What Are Processed Foods?

Question: What Are Processed Foods?

I've been told that all processed foods are bad for us. I am having a hard time understanding what exactly is considered to be "processed food." Do you have a list or something that would help me? Why are processed foods bad for us? Are there any processed foods that aren't bad or even maybe good for us?

Jen - About.com User

Answer: Processed foods have been altered from their natural state, either for safety reasons or for convenience. The methods used for processing foods include canning, freezing, refrigeration, dehydration and aseptic processing.

We tend to think of processed foods as bad, like most high-fat, high-calorie snack foods or even those meals you fix in a skillet, but it turns out that some processed foods are not bad for your health at all. For example, milk would be considered a processed food because it's pasteurized to kill bacteria and homogenized to keep fats from separating. Some people prefer raw milk, but it can lead to lead to food-borne illness, so we're happy to consume the healthy processed milk we find in our grocery stores.

Another example of good food processing is frozen vegetables. Freezing vegetables preserves vitamins and minerals and makes the vegetables convenient to store, cook and eat all year around. Fruit and vegetable juice is also an example of a healthy processed food -- usually. In fact, some orange juice is fortified with calcium to make it even more nutritious. Oatmeal, unbreaded frozen fish fillets, canned salmon, frozen berries and 100-percent whole-grain bread are also examples of processed foods that are good for you.

Sure, there are a lot of processed foods being sold that aren't good for you. Many of the bad processed foods are made with trans-fats, saturated fats, and large amounts of sodium and sugar. These types of foods should be avoided, or at least eaten sparingly. A common piece of advice is that if you can't pronounce any of the ingredients you may want to avoid the product.

Processed foods that may be bad for your diet:

• Canned foods with large amounts of sodium or fat
• Breads and pastas made with refined white flour instead of whole grains
• Packaged high-calorie snack foods such as chips and candies
• Frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners that are high in sodium
• Packaged cakes and cookies
• Boxed meal mixes that are high in fat and sodium
• Sugary breakfast cereals
• Processed meats

Why processed meats? Some studies suggest that eating processed meats may increase your risk of colorectal, kidney and stomach cancer. Processed meats include hot dogs, bologna, sausage, ham and other packaged lunch meats. These meats are frequently high in calories, saturated fats and sodium.

Breakfast cereal is another confusing one. Cereal can be good if it's 100-percent whole grain and fortified with additional nutrients, but many breakfast cereals are low in fiber and contain too much sugar. Read the nutrition label on the package, it will help you decide if the breakfast cereal is good or not.

Processed foods and prepackaged meals are very convenient and popular. If you do shop for these foods, be sure to look for products that are made with more whole grains, less sodium and have fewer calories. They should also be low in saturated fat and free of trans-fats. Make sure you pay attention to serving size, too, and balance out the processed foods with more fresh foods. If you choose a convenient meal in a skillet, add a garden salad, fresh vegetables, and some whole grain bread to make the meal healthier.

_Sources:

_{Larsson SC, Wolk A. "Meat consumption and risk of colorectal cancer: A meta-analysis of prospective studies." Int J Cancer. 2006 Dec 1;119(11):2657-64.}

_{Faramawi MF, Johnson E, Fry MW, Sall M, Yi Z. "Consumption of different types of meat and the risk of renal cancer: meta-analysis of case-control studies." Cancer Causes Control. 2007 Mar;18(2):125-33. Epub 2007 Jan 22.}

_{Larsson SC, Orsini N, Wolk A. "Processed meat consumption and stomach cancer risk: a meta-analysis." J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Aug 2;98(15):1078-87.}