“Highly processed” is so unclear

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:😱 Americans are really failing at critical thinking

+10000 Yikes

Highly processed is about as meaningful as free range. Is a chicken with access to 1 sq. ft. of outdoor space free range? Yes, it is, by USDA definitions. Is milk highly processed? It's taken from the cow, mixed with other cows' milk, milk fat adjusted, pasteurized, fortified with vitaman D, bottled, and shipped. That doesn't seem like minimal processing. But people accept that processing because it is what they are used to.

Now, we have ultra processed as well. What's the difference between highly and ultra processed? There's no definitions for any of this and the labels are applied whenever someone needs to win an argument.

I am sorry to be such a shallow thinker. Please enlighten me with your critical thoughts.

Well, that’s not completely true. I mean, there’s a whole internet you can use instead of DCUM but it seems you want to argue more than to actually find information

https://ecuphysicians.ecu.edu/wp-content/pv-uploads/sites/78/2021/07/NOVA-Classification-Reference-Sheet.pdf

So that's an international or US standard?

There is “standard” unless there are regulations.

I can see from your further lists that you’re bothered this was a from a Brazilian study, but can’t seem to be able to extrapolate into your own life. I look at the actually information on the slides and I don’t see anything that’s culturally biased.


Can you imagine how hard it is to be a female POC anywhere and thinking pharmaceutical dosages apply to you? This is such an odd thing to troll about. For lat least 20 years, people have been told to just shop the outside of the grocery store in order to encounter the least amount of processed foods. It’s not a perfect strategy, but it still seems to apply so many years later.

And the fact that you’re blah blazing about data shows you’re again being obtuse, argumentative and trolling and not a “Normal person” like you’re trying to pretend to be. Normal
People can figure out the difference in processing, but have many life choices to make that may override the processing component with regards to health and diet. This includes having to choose what is locally and readily available to you from a shopping and preparing standpoint.

And dragging in the palatable
Thing is also a straw man. Ultra processed foods are designed to be ultra palatable. That’s easy when you have science on your side.

I’m not sure your actual point in this, but it’s annoying. Normal people can easily tell what’s processed or not, but that doesn’t mean that’s always an accessible product for them. It’s not that people can’t tell, it’s that things are set up to make the one that makes money for corporations cheaper, easier, and more delicious.

I can't follow the logic presented.

As for Black women (and men) and pharmaceutical doses, yeah, you should be somewhat concerned. The study groups are typically composed of young, white, college-age men of Western European descent. That industry gets all sorts of surprises when the general population finally gets access. Not sure what this has to do with the term "highly processed."

All food is processed. Currently, we have some indeterminate labels, such as "highly" and "ultra" processed. While you believe the general population has a good grasp on the differences, I don't believe that's true. Some PP seems to think Velveta is "processed." It's not even legally classified as cheese; it's a "cheese product." Velveeta was created at a time when store refrigeration and timely shipping were not common. It's pasteurized, which makes it shelf-stable, and reasonably palatable--a miracle that brought a consistent "cheese" to the masses. I wouldn't call it particularly cheese-flavored, but it lasts "forever" compared to a hunk of cheddar.

All food is not processed. You seem to be using this as an excuse to throw your hands up and say “oh well, I give up.” So give up already. No one cares what you eat. But just because you can’t comprehend nuance doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

All food is processed to some degree or another. If you aren't walking out to the field yourself, you are relying on industrial agriculture practices which includes processing, usually to extend shelf life. I understand nuance. I don't understand where the line is between minimally, highly, and ultra processed.

A banana is not processed. I don’t need to grow the banana to know that it’s not processed. What do you not understand about this?

Bananas are picked green so they are sturdy enough for shipping and chemically ripened.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/chemically-ripened-bananas/

For reasons ranging from transportation logistics to visual aesthetics, most commercial bananas are picked well before they are ripe and triggered to ripen in concert by being exposed to trace levels of ethylene gas in a specialized, climate-controlled ripening chamber a few days before being distributed for sale in supermarkets.

Otoh, this is a process I can replicate in my kitchen by putting green bananas in a paper bag with an apple. And it would not be inaccurate to describe my bag as "a specialized, climate controlled ripening chamber with trace levels of ethylene gas."

And I can deep fry Fritos in my kitchen. Does that make either less processed because you can replicate the process in your kitchen?

I am willing to agree that processed could mean minimally processed to make a food product shippable, safe for the bulk of the population, and/or more convenient.

Milk is something that needs processing to be safer for the general population. You don't want to drink milk closer to its natural state. Olives needs processing. I am cold pressing and blending olive oil in my kitchen. Oats could be eaten as they are found in nature, but with minimal processing you have a convenient cereal that doesn't require hours of prep.

I don't think fortification counts as highly processed. Generally, that's due to government regulation and uses GRAS chemicals. The companies would prefer not to fortify products.

I think we need to get past the idea that some foods are "not processed" and "natural." That's rare in the supermarket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:😱 Americans are really failing at critical thinking

+10000 Yikes

Highly processed is about as meaningful as free range. Is a chicken with access to 1 sq. ft. of outdoor space free range? Yes, it is, by USDA definitions. Is milk highly processed? It's taken from the cow, mixed with other cows' milk, milk fat adjusted, pasteurized, fortified with vitaman D, bottled, and shipped. That doesn't seem like minimal processing. But people accept that processing because it is what they are used to.

Now, we have ultra processed as well. What's the difference between highly and ultra processed? There's no definitions for any of this and the labels are applied whenever someone needs to win an argument.

I am sorry to be such a shallow thinker. Please enlighten me with your critical thoughts.

Well, that’s not completely true. I mean, there’s a whole internet you can use instead of DCUM but it seems you want to argue more than to actually find information

https://ecuphysicians.ecu.edu/wp-content/pv-uploads/sites/78/2021/07/NOVA-Classification-Reference-Sheet.pdf

So that's an international or US standard?

There is “standard” unless there are regulations.

I can see from your further lists that you’re bothered this was a from a Brazilian study, but can’t seem to be able to extrapolate into your own life. I look at the actually information on the slides and I don’t see anything that’s culturally biased.


Can you imagine how hard it is to be a female POC anywhere and thinking pharmaceutical dosages apply to you? This is such an odd thing to troll about. For lat least 20 years, people have been told to just shop the outside of the grocery store in order to encounter the least amount of processed foods. It’s not a perfect strategy, but it still seems to apply so many years later.

And the fact that you’re blah blazing about data shows you’re again being obtuse, argumentative and trolling and not a “Normal person” like you’re trying to pretend to be. Normal
People can figure out the difference in processing, but have many life choices to make that may override the processing component with regards to health and diet. This includes having to choose what is locally and readily available to you from a shopping and preparing standpoint.

And dragging in the palatable
Thing is also a straw man. Ultra processed foods are designed to be ultra palatable. That’s easy when you have science on your side.

I’m not sure your actual point in this, but it’s annoying. Normal people can easily tell what’s processed or not, but that doesn’t mean that’s always an accessible product for them. It’s not that people can’t tell, it’s that things are set up to make the one that makes money for corporations cheaper, easier, and more delicious.

I can't follow the logic presented.

As for Black women (and men) and pharmaceutical doses, yeah, you should be somewhat concerned. The study groups are typically composed of young, white, college-age men of Western European descent. That industry gets all sorts of surprises when the general population finally gets access. Not sure what this has to do with the term "highly processed."

All food is processed. Currently, we have some indeterminate labels, such as "highly" and "ultra" processed. While you believe the general population has a good grasp on the differences, I don't believe that's true. Some PP seems to think Velveta is "processed." It's not even legally classified as cheese; it's a "cheese product." Velveeta was created at a time when store refrigeration and timely shipping were not common. It's pasteurized, which makes it shelf-stable, and reasonably palatable--a miracle that brought a consistent "cheese" to the masses. I wouldn't call it particularly cheese-flavored, but it lasts "forever" compared to a hunk of cheddar.

All food is not processed. You seem to be using this as an excuse to throw your hands up and say “oh well, I give up.” So give up already. No one cares what you eat. But just because you can’t comprehend nuance doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

All food is processed to some degree or another. If you aren't walking out to the field yourself, you are relying on industrial agriculture practices which includes processing, usually to extend shelf life. I understand nuance. I don't understand where the line is between minimally, highly, and ultra processed.

A banana is not processed. I don’t need to grow the banana to know that it’s not processed. What do you not understand about this?

Okay but a banana is a great example, because it technically comes from a plant, right? But the plants are all cloned and grafted. They've been bred to be triploid to make them seedless. And so the fruit is way bigger and sweeter. And they're cultivated using chemicals and other dubious agricultural processes to make them cheap for our market.

Bananas are even more interesting in that the former popular cultivar, the Gros Michael, died off due to disease and replaced by the Cavendish in the 1950s. That's within living memory for some. The Cavendish is thought to be less flavorful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:😱 Americans are really failing at critical thinking

+10000 Yikes

Highly processed is about as meaningful as free range. Is a chicken with access to 1 sq. ft. of outdoor space free range? Yes, it is, by USDA definitions. Is milk highly processed? It's taken from the cow, mixed with other cows' milk, milk fat adjusted, pasteurized, fortified with vitaman D, bottled, and shipped. That doesn't seem like minimal processing. But people accept that processing because it is what they are used to.

Now, we have ultra processed as well. What's the difference between highly and ultra processed? There's no definitions for any of this and the labels are applied whenever someone needs to win an argument.

I am sorry to be such a shallow thinker. Please enlighten me with your critical thoughts.

Well, that’s not completely true. I mean, there’s a whole internet you can use instead of DCUM but it seems you want to argue more than to actually find information

https://ecuphysicians.ecu.edu/wp-content/pv-uploads/sites/78/2021/07/NOVA-Classification-Reference-Sheet.pdf

So that's an international or US standard?

There is “standard” unless there are regulations.

I can see from your further lists that you’re bothered this was a from a Brazilian study, but can’t seem to be able to extrapolate into your own life. I look at the actually information on the slides and I don’t see anything that’s culturally biased.


Can you imagine how hard it is to be a female POC anywhere and thinking pharmaceutical dosages apply to you? This is such an odd thing to troll about. For lat least 20 years, people have been told to just shop the outside of the grocery store in order to encounter the least amount of processed foods. It’s not a perfect strategy, but it still seems to apply so many years later.

And the fact that you’re blah blazing about data shows you’re again being obtuse, argumentative and trolling and not a “Normal person” like you’re trying to pretend to be. Normal
People can figure out the difference in processing, but have many life choices to make that may override the processing component with regards to health and diet. This includes having to choose what is locally and readily available to you from a shopping and preparing standpoint.

And dragging in the palatable
Thing is also a straw man. Ultra processed foods are designed to be ultra palatable. That’s easy when you have science on your side.

I’m not sure your actual point in this, but it’s annoying. Normal people can easily tell what’s processed or not, but that doesn’t mean that’s always an accessible product for them. It’s not that people can’t tell, it’s that things are set up to make the one that makes money for corporations cheaper, easier, and more delicious.

I can't follow the logic presented.

As for Black women (and men) and pharmaceutical doses, yeah, you should be somewhat concerned. The study groups are typically composed of young, white, college-age men of Western European descent. That industry gets all sorts of surprises when the general population finally gets access. Not sure what this has to do with the term "highly processed."

All food is processed. Currently, we have some indeterminate labels, such as "highly" and "ultra" processed. While you believe the general population has a good grasp on the differences, I don't believe that's true. Some PP seems to think Velveta is "processed." It's not even legally classified as cheese; it's a "cheese product." Velveeta was created at a time when store refrigeration and timely shipping were not common. It's pasteurized, which makes it shelf-stable, and reasonably palatable--a miracle that brought a consistent "cheese" to the masses. I wouldn't call it particularly cheese-flavored, but it lasts "forever" compared to a hunk of cheddar.

All food is not processed. You seem to be using this as an excuse to throw your hands up and say “oh well, I give up.” So give up already. No one cares what you eat. But just because you can’t comprehend nuance doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

All food is processed to some degree or another. If you aren't walking out to the field yourself, you are relying on industrial agriculture practices which includes processing, usually to extend shelf life. I understand nuance. I don't understand where the line is between minimally, highly, and ultra processed.

A banana is not processed. I don’t need to grow the banana to know that it’s not processed. What do you not understand about this?

Okay but a banana is a great example, because it technically comes from a plant, right? But the plants are all cloned and grafted. They've been bred to be triploid to make them seedless. And so the fruit is way bigger and sweeter. And they're cultivated using chemicals and other dubious agricultural processes to make them cheap for our market.

Bananas are even more interesting in that the former popular cultivar, the Gros Michael, died off due to disease and replaced by the Cavendish in the 1950s. That's within living memory for some. The Cavendish is thought to be less flavorful.

To expand on this, the Gros Michel is what the taste of artificial banana was originally based on, that's why things like banana Laffy Taffy "don't taste like banana." They do, just not any banana you've ever eaten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:😱 Americans are really failing at critical thinking

+10000 Yikes

Highly processed is about as meaningful as free range. Is a chicken with access to 1 sq. ft. of outdoor space free range? Yes, it is, by USDA definitions. Is milk highly processed? It's taken from the cow, mixed with other cows' milk, milk fat adjusted, pasteurized, fortified with vitaman D, bottled, and shipped. That doesn't seem like minimal processing. But people accept that processing because it is what they are used to.

Now, we have ultra processed as well. What's the difference between highly and ultra processed? There's no definitions for any of this and the labels are applied whenever someone needs to win an argument.

I am sorry to be such a shallow thinker. Please enlighten me with your critical thoughts.

Well, that’s not completely true. I mean, there’s a whole internet you can use instead of DCUM but it seems you want to argue more than to actually find information

https://ecuphysicians.ecu.edu/wp-content/pv-uploads/sites/78/2021/07/NOVA-Classification-Reference-Sheet.pdf

So that's an international or US standard?

There is “standard” unless there are regulations.

I can see from your further lists that you’re bothered this was a from a Brazilian study, but can’t seem to be able to extrapolate into your own life. I look at the actually information on the slides and I don’t see anything that’s culturally biased.


Can you imagine how hard it is to be a female POC anywhere and thinking pharmaceutical dosages apply to you? This is such an odd thing to troll about. For lat least 20 years, people have been told to just shop the outside of the grocery store in order to encounter the least amount of processed foods. It’s not a perfect strategy, but it still seems to apply so many years later.

And the fact that you’re blah blazing about data shows you’re again being obtuse, argumentative and trolling and not a “Normal person” like you’re trying to pretend to be. Normal
People can figure out the difference in processing, but have many life choices to make that may override the processing component with regards to health and diet. This includes having to choose what is locally and readily available to you from a shopping and preparing standpoint.

And dragging in the palatable
Thing is also a straw man. Ultra processed foods are designed to be ultra palatable. That’s easy when you have science on your side.

I’m not sure your actual point in this, but it’s annoying. Normal people can easily tell what’s processed or not, but that doesn’t mean that’s always an accessible product for them. It’s not that people can’t tell, it’s that things are set up to make the one that makes money for corporations cheaper, easier, and more delicious.

I can't follow the logic presented.

As for Black women (and men) and pharmaceutical doses, yeah, you should be somewhat concerned. The study groups are typically composed of young, white, college-age men of Western European descent. That industry gets all sorts of surprises when the general population finally gets access. Not sure what this has to do with the term "highly processed."

All food is processed. Currently, we have some indeterminate labels, such as "highly" and "ultra" processed. While you believe the general population has a good grasp on the differences, I don't believe that's true. Some PP seems to think Velveta is "processed." It's not even legally classified as cheese; it's a "cheese product." Velveeta was created at a time when store refrigeration and timely shipping were not common. It's pasteurized, which makes it shelf-stable, and reasonably palatable--a miracle that brought a consistent "cheese" to the masses. I wouldn't call it particularly cheese-flavored, but it lasts "forever" compared to a hunk of cheddar.

All food is not processed. You seem to be using this as an excuse to throw your hands up and say “oh well, I give up.” So give up already. No one cares what you eat. But just because you can’t comprehend nuance doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

All food is processed to some degree or another. If you aren't walking out to the field yourself, you are relying on industrial agriculture practices which includes processing, usually to extend shelf life. I understand nuance. I don't understand where the line is between minimally, highly, and ultra processed.

A banana is not processed. I don’t need to grow the banana to know that it’s not processed. What do you not understand about this?

Okay but a banana is a great example, because it technically comes from a plant, right? But the plants are all cloned and grafted. They've been bred to be triploid to make them seedless. And so the fruit is way bigger and sweeter. And they're cultivated using chemicals and other dubious agricultural processes to make them cheap for our market.

Bananas are even more interesting in that the former popular cultivar, the Gros Michael, died off due to disease and replaced by the Cavendish in the 1950s. That's within living memory for some. The Cavendish is thought to be less flavorful.

To expand on this, the Gros Michel is what the taste of artificial banana was originally based on, that's why things like banana Laffy Taffy "don't taste like banana." They do, just not any banana you've ever eaten.

Everybody knows this story, and it's off topic, but thanks I guess?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]I wouldn't overthink it. A good rule of thumb for when people are talking about, or rather complaining about, highly processed is the more ingredients it has that sound like science lab chemical compounds instead of food, the more processed it is. A good example would be reading the ingredient labels on ice creams. The more premium the ice cream, the fewer ingredients it has and few of those, if any, will sound like a science lab chemical. Even Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream only has five ingredients, all easily recognizable: cream, skim milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. The cheaper ice creams will have more ingredients with weird names that are used as stabilizers and fillers and flavor substitutes. That's highly processed.

I also wouldn't call cheerios highly processed in this vein of thinking either. Fruit Loops, on the other hand... and you can probably understand why. [/quote]

There’s literally no version of ice cream that is not highly processed. The ingredients don’t matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:😱 Americans are really failing at critical thinking

+10000 Yikes

Highly processed is about as meaningful as free range. Is a chicken with access to 1 sq. ft. of outdoor space free range? Yes, it is, by USDA definitions. Is milk highly processed? It's taken from the cow, mixed with other cows' milk, milk fat adjusted, pasteurized, fortified with vitaman D, bottled, and shipped. That doesn't seem like minimal processing. But people accept that processing because it is what they are used to.

Now, we have ultra processed as well. What's the difference between highly and ultra processed? There's no definitions for any of this and the labels are applied whenever someone needs to win an argument.

I am sorry to be such a shallow thinker. Please enlighten me with your critical thoughts.

Well, that’s not completely true. I mean, there’s a whole internet you can use instead of DCUM but it seems you want to argue more than to actually find information

https://ecuphysicians.ecu.edu/wp-content/pv-uploads/sites/78/2021/07/NOVA-Classification-Reference-Sheet.pdf

So that's an international or US standard?

There is “standard” unless there are regulations.

I can see from your further lists that you’re bothered this was a from a Brazilian study, but can’t seem to be able to extrapolate into your own life. I look at the actually information on the slides and I don’t see anything that’s culturally biased.


Can you imagine how hard it is to be a female POC anywhere and thinking pharmaceutical dosages apply to you? This is such an odd thing to troll about. For lat least 20 years, people have been told to just shop the outside of the grocery store in order to encounter the least amount of processed foods. It’s not a perfect strategy, but it still seems to apply so many years later.

And the fact that you’re blah blazing about data shows you’re again being obtuse, argumentative and trolling and not a “Normal person” like you’re trying to pretend to be. Normal
People can figure out the difference in processing, but have many life choices to make that may override the processing component with regards to health and diet. This includes having to choose what is locally and readily available to you from a shopping and preparing standpoint.

And dragging in the palatable
Thing is also a straw man. Ultra processed foods are designed to be ultra palatable. That’s easy when you have science on your side.

I’m not sure your actual point in this, but it’s annoying. Normal people can easily tell what’s processed or not, but that doesn’t mean that’s always an accessible product for them. It’s not that people can’t tell, it’s that things are set up to make the one that makes money for corporations cheaper, easier, and more delicious.

I can't follow the logic presented.

As for Black women (and men) and pharmaceutical doses, yeah, you should be somewhat concerned. The study groups are typically composed of young, white, college-age men of Western European descent. That industry gets all sorts of surprises when the general population finally gets access. Not sure what this has to do with the term "highly processed."

All food is processed. Currently, we have some indeterminate labels, such as "highly" and "ultra" processed. While you believe the general population has a good grasp on the differences, I don't believe that's true. Some PP seems to think Velveta is "processed." It's not even legally classified as cheese; it's a "cheese product." Velveeta was created at a time when store refrigeration and timely shipping were not common. It's pasteurized, which makes it shelf-stable, and reasonably palatable--a miracle that brought a consistent "cheese" to the masses. I wouldn't call it particularly cheese-flavored, but it lasts "forever" compared to a hunk of cheddar.

All food is not processed. You seem to be using this as an excuse to throw your hands up and say “oh well, I give up.” So give up already. No one cares what you eat. But just because you can’t comprehend nuance doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

All food is processed to some degree or another. If you aren't walking out to the field yourself, you are relying on industrial agriculture practices which includes processing, usually to extend shelf life. I understand nuance. I don't understand where the line is between minimally, highly, and ultra processed.

A banana is not processed. I don’t need to grow the banana to know that it’s not processed. What do you not understand about this?

Okay but a banana is a great example, because it technically comes from a plant, right? But the plants are all cloned and grafted. They've been bred to be triploid to make them seedless. And so the fruit is way bigger and sweeter. And they're cultivated using chemicals and other dubious agricultural processes to make them cheap for our market.

That isn’t processed. That seems obvious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't overthink it. A good rule of thumb for when people are talking about, or rather complaining about, highly processed is the more ingredients it has that sound like science lab chemical compounds instead of food, the more processed it is. A good example would be reading the ingredient labels on ice creams. The more premium the ice cream, the fewer ingredients it has and few of those, if any, will sound like a science lab chemical. Even Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream only has five ingredients, all easily recognizable: cream, skim milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. The cheaper ice creams will have more ingredients with weird names that are used as stabilizers and fillers and flavor substitutes. That's highly processed.

I also wouldn't call cheerios highly processed in this vein of thinking either. Fruit Loops, on the other hand... and you can probably understand why.

This. Honestly I’ve just gotten to the point where I look for fewer ingredients and ones I know. So the potato chips that are potato, oil, salt or the pistachios that are pistachio and salt win out as snacks over Oreos, cheaper ice creams, or Doritos all of which have ingredients that appear to have science lab names.

No. Those potato chips aren’t healthier. They’re empty calories with no nutritional value loaded up with oil and salt that is easily absorbed screwing with your body chemistry and not satiating your hunger, leading to you eat more calories sooner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't overthink it. A good rule of thumb for when people are talking about, or rather complaining about, highly processed is the more ingredients it has that sound like science lab chemical compounds instead of food, the more processed it is. A good example would be reading the ingredient labels on ice creams. The more premium the ice cream, the fewer ingredients it has and few of those, if any, will sound like a science lab chemical. Even Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream only has five ingredients, all easily recognizable: cream, skim milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. The cheaper ice creams will have more ingredients with weird names that are used as stabilizers and fillers and flavor substitutes. That's highly processed.

I also wouldn't call cheerios highly processed in this vein of thinking either. Fruit Loops, on the other hand... and you can probably understand why.

This. Honestly I’ve just gotten to the point where I look for fewer ingredients and ones I know. So the potato chips that are potato, oil, salt or the pistachios that are pistachio and salt win out as snacks over Oreos, cheaper ice creams, or Doritos all of which have ingredients that appear to have science lab names.

No. Those potato chips aren’t healthier. They’re empty calories with no nutritional value loaded up with oil and salt that is easily absorbed screwing with your body chemistry and not satiating your hunger, leading to you eat more calories sooner.

they're delicioussssss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:😱 Americans are really failing at critical thinking

I know. Plus, their leadership is also stupid!! Decline and Fall of the USA!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am really frustrated by the advocacy around “highly processed” foods.

This morning I looked in my kitchen and realized I have three forms of shelf stable oats. Steel cut, rolled, and Cheerios.

Are they nutritionally different? I have no idea! I mean the Cheerios are just ground up into dust and mushed into Os, right? Is that really worse than rolling them flat? How do I tell?

I don’t understand at all why yogurt is not “highly processed.” It seems to me like highly processed milk?

If I make a fake Frappuccino with xanthan gum in my kitchen, is it highly processed now?

I want to give my family healthy foods, but this “highly processed” thing is ridiculously opaque and hard to follow. This feels as helpful as in fifth grade when I learned I should eat 11 bowls of cereal a day, lol.

You don't have to eat or give your family healthy foods. You can do what you want. After all, the medical and pharma industry also wants to make money off of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:😱 Americans are really failing at critical thinking

+10000 Yikes

Highly processed is about as meaningful as free range. Is a chicken with access to 1 sq. ft. of outdoor space free range? Yes, it is, by USDA definitions. Is milk highly processed? It's taken from the cow, mixed with other cows' milk, milk fat adjusted, pasteurized, fortified with vitaman D, bottled, and shipped. That doesn't seem like minimal processing. But people accept that processing because it is what they are used to.

Now, we have ultra processed as well. What's the difference between highly and ultra processed? There's no definitions for any of this and the labels are applied whenever someone needs to win an argument.

I am sorry to be such a shallow thinker. Please enlighten me with your critical thoughts.

Well, that’s not completely true. I mean, there’s a whole internet you can use instead of DCUM but it seems you want to argue more than to actually find information

https://ecuphysicians.ecu.edu/wp-content/pv-uploads/sites/78/2021/07/NOVA-Classification-Reference-Sheet.pdf

So that's an international or US standard?

There is “standard” unless there are regulations.

I can see from your further lists that you’re bothered this was a from a Brazilian study, but can’t seem to be able to extrapolate into your own life. I look at the actually information on the slides and I don’t see anything that’s culturally biased.


Can you imagine how hard it is to be a female POC anywhere and thinking pharmaceutical dosages apply to you? This is such an odd thing to troll about. For lat least 20 years, people have been told to just shop the outside of the grocery store in order to encounter the least amount of processed foods. It’s not a perfect strategy, but it still seems to apply so many years later.

And the fact that you’re blah blazing about data shows you’re again being obtuse, argumentative and trolling and not a “Normal person” like you’re trying to pretend to be. Normal
People can figure out the difference in processing, but have many life choices to make that may override the processing component with regards to health and diet. This includes having to choose what is locally and readily available to you from a shopping and preparing standpoint.

And dragging in the palatable
Thing is also a straw man. Ultra processed foods are designed to be ultra palatable. That’s easy when you have science on your side.

I’m not sure your actual point in this, but it’s annoying. Normal people can easily tell what’s processed or not, but that doesn’t mean that’s always an accessible product for them. It’s not that people can’t tell, it’s that things are set up to make the one that makes money for corporations cheaper, easier, and more delicious.

I can't follow the logic presented.

As for Black women (and men) and pharmaceutical doses, yeah, you should be somewhat concerned. The study groups are typically composed of young, white, college-age men of Western European descent. That industry gets all sorts of surprises when the general population finally gets access. Not sure what this has to do with the term "highly processed."

All food is processed. Currently, we have some indeterminate labels, such as "highly" and "ultra" processed. While you believe the general population has a good grasp on the differences, I don't believe that's true. Some PP seems to think Velveta is "processed." It's not even legally classified as cheese; it's a "cheese product." Velveeta was created at a time when store refrigeration and timely shipping were not common. It's pasteurized, which makes it shelf-stable, and reasonably palatable--a miracle that brought a consistent "cheese" to the masses. I wouldn't call it particularly cheese-flavored, but it lasts "forever" compared to a hunk of cheddar.

All food is not processed. You seem to be using this as an excuse to throw your hands up and say “oh well, I give up.” So give up already. No one cares what you eat. But just because you can’t comprehend nuance doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

All food is processed to some degree or another. If you aren't walking out to the field yourself, you are relying on industrial agriculture practices which includes processing, usually to extend shelf life. I understand nuance. I don't understand where the line is between minimally, highly, and ultra processed.

A banana is not processed. I don’t need to grow the banana to know that it’s not processed. What do you not understand about this?

Okay but a banana is a great example, because it technically comes from a plant, right? But the plants are all cloned and grafted. They've been bred to be triploid to make them seedless. And so the fruit is way bigger and sweeter. And they're cultivated using chemicals and other dubious agricultural processes to make them cheap for our market.

That isn’t processed. That seems obvious.

We have GMO foods that people object to. Those aren't processed either. Are we now calling them safe because they aren't highly processed?

Some of the selective breeding has been done to eliminate additional processing steps, like seedlessness. Doesn't that count as processing? It's certainly not natural to have a fruit without seeds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:😱 Americans are really failing at critical thinking

I know. Plus, their leadership is also stupid!! Decline and Fall of the USA!!!

! emphasis
!! bordering on crazy town
!!! full time resident

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't overthink it. A good rule of thumb for when people are talking about, or rather complaining about, highly processed is the more ingredients it has that sound like science lab chemical compounds instead of food, the more processed it is. A good example would be reading the ingredient labels on ice creams. The more premium the ice cream, the fewer ingredients it has and few of those, if any, will sound like a science lab chemical. Even Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream only has five ingredients, all easily recognizable: cream, skim milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. The cheaper ice creams will have more ingredients with weird names that are used as stabilizers and fillers and flavor substitutes. That's highly processed.

I also wouldn't call cheerios highly processed in this vein of thinking either. Fruit Loops, on the other hand... and you can probably understand why.

This. Honestly I’ve just gotten to the point where I look for fewer ingredients and ones I know. So the potato chips that are potato, oil, salt or the pistachios that are pistachio and salt win out as snacks over Oreos, cheaper ice creams, or Doritos all of which have ingredients that appear to have science lab names.

No. Those potato chips aren’t healthier. They’re empty calories with no nutritional value loaded up with oil and salt that is easily absorbed screwing with your body chemistry and not satiating your hunger, leading to you eat more calories sooner.

Actually, most potato chips have a good amount of vitamin C. There are sources of vitamin C that don’t have added oil and salt, but it’s not correct to say that they have “no nutritional value”.

[Anonymous]

The people making this complicated are the ones that want to excuse eating shelf stable things in boxes. None of this is very complicated. Nobody’s health is compromised due to selective breeding of bananas.

[Anonymous]

Learn to cook from scratch.