HOW TO...DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN PROCESSED FOODS

All foods are to a certain extent, processed, but try to choose those that improve - and not harm - your health.

first published 9/16/updated 1/2

Highly/ultra processed: limit or avoid                                 Minimally processed; okay
Courtesy ofthatsugrfilm.comand licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Cooking 'from scratch' 
...is a laudable aim though in our busy lives it can seem a pain in the you-know-where.  But with careful planning, a freezer and recipes that emphasise the 'easier life' approach, much can be achieved.  Cooking from fresh is a sure-fire way to better health and graceful ageing.  

Modern life is not conducive to this way of eating.  With time-poor households, advertising and buy-one-get-one-free offers, too many have come to rely on processed foods.

There is no need to create more food anxiety by trying to avoid every processed food.  In How to...Wean Your Family off Processed Foods, parts 1 & 2, 67goingon50 recommended reducing processed foods to once or twice a week.

What 67 should have said, of course, is to keep highly processed foods to a minimim.

Because most foods are processed.  And even before the advent of refrigeration -- and as far back as early agricultural times -- salting, drying, smoking and fermenting were used to preserve food and make it safe.  

But all processed foods are not equal. Think of the processed rankings like this (best to worst):

1.  Minimally processed fresh foods: dried, frozen, fresh packaged (eg bagged salads

2.  Processed culinary ingredients: oils, salt, pasta, rice, pasteurised milk, cheese, yoghurt without additives, dried fruit, sugar (the less refined the better) and juices (the less sugar the better)

3. Processed foods combining processed ingredients with less processed: sweetened yoghurts, canned food, mass-produced bread 

4.  Highly/Ultra processed foods containing unhealthy levels of sugar and salt plus additives including flavouring, colouring, emulsifiers, stabilisers.  These cause the most panic and include soft drinks, packaged desserts, breakfast cereals, some breads, some frozen dinners, canned soups, chips, junk food 

In modern times, the primary goal of food processing was to extend the life of food by acting as a preservative.  After World War II convenience was the dominant factor.  Today, cost has become a driving force. That means lab produced products are usually favoured over the naturally sourced, and inferior products often replace quality ingredients.  And sophisticated (some would say immoral) marketing and advertising techniques try to increase kids' 'pester power' by using brightly coloured, hyper-tempting labels and ads.


The disadvantages of highly processed foods are well known and are acknowledged as major contributors to both weight gain and obesity:

• loss of nutrients (from 5-20%)
• loss of healthy fibre
• addition of ingredients linked to adverse side effects and health risks: sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, salt, trans-fats, phosphates, artificial flavours and colours

But there are some advantages to the rest (although purists might argue that some of them are also disadvantages:)

• Safety: fresh farm foods can contain microorganisms that cause illlness (proper washing and cooking at home usually makes food safe)
• Shelf Life: food processing reduces waste, enables the transport of perishable foods and adds buyer convenience
• Seasonal foods can be available year-round 

Fine in moderation?

A good definition of 'Healthy Eating' would be Moderation, Variety and Balance.  

The question of processed foods, therefore, becomes not how to avoid them completely.  It is how to reduce them and choose only those that improve - and not harm - your health.  Every category of processed foods has more or less nutritional options. 

For example: 

• a loaf of processed 100% wholewheat bread is better for you than processed white bread, especially if the wholewheat manufacturer has good eco-credentials (Blogger: Not sure who would win if choosing between processed 100% wholewheat and home-made white)
• veg and fruit frozen when at the peak of freshness, just after picking, can be more nutritious than food that's travelled a long distance or stored in a warehouse for awhile
• does anyone have the time and equipment to make their own peanut butter? (That said, stick to no or low-sugar brands.  Or grind-your-own at Whole Foods Kensington High Street - at a price!)
• a frozen pizza from a trusted supplier can be acceptable if you're hungry, lacking in time and energy or you 'just plain want it, dammit' (though 67 recommends opting for the basic tomato-cheese combo and adding fresh toppings)
• if your only option is highly processed food like shop-bought sandwiches, fast food or frozen meals, choose ones with a good serving of veg or salad, includes whole grains and is low in salt and sugar

Food Labels:

Ingredients on food labels are listed in the proportion in which they are used; whatever makes up the most of the product is listed first. Therefore: 

• if sugar appears within the first three products listed, it's not likely to be good for you 
• ditto any mention of: flavouring, colouring, emulsifiers, stabilisers, all of which can cause skin ailments

Thankfully food manufacturers have cottoned on to consumers' worries about sugar and fat levels.  We are beginning to see more health-conscious and/or high-quality convenience foods.

As long as most of our meals (90%?) involve whole foods like fresh fruit and veg, wholegrain and lean-protein -- foods closest to their natural form -- and limit or avoid the unhealthiest ultra processed foods, we should be ok.

Consumers should not beat themselves up about using processed foods. 67 -- a purist where rice is concerned -- is continually surprised by how many people use and love Uncle Ben's rices. And the Blogger, with well-documented problems with pastry, has only a few qualms about using not-terribly-healthy frozen puff pastry and pre-baked tart shells. 

Occasionally!

Sources:

The Blogger's own research

Evening Standard, 30/6/16 Christy Harrison, Refinery 29

BRG: Dietetics & Nutrition, Bonnie R Geller 

Health Guidance by George CRanston

Fooducate, 31/3/2010

B Lee/Bright Sun Enterprises accept no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.