Need some fast food advice - is this considered processed foods?

[Anonymous]

Yes it is processed and yes eating this once per week for no reason other than you like it is unhealthy.

I get you like it. But save it for the off times when you really need the convenience; road trips, airport, very late work days if they are rare. Stuff like that. It isn’t poison and it won’t kill you (quickly), but keep it to a minimum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are different levels of processed foods https://blog.paleohacks.com/levels-of-processed-foods/# Your cookie example fits level 4 on the link. I don't think the freshly cut potatoes that were deep fried qualifies for level 4, but I think the Wendy's fries are not made that way, usually fast foods have their fries pre-made in a factory, flavored and processed in a solution before freezing, and people may correct me on this, but the first example ( I think) does not fit level 4, the 2nd one does.

Not OP (I am one of the snarky PPs who wondered what in the world you would have as a processed food list - sorry OP, didn’t mean to be mean). But thanks for this very clear list. That’s a perfect explanation, way better than my response

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are different levels of processed foods https://blog.paleohacks.com/levels-of-processed-foods/# Your cookie example fits level 4 on the link. I don't think the freshly cut potatoes that were deep fried qualifies for level 4, but I think the Wendy's fries are not made that way, usually fast foods have their fries pre-made in a factory, flavored and processed in a solution before freezing, and people may correct me on this, but the first example ( I think) does not fit level 4, the 2nd one does.

Not OP (I am one of the snarky PPs who wondered what in the world you would have as a processed food list - sorry OP, didn’t mean to be mean). But thanks for this very clear list. That’s a perfect explanation, way better than my response

Duh, and now I sound as if I insulted someone else (I am tipsy on my glass of processed grapes). The  « snarky » was only meant for myself

[Anonymous]

How do fried chicken sandwiches and fries fuel you for a ten mile run?!? Between the bloat and the runs, I wouldn't be able to take ten steps, lol!

[Anonymous]

Although they might have some additives, nutritionally, the french fried and fried chicken sandwich you get at a restaurant are essentially the same as if you went home, cut up some potatoes, deep fried them, then mixed up some batter, coated a piece of chicken in that batter, deep fried it, and put it on a white flour bun.

Some people might say, hey, that's not that processed. I could imagine my grandmother making something like that. Therefore it's not that unhealthy.

But it's still a lot of deep fried food, which is a huge amount of work to make at home. That's why fast food is very different than homemade food: It makes it easy and fast to eat high calorie, low fiber food. And it probably has a lot of mayo or similar sauce, and there are little or no fruits or vegetables.

Once a week - fine. But many people eat it much more often than that. "20 percent of fast-food eaters ... account for 60 percent of sales" (https://www.newsweek.com/fast-food-lovers-unite-127987)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes , highly processed. The fried chicken is processed, the batter is and, the bread is terrible and don’t get me started on the sauce. Even a Big Mac is a better choice

God I only read half of your text before answering. I now see your French fries question... you must be joking? Tell me you are joking ??? If fast food French fries is not processed food what is ? Seriously Op, that’s a real question: what is on your processed food list? I am puzzled

I would argue it is the degree and kind of processing. Unless you are yanking a potato out of the ground and chomping it down while wringing a chicken's neck and then taking a bite, ALL food is processed.

So, french fries. Mcdonald's fries, to take an example, involve peeling the potato, cutting the potato, hitting a bath containing dextrose (a sugar made from cornstarch through the use of enzymes) and sodium pyrophosphate (an ingredient in baking powder). Then fried in vegetable oil that contains some beef extract. Add salt.

Homemade french fries:

Peel and cut your potato. Fry in vegetable oil. Add salt.

On the one hand, there's not much difference between the two. And that potato has undergone a good bit of breeding from the time its ancestors were tiny little nubs in the Andes. And however you get the oil, it involves processing--even if you're growing olives and extracting your own oil.

Chicken is a hunk of breast muscle but has likely been soaked in brine before freezing. Oops, a lot of people do that when they roast their chicken or turkey. Assuming you're not talking about grilled, you have a fried coating. If you did it at home you'd be using some combo of flours/starches/breading, some egg, maybe some buttermilk, salt, and seasonings. You might use some premixed ingredients which are likely to have some extra salt, sugars, or other substances to make them not clump or go rancid too soon or whatever.

Anyway, you got your fried chicken and fried potatoes. Some people treat "processing" like it is some kind of occult curse. No, it is physical actions on food. IMO it should also include all the breeding and cultivation and animal husbandry practices.

I'd put french fries in the category of minimally processed, frankly. The chicken itself, maybe not the coating. But watch the fat and salt.

[Anonymous]

^^ I was going to mention: honey is made from nectar by bees using enzymes. Processed!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do fried chicken sandwiches and fries fuel you for a ten mile run?!? Between the bloat and the runs, I wouldn't be able to take ten steps, lol!

Hm, for me the runs and gas come from oatmeal and fruit and cabbage, all of which I eat plenty off. Oddly, on occasions when I'm eating a more "typically American" diet (visiting relatives, travelling and eating at interstate places) which is not very often, I have less of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Literally the definition of processed food. It comes from a processing warehouse.

This is a hilarious answer, although you probably did not intend it that way.

[Anonymous]

OP, it's not the healthiest choice on the planet. But if you do a 10 mile run and then grab a #1 at Chick Fil A once a week, you're still going to be overall very healthy.

I used to run 12 miles every Sunday morning and then eat a delicious big mac. So good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are different levels of processed foods https://blog.paleohacks.com/levels-of-processed-foods/# Your cookie example fits level 4 on the link. I don't think the freshly cut potatoes that were deep fried qualifies for level 4, but I think the Wendy's fries are not made that way, usually fast foods have their fries pre-made in a factory, flavored and processed in a solution before freezing, and people may correct me on this, but the first example ( I think) does not fit level 4, the 2nd one does.

Not OP (I am one of the snarky PPs who wondered what in the world you would have as a processed food list - sorry OP, didn’t mean to be mean). But thanks for this very clear list. That’s a perfect explanation, way better than my response

This is OP. I don't have a processed food list and didn't even know that people made lists of these kinds of things. I don't take offense to any of the replies. Sometimes you have to ask dumb questions to learn. That said, every once in a while there is a true gem and the reply at the top is one of them. Thank you to that poster!

[Anonymous]

Prime example of disordered eating right here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Although they might have some additives, nutritionally, the french fried and fried chicken sandwich you get at a restaurant are essentially the same as if you went home, cut up some potatoes, deep fried them, then mixed up some batter, coated a piece of chicken in that batter, deep fried it, and put it on a white flour bun.

Some people might say, hey, that's not that processed. I could imagine my grandmother making something like that. Therefore it's not that unhealthy.

But it's still a lot of deep fried food, which is a huge amount of work to make at home. That's why fast food is very different than homemade food: It makes it easy and fast to eat high calorie, low fiber food. And it probably has a lot of mayo or similar sauce, and there are little or no fruits or vegetables.

Once a week - fine. But many people eat it much more often than that. "20 percent of fast-food eaters ... account for 60 percent of sales" (https://www.newsweek.com/fast-food-lovers-unite-127987)

OP here....thank you for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes , highly processed. The fried chicken is processed, the batter is and, the bread is terrible and don’t get me started on the sauce. Even a Big Mac is a better choice

God I only read half of your text before answering. I now see your French fries question... you must be joking? Tell me you are joking ??? If fast food French fries is not processed food what is ? Seriously Op, that’s a real question: what is on your processed food list? I am puzzled

I would argue it is the degree and kind of processing. Unless you are yanking a potato out of the ground and chomping it down while wringing a chicken's neck and then taking a bite, ALL food is processed.

So, french fries. Mcdonald's fries, to take an example, involve peeling the potato, cutting the potato, hitting a bath containing dextrose (a sugar made from cornstarch through the use of enzymes) and sodium pyrophosphate (an ingredient in baking powder). Then fried in vegetable oil that contains some beef extract. Add salt.

Homemade french fries:

Peel and cut your potato. Fry in vegetable oil. Add salt.

On the one hand, there's not much difference between the two. And that potato has undergone a good bit of breeding from the time its ancestors were tiny little nubs in the Andes. And however you get the oil, it involves processing--even if you're growing olives and extracting your own oil.

Chicken is a hunk of breast muscle but has likely been soaked in brine before freezing. Oops, a lot of people do that when they roast their chicken or turkey. Assuming you're not talking about grilled, you have a fried coating. If you did it at home you'd be using some combo of flours/starches/breading, some egg, maybe some buttermilk, salt, and seasonings. You might use some premixed ingredients which are likely to have some extra salt, sugars, or other substances to make them not clump or go rancid too soon or whatever.

Anyway, you got your fried chicken and fried potatoes. Some people treat "processing" like it is some kind of occult curse. No, it is physical actions on food. IMO it should also include all the breeding and cultivation and animal husbandry practices.

I'd put french fries in the category of minimally processed, frankly. The chicken itself, maybe not the coating. But watch the fat and salt.

OP again. Thank you for this as well. Very helpful to see a side by side comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do fried chicken sandwiches and fries fuel you for a ten mile run?!? Between the bloat and the runs, I wouldn't be able to take ten steps, lol!

Hm, for me the runs and gas come from oatmeal and fruit and cabbage, all of which I eat plenty off. Oddly, on occasions when I'm eating a more "typically American" diet (visiting relatives, travelling and eating at interstate places) which is not very often, I have less of that.

This is OP and the above was not my response. I don't eat fried chicken sandwiches and fries before a run. That's crazy and there are rules to be followed. You always eat afterwards....the reward of the running is eating whatever makes you happy! Also, the food tastes so much better when you're hungry afterwards.

***OP steps away to wipe the drool away***