S/O Processed Foods

LittleKatie13

I didn't want to thread jack below, so I started a new thread.

For those that are trying to limit the amount of processed foods, this might sound dumb, but what is a processed food?  So fresh veggies, meats, whole grains are not, but what about yogurt, cheese, pasteurized milk, ice cream, cereal, etc?  Is everything that's not fresh produce and fresh meat considered processed? 

raynes

I like to follow the idea that if I can't picture in my head where something came from and how it got from that stage to what's in front of me, then I should probably just put it down.

When picking things like breads and that stuff I aim for the one with the shortest ingredient list.

Again, I recommend Michael Pollan's books!

J&K10910

Ah, I'm glad you asked this, I was thinking about this just yesterday and wondering the same exact thing.

raynes

"Processed" foods are the things that you great great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.  Yogurt and cheese, while they do require some processing to reach their end state, are still "food" (unless you're talking yogurt jacked up with all sorts of added stuff, then it travels into the more processed end of things).

I guess "minimally processed" might be a better way to word it.  Again, the 5 ingredients or less thing is a pretty good guideline.

LittleKatie13

Thanks!  The nerd in me likes to have parameters with which to chose what I'm buying.  I knew my coffeemate creamer was processed beyond belief, but wasn't sure about other things.

abrieckinthewall

hahahaha. Raynes I feel like I'm reading "Omnivores Delimma" or something looking at your posts.
But it's good to be reminded.

raynes

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_processed-foods?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:1ef94781-c6a3-4047-a95e-520b324ef1a7Post:5c01bdf6-ae4d-4871-ab87-e9f8690e7bea">Re: S/O Processed Foods</a>:
[QUOTE]hahahaha. Raynes I feel like I'm reading "Omnivores Delimma" or something looking at your posts. But it's good to be reminded.
Posted by abrieckinthewall[/QUOTE]

Ha!  Can you tell I recently finished reading that book??

jfletcher3113

I too have been curious about this! 

Ilike the five ingredients or less rule. That seems to make sense.

I've also heard of the pronunciation rule. If it's difficult to pronounce, it shouldn't go in your body.