“I really try not to eat processed foods.” You hear it come out of your mouth and just as it does, you realize you have only the slightest idea of what that actually means. At least, that’s how it went for me once upon a time. Even if you haven’t voiced the sentiment out loud, surely you’ve heard the term and in an effort to get healthier, tried to cut down on those pesky, possibly life-threatening (?) processed foods. But what exactly does this loose designation mean and are processed foods really as bad as they’ve been billed to be? Should you avoid processed foods altogether, and if so, how? Answering the first of those questions might help to figure out the rest.
What are processed foods?
The term processed food really applies to any food that has been altered in any way prior to sale or consumption. The International Food Information Council qualifies (PDF) the processing of food as “any deliberate change in a food that occurs before it’s available for us to eat — as simple as freezing or drying food to preserve nutrients and freshness or as complex as formulating a frozen meal with the right balance of nutrients and ingredients.”
There are a thousand and one ways to modify foods, from the drastic to the most basic including ancient techniques — like drying and fermenting — to more modern, chemical and biological modifications with new ones being developed all the time. Foods are also modified for many different reasons, from improving taste and visual appearance to extending shelf life but also some unexpected reasons you might not associate with processing — ones which can actually be quite good for you.
Note: For the purposes of this article, we’ll not discuss genetically modified foods or “GMOs,” which have been altered before growth at a molecular level and pose a separate series of questions and concerns.
The few completely unprocessed foods — the ones you’ve been telling yourself to eat as much of as humanly possible — are a fairly small list of fruits and vegetables, meats, nuts, seeds, and a few other foods that are consumed essentially as they were when they left the earth, tree, vine, pod, shell, sea or farm. So a better question to ask yourself as you stroll the aisles of the supermarket is not “is it processed?” but rather “how processed is it?” and also “how is it processed?” Speaking very generally, the less processed the better, but there are some important caveats.
Read more: 7 Ways to Eat a Healthy Diet Without Spending a Lot
How a food is processed matters more than if it is or not
Quality bread isn’t typically processed in a way that will harm you, but watch out for bread that’s been bleached to remove color or filled with sweeteners for taste.
More processed foods include those modified for taste and appearance with sweeteners, flavoring agents preservatives. These include many bottled certain shelf-stable sauces, salad dressings, soups, batters and gravy mixes. This more complex category is one that requires you to read and research specific ingredients so you know what you’re putting into your body. A general rule of thumb is the fewer ingredients, the better. And remember, they’re listed in descending order from the most prevalent ingredient (by sheer volume) to the least. The hard-to-pronounce ingredients are often chemical fillers, sweeteners, colorants, nitrates, antibiotics and other preservatives. Most nutritionists would urge you to avoid it where possible.
Bread and baked goods are one category of food that runs the gamut from extremely highly processed to not much at all and consumption should be carefully considered. Bleached white bread and rolls, like Wonder brand, are highly processed and preserved, obliterating most nutritional value. More natural brands, such as Arnold and Bread Alone, still may contain some preservatives, but not nearly as many as their cheaper, long-lasting friends in the bakery aisle. Again, read the ingredients; the fewer total and the more you recognize, the better.
Ultraprocessed foods: Avoid at all cost
Orange juice is often fortified with extra fiber, calcium and other nutrients.
While the term “processed food” certainly carries a negative connotation, many foods are processed to improve or fortify their health benefits and overall nutritional value. Certain bread products and granolas are fortified with fiber or riboflavin, for instance. Milk, juices, drinks and yogurts often get a boost of calcium or vitamins that have varying degrees of positive impact on health.
Pasteurization is another common form of processing, particularly for juice, milk and milk byproducts such as cheese and yogurt. It uses heat to eliminate potentially harmful pathogens and extend shelf life. Pasteurization does not rely on heavy additives like other preservation methods and serves as another example of food processing that shouldn’t concern the average person.
In general, the term “processed foods” should not be something to scare or stop you from buying or eating something, but if you suspect or discover something has been heavily processed, for any reason, it would be wise to consider both the means for and the process by which it was altered before buying. When it comes to food, as with almost anything else, knowledge is power.
