control, and I stay fuller longer. I never get that shaky feeling, I sleep better and have better energy during the day.

Mind you, this gets more and more noticeable to me the older I get. When I was 25 I could eat anything I wanted with no remorse. My body is less forgiving the older I get.

As for what processed foods I do eat I'm not completely Nazi about making everything from scratch. I don't make my own yogurt or bake my own bread. I keep Lean Cuisines in the freezer and cans of Progresso soup around and sometimes have them for lunch. But I do mostly try to stay away from stuff in boxes, fast food, junk food, stuff like that.

Interesting question!

[hotzcatz]

We rarely eat processed foods, but we do get a lot of prepared ingredients such as tortilla chips or refried beans in a can sorts of things. "Prepared" fresh salads show up around here frequently.

The manufacturers of processed foods are not out to make healthy foods, they are out to make money. IMHO, there are a lot of cut corners for economic benefit to the manufacturers at the expense of the customer's health. Not to mention the source of a lot of the ingredients to processed foods. Ick!

I spent most of today stacking concrete blocks to prepare a new raised bed vegetable garden. The ring of bricks will be filled with garden soil and bunny manure will be the primary fertilizer. Some charcoal and hydrated lime will be added as soil conditioners. Open pollinated heirloom type seeds will be planted and the result will be vegetables that I know are healthy.

[EvilCookie]

I'm anti the chemical fake crap, like Kraft dinners and the like. But I don't quite know what to think about the new generation of the 'healthy' processed food. Like the Annie's organic Mac and cheese, or those frozen meals at trader joes. They have nothing added, no artificial additives or preservatives, organic natural ingredients, and they taste decent. But I'm not sure how healthy they actually are - its like, where's the catch?

[elnina]

We discussed processed food here numerous times.
Lets state first that it's almost impossible to avoid all processed food. However we should eat it in moderation and try our best to avoid it, if possible. Supermarket shelves are full of "foodlike" or "foodish" products. Those highly processed, nutritionally deficient products are heavily advertised and come in colorful packaging designed to lure the buyer.

Processed food is any real food that has been altered in any way in order to lower its production cost, lengthen its shelf life, make it look more appealing, or make you want to eat more of it, and that results in the reduction of its nutritional content and/or the increase of toxins.
We should avoid it for a health reason, but not only:
processed food is often nutrient-deficient, often contain excessively added salt, sugar, and fat (including trans fats) to make it more palatable, often has added flavor enhancers, additives, artificial flavors, colors etc.
Interesting fact is that once you wean yourself from processed food, you start to realize that processed food has off-flavors and strange chemical tastes that makes you realize just how adulterated such foods are.
Not to forget that it's a good idea to avoid processed foods - be good to yourself, to local farmers, and to the environment.
Easier said than done, considering that Americans spend about 90% of their food budget on processed foods
If you eat lots of processed foods, you're probably so used to them that you actually prefer them to unprocessed foods. But after a while of eating unprocessed foods, many processed foods will no longer be palatable.

[Woof]

I'm not as anti as I used to be, but that's mainly because of increasing laziness. But it's a more complicated question than most people realize, since even the most natural foods are composed of chemicals.

Some of the chemical additives to processed foods, or unnatural fats and oils, are likely to be harmful ...... some are likely to be beneficial, and some have no net effect, or are both beneficial and harmful to different body systems.

But that's also true of natural foods. We all know for example that the uber-trendy phyto-thingies in colorful veggies and fruits are likely mainly beneficial or have no effect, an ingredient in sassafras is harmful to many ..... but not too many people know that Stevia has both beneficial and harmful effects.

The main difference is that you are taking a chance with the complex mixtures of processed foods ...... we don't know if Chef Boyardee Overstuffed Ravioli is good or bad, nor if Burger King Double Whoppers with American cheese food product is bad or has no net effect. We don't know NOT because of the ingredients and processing are "unnatural", but because the human race has little experience with them, and few studies.

So to help the odds in your favor, you would eat things like carrots, fish, or venison rather than canned pasta or cheese food product.

But honestly ....... I no longer think that food has a major impact on human health - maybe a little - but I haven't seen much in my life. And if you look at the diets of the healthiest 10-20 nations, their traditional diets have been VERY different, so it must be something else that is making them healthier.

We're omnivores. Just like pigs.