Clean-To-Eat Processed Foods

Processed food is any food that has been changed prior to you eating it. It can be as simple as freezing or drying food to preserve nutrients and freshness, or as complex as formulating a frozen meal with the right balance of nutrients and ingredients.

That means foods like bagged spinach can be considered processed foods, as the greens have been trimmed and washed before they make their way to your kitchen. Foods like jarred pasta sauces (with added preservatives and spices) and frozen microwave dinners are also considered processed foods because they’ve been prepped and have had ingredients added to them.

But in today's era of "clean eating," many health-conscious eaters view processed foods with fear and disgust. But not all packaged foods are evil. The picture above shows a list of foods that you can put on your bucket list and marked as clean to eat foods. But have in mind that most of the foods you buy in the grocery store have been "processed" in some way. Even whole foods, like fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, have likely been cleaned, trimmed, shelled, husked, ground, or wrapped before they made their way to your grocery cart.

When nutritionists and many health articles refer to “processed foods,” they're typically referring to products that are heavily modified and contain a long list of ingredients. Many packaged snack foods, sweets, frozen prepared foods, sugary drinks, and packaged meats fall into this category. But, Not All Processed Foods Should Be Avoided That said, as the push to "eat real food" gets stronger and louder, I also think we need to be careful about where we draw the line between unacceptable and acceptable, and to avoid judging people who have a different definition of "processed" from our own.

Processed foods have minimal nutritional value, so limiting them in your diet can do your health a lot of good.





To Be Continued...