What was ultra-processed from what I ate yesterday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Breakfast:
coffee (whole beans bought at costco -Mayorga brand - ground at home) with a splash of organic whole milk
french toast - made with purchased brioche bread from costco, eggs, whole milk, cinnamon, sugar, organic maple syrup grade A
bacon (yeah, I know that one!)

Lunch:
turkey sandwich with multigrade sourdough from whole foods bakery, turkey from a pre-cooked costco turkey breast sliced at home, lettuce and tomato from our CSA, peach from our CSA

Dinner:
stirfry with pork tenderloin, bok choy from our CSA, ginger, garlic, spices
white jasmine rice in instant pot

Obviously the bacon is ultra-processed. Is the turkey breast? Is the bread? Just really curious - thanks!

Grinding coffee beans is processed
Milk is processed
French toast is processed
Maple syrup is probably processed but not obviously
Your sandwich was processed
Your lettuce and tomato… sliced but I’ll let it slide
Dinner was all processed

Hope that helps!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of your bread, the turkey, the pork.

This a probably the cinnamon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So bacon, turkey, bread are the main UP foods. I was hoping the turkey breast sliced at home and the sourdough multi-grain from the bakery were not ultra processed.

Bacon and turkey are NOT ultra processed, and neither is the bread if it does not have additives. If you bought the bread in the regular supermarket aisle is probably is ultra processed.

The most commonly used research definition of ultra processed would put bacon in the processed category, not ultra processed, along with other preserved foods. Bread that has a bunch of additives and artificial ingredients is ultra processed. Turkey (which sounds like it came from a turkey breast and not cold cut) would be unprocessed or minimally processed.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_classification

Costco almost certainly counts as mass-produced, and they package their bread. According to the NOVA rules, the bread must not be packaged.

Did you actually read that link? That is not what it says.

I am going by the pretty colored chart that's based on NOVA. According to that chart, if bread has any packaging, it's bad.

You are not supposed to eat the packaging.

[Anonymous]

We probably cannot tell you without looking at the ingredients lists. These terms are defined differently depending on who you ask, but to me ultra-processed means it has been prepared for consumption and made shelf-stable by adding preservatives, or taste and look enhanced with extra additives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So bacon, turkey, bread are the main UP foods. I was hoping the turkey breast sliced at home and the sourdough multi-grain from the bakery were not ultra processed.

Bacon and turkey are NOT ultra processed, and neither is the bread if it does not have additives. If you bought the bread in the regular supermarket aisle is probably is ultra processed.

The most commonly used research definition of ultra processed would put bacon in the processed category, not ultra processed, along with other preserved foods. Bread that has a bunch of additives and artificial ingredients is ultra processed. Turkey (which sounds like it came from a turkey breast and not cold cut) would be unprocessed or minimally processed.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_classification

Costco almost certainly counts as mass-produced, and they package their bread. According to the NOVA rules, the bread must not be packaged.

Did you actually read that link? That is not what it says.

I am going by the pretty colored chart that's based on NOVA. According to that chart, if bread has any packaging, it's bad.

You are not supposed to eat the packaging.

I don't, but according to the chart, even a simple paper bag counts as packaging. Costo's bread has a "sophiscated" paper and plastic bag with perforations for cooling. The horror!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Breakfast:
coffee (whole beans bought at costco -Mayorga brand - ground at home) with a splash of organic whole milk
french toast - made with purchased brioche bread from costco, eggs, whole milk, cinnamon, sugar, organic maple syrup grade A
bacon (yeah, I know that one!)

Lunch:
turkey sandwich with multigrade sourdough from whole foods bakery, turkey from a pre-cooked costco turkey breast sliced at home, lettuce and tomato from our CSA, peach from our CSA

Dinner:
stirfry with pork tenderloin, bok choy from our CSA, ginger, garlic, spices
white jasmine rice in instant pot

Obviously the bacon is ultra-processed. Is the turkey breast? Is the bread? Just really curious - thanks!

Grinding coffee beans is processed
Milk is processed
French toast is processed
Maple syrup is probably processed but not obviously
Your sandwich was processed
Your lettuce and tomato… sliced but I’ll let it slide
Dinner was all processed

Hope that helps!

She said ultra processed, not processed. Yes, we all know water is a chemical and slicing a tomato makes it "processed." But the phrase "ultra processed," while still a little nebulous around the edges, is its own category these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused. Are you getting a stomachache and think it's something you ate yesterday?

Food stays in your digestion tract for up to 72 hrs so it could be anything you ate in the past 3 days.

No, I just keep seeing news reports about cutting out ultra-processed foods and I legitimately find it difficult to figure out what counts in these studies and reports.

Pop tarts (even organic ones) are processed. A turkey sandwich is less processed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused. Are you getting a stomachache and think it's something you ate yesterday?

Food stays in your digestion tract for up to 72 hrs so it could be anything you ate in the past 3 days.

No, I just keep seeing news reports about cutting out ultra-processed foods and I legitimately find it difficult to figure out what counts in these studies and reports.

Pop tarts (even organic ones) are processed. A turkey sandwich is less processed.

To make a pop tart shelf stable, it is ultra processed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So bacon, turkey, bread are the main UP foods. I was hoping the turkey breast sliced at home and the sourdough multi-grain from the bakery were not ultra processed.

Correct. The bread if iffy depending on source. Any baked goods bought in a grocery store bakery or Costco are likely ultra processed. Whole Foods, maybe not, depending on the item. I don’t know how much actual baking and leavening is happening inside of Whole Foods. Bread should be made of flour, water, salt, yeast- that’s it.

[Anonymous]

Look at the things that came in packages and see if the labels contain additives, preservatives, coloring or "added flavoring." Possibilities on your list are the breads, spices, rice, and meats. But all of those can also be purchased in processed, but not ultra processed, forms, which you may have achieved here.

[Anonymous]

I thought ultra processed foods are items like snack cakes, cheez its, and Dino shaped chicken nuggets.

Part of being human is to process foods. I wouldn’t get too wrapped around the axle about it. When your ingredient list starts to look like a chemistry class, that’s where you draw the line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So bacon, turkey, bread are the main UP foods. I was hoping the turkey breast sliced at home and the sourdough multi-grain from the bakery were not ultra processed.

Correct. The bread if iffy depending on source. Any baked goods bought in a grocery store bakery or Costco are likely ultra processed. Whole Foods, maybe not, depending on the item. I don’t know how much actual baking and leavening is happening inside of Whole Foods. Bread should be made of flour, water, salt, yeast- that’s it.

So, sourdough is not bread?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Thanks PP for linking. Interesting, except for bread and pasta most of the stuff I eat is in categories 1 and 2. Never would have thought that salt is considered “processed”.

That’s where these lists get a little ridiculous. Humans would literally die without salt. Most of this stuff is fine in moderation. My attitude is that if people ate it in the 19th century (sugar, flour, olive oil,mustard, bacon), it’s probably fine in limited quantities.

I just had salmon and eggplant fitters for lunch, which is considered pretty healthy. But I used breadcrumbs (processed) as binder, olive oil (processed) to fry them, and topped it with a drizzle of a flavored mayonnaise (probably highly processed). By I’m not going to eat just a plain eggplant and unflavored salmon, so I figure this all comes out as a net positive.

+1 on the ridiculousness, and salt is probably on the processed list because it usually contains added iodine which is another things humans die without.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So bacon, turkey, bread are the main UP foods. I was hoping the turkey breast sliced at home and the sourdough multi-grain from the bakery were not ultra processed.

Correct. The bread if iffy depending on source. Any baked goods bought in a grocery store bakery or Costco are likely ultra processed. Whole Foods, maybe not, depending on the item. I don’t know how much actual baking and leavening is happening inside of Whole Foods. Bread should be made of flour, water, salt, yeast- that’s it.

Does enriched flour count as highly processed? I vote no. I just looked up the ingredient list for costco bread and it is:
Enriched flour, water, sour culture, durum flour, contains 2% of less of -- wheat starch, salt, semolina, sugar, extra virgin olive oil, yeast, yeast extract, barley flour, enzymes, ascorbic acid.
I think I would count this as processed, not highly processed, but I guess the question is whether small amounts of "wheat starch", "enzymes" and "ascorbic acid" kick it over the line. I think enzymes are in cheese, right? So doesn't seem like that's necessarily highly processed. Ascorbic acid is just vitamin C. Again, that doesn't seem so bad.
But when you compare to Pirate's Booty (which does seem ultra processed to me) -- the ingredients aren't that different. This seems like p#rn -- there's some things that are clearly yes, some things clearly no, and then a big grey area where we all feel like we know it when we see it, but we all have different viewpoints.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So bacon, turkey, bread are the main UP foods. I was hoping the turkey breast sliced at home and the sourdough multi-grain from the bakery were not ultra processed.

Correct. The bread if iffy depending on source. Any baked goods bought in a grocery store bakery or Costco are likely ultra processed. Whole Foods, maybe not, depending on the item. I don’t know how much actual baking and leavening is happening inside of Whole Foods. Bread should be made of flour, water, salt, yeast- that’s it.

Does enriched flour count as highly processed? I vote no. I just looked up the ingredient list for costco bread and it is:
Enriched flour, water, sour culture, durum flour, contains 2% of less of -- wheat starch, salt, semolina, sugar, extra virgin olive oil, yeast, yeast extract, barley flour, enzymes, ascorbic acid.
I think I would count this as processed, not highly processed, but I guess the question is whether small amounts of "wheat starch", "enzymes" and "ascorbic acid" kick it over the line. I think enzymes are in cheese, right? So doesn't seem like that's necessarily highly processed. Ascorbic acid is just vitamin C. Again, that doesn't seem so bad.
But when you compare to Pirate's Booty (which does seem ultra processed to me) -- the ingredients aren't that different. This seems like p#rn -- there's some things that are clearly yes, some things clearly no, and then a big grey area where we all feel like we know it when we see it, but we all have different viewpoints.

The ascorbic acid is likely a preservative, i.e., just to get the acidity to level up to kill most things.

However, if the flour can in a fancy bag, it would be utra-processed. If you need flour you should buy it from the local miller in a _plain_, not fancy, bucket.