what are processed foods?

i kind of freaked out today because i couldn't figure out what was considered a processed food.

i looked it up. i found this on about.com.

Processed foods have been altered from their natural state for safety reasons and 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, but it turns out that many processed foods are not unhealthy. For example, milk would be considered a processed food because it is pasteurized to kill bacteria and homogenized to keep fats from separating. While some people prefer to drink raw milk, most of us should consume the "processed" version we find in our grocery stores.

Another healthy example of food processing is frozen vegetables. While fresh may be best, freezing vegetables preserves vitamins and minerals and makes them convenient to cook and eat all year around. Fruit and vegetable juice is also an example of a healthy processed food. In fact, some orange juice is fortified with calcium to make it even more nutritious.

Of course, there are a lot of processed foods that aren't good for you. Many 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.

Processed foods that may not be as healthy as fresh foods include:

• canned foods with lots of sodium
• white breads and pastas made with refined white flour, which are not as healthy as those made with whole grains
• packaged high-calorie snack foods, like chips and cheese snacks
• high-fat convenience foods, like cans of ravioli
• frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners
• packaged cakes and cookies
• boxed meal mixes
• sugary breakfast cereals
• processed meats

Processed meats might be some of the worst of these foods. Eating these 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 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 whole grains, low in sodium and calories, and free of trans fats. Make sure you pay attention to serving size, too, and balance out the processed foods you eat with a delicious fresh salad and some whole grain bread.

so. i think i know what is a processed food. a little. and im realizing that it's going to be a little bit harder to cut it out. i'd like to do it in stages. i have food in my kitchen that is processed and i'll get through that, but after that, i want to make an effort to try and eat food that is closest to its natural stage and obviously avoid food that is processed.

so my first step will be eating less of:
- 100 calorie packs. dangit, they are just so good but offer no nutritional value and are incredibly processed. whom whomp.
- alcohol. i had a spell of drinking a little more than usual. i'll def. still enjoy my occasional white/red wine
- prepackaged frozen meals. i love me some convenient weight watchers meals. lots of added salt blah blah blah. i have prepared meals and frozen them before, i'd like to start doing that some more.
- sugar sugar sugar. sugar is the devil apparently. well. not it's not. but, i thikn i have to stop eating so much icecream and candy candy candy. it's so good though. no it's not. yes it is. no it's not. it is good. but maybe not good for me.

we'll leave it at that. lots of food is good to eat. but it's not necessarily good for our bodies, the earth and others around the world. so. i'll try and stick with that one today - putting good things in my body. holla.