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Processed Food

...What in your opinion is processed food?

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Not an opinion. It is a fact. In my opinion. Which is a fact... ok. i am done.
 
This short video is a good explanation of where I stand on processed food. Both good and bad. Processed food helped to win the big war and fed the world's growing population but we paid a cost. Going forward, we'll have to find the right balance. Not all processed food is bad.

Just seeing your post now. I'm happy to see others learn what real bread is, but not all at once! We had to order a huge bag of flour due to the shortages!
 
I hear a lot about it. What in your opinion is processed food?
I tend to agree that processed food had (has) its place in feeding the masses, but that it comes with a great cost:
  • Our divergence from the simplicity and deliciousness of true cuisine
  • The dependence of the less fortunate on cheap, mass produced food and the health issues that ensue
    • The marketplace has turned the economics of basic, fresh ingredients upside down - the cost of eating healthy is more expensive
 
I'm glad to see the discussion about what is "processed." The bottom line is that the term "processed" is broad and vague, and that was by designed when applied to food products. At the time it was applied, it was a neutral term (perhaps even an interesting one). Strictly speaking, any food that is not in it's original form is "processed."

A bag of Cheetos is full of processed food, but so is a bag of flour, no matter whether it's bleached. Cheese and yogurt are processed foods. Ground beef is processed, no matter what the animal ate. For that matter, any meat you buy is processed. When I shred and ferment cabbage, I've processed it twice over (at least).

When it comes to this sort of discussion, I find it more useful to take the Michael Pollan approach and discuss whether something is "food," rather than whether it's "processed."
OK, agreed that the term 'processed' is ambiguous, but the effects of the more extreme spectrum of 'processed' are far and wide. What percentage of the population buys frozen dinners from a box? It ain't small...
 

TexLaw

Fussy Evil Genius
OK, agreed that the term 'processed' is ambiguous, but the effects of the more extreme spectrum of 'processed' are far and wide. What percentage of the population buys frozen dinners from a box? It ain't small...

I've been thinking about this, oddly enough. It's not so much about whether something is "processed" as it is whether it's food. When it comes to that, I think I like Michael Pollan's test about his great-grandmother. If his great-grandfather woodland recognize something as "food," then it may very well be an "edible, food-like substance," rather than food.
 

DoctorShavegood

"A Boy Named Sue"
Processed food to me is like commercially made bread, pasta, spaghetti sauce, frozen pizza, mayo, salad dressings, even bacon or fake cheese.
 
Processed food to me is like commercially made bread, pasta, spaghetti sauce, frozen pizza, mayo, salad dressings, even bacon or fake cheese.
I think of the transitions I've made in my life and seeing the transitions each of these places has made in my years, spending time in Ireland, Italy, Canada and the US. I've seen the advent of many of these things, only to slowly but surely creep toward the mainstream, life and culture. I never drew the parallel at the time as a kid living here in the states, where some of my friends came from obese families and my memories of marvelling at frozen foods to be microwaved. This sort of thing was somewhat rare as I recall back then in the states, and mostly non-existent in Ireland, which is now becoming obese. Italy is now putting the butcher, seafood monger, produce... ... ... markets to bed, replacing them with supermarkets, which lean towards mass-produced foods. It's hard to escape, but certainly not impossible.
 
We are lucky down here. We have a family market that carries whole un-homoginized milk (pasteurized but not homoginized). Tast amazing but breaks down in coffee so we buy both (one to drink, one to coffee).

They also buy local veggies.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
I find it strange that we all the only mammal that consumes milk in maturity. That being said, cream goes in my tea (not coffee, though) and cheese is the reason that I could never be vegan. :)
 
I stopped eating out...

Semi OT -

We've cut our dining out way back but not solely for the health aspect. Primarily because my cooking has improved to the point where I am meeting or exceeding some of our restaurant favorites. We still like the social aspect which is our primary motivator to go out now. But, it has to be for something I cannot do at home and better be damn good. I don't say this out of cockiness, I am a decent cook but I am no chef. However, once you realize what you are eating out is not hard to DIY it becomes impossible to justify a week grocery cost vs. one meal of baseline eating.
 
Semi OT -

We've cut our dining out way back but not solely for the health aspect. Primarily because my cooking has improved to the point where I am meeting or exceeding some of our restaurant favorites. We still like the social aspect which is our primary motivator to go out now. But, it has to be for something I cannot do at home and better be damn good. I don't say this out of cockiness, I am a decent cook but I am no chef. However, once you realize what you are eating out is not hard to DIY it becomes impossible to justify a week grocery cost vs. one meal of baseline eating.
Yes! I would rather eat at a great restaurant a couple of times a month than a mediocre one a couple of times a week.

Here are a couple of good examples.
I'm in the Northeast so basically the best barbecue joint is my house.
I like a good dry aged porterhouse steak but to get one at a restaurant, I have to travel a little over an hour to NYC. No decent local steakhouses.

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk
 
Yes! I would rather eat at a great restaurant a couple of times a month than a mediocre one a couple of times a week.

Here are a couple of good examples.
I'm in the Northeast so basically the best barbecue joint is my house.
I like a good dry aged porterhouse steak but to get one at a restaurant, I have to travel a little over an hour to NYC. No decent local steakhouses.

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk

Exactly. This is what motivated me to improve my techniques, take chances, and push myself. The places we frequent regularly are both high and low end establishments but, they each do something I cannot do (yet).
 
I have to admit that I eat out a lot. I don't even really give processed food a thought. I guess I should (as I dream of a bacon cheeseburger).
 
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