In Defense of Processed Foods

Like many things in life, they are not just good or bad, but on a spectrum

The image created by the author on Copilot

This article is going to challenge the blanket statement: processed foods are unhealthy. We know they are, but we also know that in real life it is very hard to avoid all of them. After all, they facilitate our busy lifestyle, and we cannot live without processed foods.

However, some processed foods are a lot worse than the others, while some of them are totally fine and even healthy!

The key is to be able to navigate them confidently without losing your mind while trying to make sense of national nutrition guidelines, and avoiding the traps of misleading marketing claims.

This article helps to simplify the confusing topic of processed foods. I hope it will help you to stay sane while doing your groceries.

The Spectrum of Processed Foods: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The degree of processing indicates how much the original whole food has been altered during processing. Some foods, such as produce, have not been altered at all, while others are completely fake, i.e., fully artificial, meaning they do not include any original whole food whatsoever, and become “food-like substances” (quoting Michael Pollan).

Most foods in modern supermarkets fall somewhere in between these two extremes. Below is a quick breakdown of the “in-between zone”

Basic processing, such as drying or freezing. In this case, nothing has been added to or removed from the whole food, and it remains practically unprocessed. The label on the package will indicate only one ingredient, the original whole food.

These kinds of basic processed foods are totally fine and sometimes even better than their fresh counterparts because of the extended shelf life, convenience, and higher nutrition value (for frozen produce). For example, contrary to popular belief, frozen berries are often of superior quality (and more affordable) than fresh ones. Why? Because they have been harvested at their peak nutritional value and frozen right away, while their fresh counterparts must be harvested well before they become ripe to endure long-distance shipping, and…