Processed, or refined can be any food that has been modified in some way during preparation. This modification can be something very simple and innocent, like cooling. canning, baking, pasteurizing or drying. However, we have come to colloquially use the term “processed” for foods that contain lots of additives/preservatives, and high levels of salt, sugar and fat.
Examples of common processed foods
- Cereal
- cheese
- canned vegetables
- bread
- salty snacks such as crisps, sausages, pies and sweets
- meat products such as bacon, sausage, ham, salami and pate
- microwave meals or ready meals
- cakes and cookies
- soft drinks
Other foods need processing to make them suitable for use, for example in the production of some oil from olives or seeds.
What are some undesirable ingredients in highly processed food?
Ingredients such as salt, sugar and fat are sometimes added to processed foods to improve their organoleptic characteristics (taste, aroma, colour, texture), for preservation purposes or to contribute to the structure of the food, such as salt in bread or sugar in cakes. Eating foods that have these ingredients in very high concentrations can lead people to eat more than the recommended amounts of sugar, salt and fat, or even make the consumer want to binge eat.
What should we be most cautious of when buying food?
Reading nutrition labels can help you choose between processed products and check the fat, salt and sugar content. Most prepackaged foods have the nutritional information on the front, back, or side of the package. It is good to choose foods that state that they are low in fat (light foods), saturated fat, salt or sugar.