What the heck is “processed” food?
When it comes to nutrition and weight loss, how can you skip over the topic of “processed” food? You can’t.
Everyone knows processed food is bad. But what’s the definition of “processed?” A quick Google would reveal the following.
“Processed food” is (drum roll):
- Consistent from serving to serving, and batch to batch
- Mass-produced
- Emulsified (fat and water don’t separate)
And it has:
- A long shelf-life
- An airtight seal
…Guess what? ALL OF THESE DEFINITIONS ARE TERRIBLE at defining what “processed” really means.
This is the perfect example of one of those times where we see the ugly side of the Internet: anyone can say anything and pretend to be a food “expert”… and get away with it.
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For instance, there are lots of extremely healthy foods that perfectly fit many of these categories… like beans, nuts and berries.
Instead of trying to discern if something is “processed” and therefore “bad,” we should instead look at the ingredients. The fewer ingredients, and the more you recognize the ingredients as actual food (rather than chemicals), the better it probably is for you.
As a food coach, it really pains me to see how much misinformation is out there. It’s honestly rare for me to come across a blog article or diet book that gets it all right.
Let’s set up a free meeting – I want to see you become the healthy, strong person we both know you can be. Fill out the form below and we’ll talk.
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Let me know how I can help! 🙂
