Processed verses Ultra Processed Foods

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I had always made the distinction between processed and ultra processed foods as something I could or couldn't make myself at home. So yoghurt, tofu, pasta, bread etc all fell under the processed foods category for me.

But I was reading an article at the weekend that redefined these terms. Bread, breakfast cereal, yoghurt all fell under ultra processed foods because you can't buy the ingredients on that ingredients list to make the exact same thing yourself at home.

Commercial bread and breakfast cereals in most countries have to be fortified by law, which means all shop bought bread is ultra processed. This really surprised me. I'd never thought of it that way before, but I can't buy thiamine and folic acid to add to homemade bread, not can I but the emulsifiers or other additives. If I buy a bread mix, thiamine and folic acid will already be in there.

Example (Light Rye from my freezer)

INGREDIENTS:
Wheat Flour, Water, Rye Flour (11%), Rye Meal (5%), Baker’s Yeast, Vinegar, Wheat Gluten, Iodised Salt, Canola Oil, Fermented Wheat Flour, Soy Flour, Barley Malt Flour (0.3%), Vegetable Emulsifiers (471, 472e, 481), Vitamins (Thiamin, Folic Acid).

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

Personally I don’t have a two tier system, more of a sliding scale. The further it gets from the necessary ingredients and processes the further down the pecking order it falls.
That is probably the result of reading the label of every single packet of everything I’ve consumed or fed my children for over 20 years.
I didn’t want to feed them any cr*p but didn’t want them to miss out either.
The superior carrot sticks and dried fruit snack alpha mummies did my head in
But it was still a shock how bad a lot of foods are.

I’m amazed how many people only take in the information on the front of the packet and have no idea what they’re eating!

I’m no puritan though. I’ll happily accept a host of additives and dubious ingredients if something gluten free tastes good but it’s never unwittingly, I have noticed over the years that with the exception of flavour enhancers food rarely taste better for dancing in Frankenstein’s chemical factory before release

 

[blades]

To me processed is a function of how it is made, not what the main ingredients are. Factory food made with preservatives and other unnatural elements are processed to me. Bread made fresh at the local bakery is not processed in my view. Pasta, obviously, is home made all the time. It may be difficult for a home cook to produce the shapes of commercially made pasta but the ingredients are readily available. I can make tagliatelle or even ravioli from scratch. Penne, not so much.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Can't say I make a distinction. As far as possible, I avoid processed foods. I far prefer to use fresh ingredients (which are readily available) where ever possible, although I don't go to extremes. Mayo, Mustard, Ketchup, etc. are fine, and even though I could probably make an effort to prepare them, I don't think it's worth it.
Since I had a Conserves company, things like jam, chutney, hot sauce, pickles, etc., are second nature so we never buy them.

 

[CookieMonster]

"processed" vs. "ultra-processed"
seriously?

"processed foodstuffs" are merely the stuff you can make yourself, but without all the preservatives.
exceptions apply.

not likely you can make Pringles Chips at home.
you can make veddy thin sliced potato chips.

in the deli aisle - you can make
potato salad
tuna salad
chicken salad
cole slaw
pasta salad
. . . .
all without the preservatives and stabilizers, color dyes, etc., listed on the label . . .

other examples -
macaroni & cheese
mashed potatoes
- look at the label versus how they are 'home made'

either one cooks, or one buys the prepared processed / uber prepared processed stuff -
a requirement of years-long-shelf life
and/or
instant commercial preparation.

there's not a whole lotta' stuff one cannot prepare from scratch that is only available as "processed" presuming one is willing to not go with the 12 month shelf life thing . . .

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

I dunno I cook, I prefer the taste of food I make myself made from ingredients not interfered with but like a lot of people I have commitments and sometimes buying something prepared whether it’s a salad or sausages is going to happen. I dread to think how many nitrites/nitrates I’ve eaten over my lifetime or how much potassium sorbate

 

[badjak]

I've decided a long time ago, I should eat what I like
Because of that, I need to make a lot myself as the availability here is not that good.
Our brown bread looks white to me, so I make sourdough bread which I can't get.
Make my own chili pastes as I can't get decent sambal (although I do like sri racha).
Pickles and mustard are far overpriced, so I make my own.
Roast my own peanuts and have been making potato crisps and chips as well.
Own pizza.
But I buy Jasmine rice, not brown
So maybe I'm just a confused puppy

 

[TastyReuben]

I’ve never really thought about a distinction, I think I see things more as processed (which can even mean staples like granulated sugar and flour, because they didn’t grow that way) or not processed (apples, cabbage), and I’m just aware of what I will and won’t buy/consume.

Bread, I generally buy, though I used to make most of our bread. Crackers…I almost always buy those, making them for specific reasons a couple of times a year.

Doughnuts, bagels, pretzels - I’ve made each once, just to see if I could, and now on the rare occasions we have those, I buy them.

Boxed dehydrated potato dishes, powdered sauce mixes, things with names like “Fizzleberry Volcoblast” or “Rocketflame Cheezy Nibs,” I don’t buy at all.

 

[Amateur1]

This may be helpful from the British Heart Foundation. Search
See this too. https://www.fao.org/3/ca5644en/ca5644en.pdf from the UN