Are all foods processed?!

[kmabd2]

Even fruits and veggies, should they be considered processed considering the GMO's and pesticides used on them while farming....?? Are there any foods left which aren't technically processed?

I want to try to switch to a more "natural" diet to see if my health will improve, but I'm struggling to find any natural, un-tampered with food products.

[71Avido]

What's in a name.

All food has to be handled at one point or another.
Even if you grew and harvested it yourself you would still likely process it into more enjoyable forms.

Even making pasta sauce with stuff you grew yourself turns it into a "processed" food.

[MrBillson]

Why are you so concerned with such little things? Just eat primarily whole foods and you'll be fine.

Also, why the GMO hate? Everybody goes on about avoiding them. I agree the practices behind them are unethical but from a health point of view I see no problem.

[71Avido]

Interesting fact, every banana we eat is a GMO.

Undomesticated bananas :


GMO's don't have to be made in a lab somewhere.
Selective breeding can also be considered a form of gene manipulation.

[jsmoor09]

Just go hunting.

[graffiti36]

Interesting fact, every banana we eat is a GMO.

Actually no.
GMO's have been genetically modified by genetic engineering. Natural or artificial selection of characteristics isn't genetic engineering.

[71Avido]

Actually no.
GMO's have been genetically modified by genetic engineering. Natural or artificial selection of characteristics isn't genetic engineering.

So you're saying that banana in the pictures is genetically the same as the one on the supermarket shelf?

[graffiti36]

So you're saying that banana in the pictures is genetically the same as the one on the supermarket shelf.

no, was I unclear somehow?

[odinseye84]

Why are you so concerned with such little things? Just eat primarily whole foods and you'll be fine.

Also, why the GMO hate? Everybody goes on about avoiding them. I agree the practices behind them are unethical but from a health point of view I see no problem.

Hmmm maybe its the several studies correlating GMOs to a myriad of possible health problems, and the unscrupulous ridiculous biotech companies that foist them upon the world, and the required nasty chemicals and pesticides required... hmmmm GMOs have only been prominent in the last decade or two so we wont be seeing the health fallout for a bit. But you can bet big ag and big food will stop at nothing to prove their garbage is healthy...just like tobacco companies once did. Bribes, lobbyists, "independent studies" LMAO

[MrBillson]

Hmmm maybe its the several studies correlating GMOs to a myriad of possible health problems, and the unscrupulous ridiculous biotech companies that foist them upon the world, and the required nasty chemicals and pesticides required... hmmmm GMOs have only been prominent in the last decade or two so we wont be seeing the health fallout for a bit. But you can bet big ag and big food will stop at nothing to prove their garbage is healthy...just like tobacco companies once did. Bribes, lobbyists, "independent studies" LMAO

Links to said studies?

Can you go into more detail about the use of "nasty chemicals and pesticides" in GMO crops?

[71Avido]

no, was I unclear somehow?

Then we're on the same page.

The Cavendish banana was invented in 1836 as a sterile clone.
Long before we understood how to manipulate genes in a lab.

Look at Ligers or Zebroid for another "natural" form of genetic manipulation.

[Mdenatale]

Then we're on the same page.

The Cavendish banana was invented in 1836 as a sterile clone.
Long before we understood how to manipulate genes in a lab.

Look at Ligers or Zebroid for another "natural" form of genetic manipulation.

That is selective breeding, not genetic modification as we think of it in terms of GMO.


To MrBillson. I would think he is talking about things like GMO corn that is resistant to Roundup so the whole crop can just be sprayed down.




For the record I have no problem with eating GMO products. In fact I think it will be the salvation of mankind. Without scientific advancement we will never be able to keep the food supply increasing with the population. And what I'm really waiting for is GMO beef that crosses potatoes with a cow so I can get all 3 macros in one juicy steak!

[Mdenatale]

To the OP, here's the definition of processed: perform a series of mechanical or chemical operations on (something) in order to change or preserve it

You would be hard pressed to find any food that doesn't fit that definition unless you are eating right off the plant or carcass. I think what you should be looking for is whole foods, not unprocessed.

[snorkelman]

This is stupid. An apple is unprocessed. Applesauce with nothing added is processed some, but when you add stuff like sugar or preservatives, it is further processing. Likewise, turning the apple into apple juice is processing it.

[rhadam]

This is how i feel about this thread:

[cls91]

This is stupid. An apple is unprocessed. Applesauce with nothing added is processed some, but when you add stuff like sugar or preservatives, it is further processing. Likewise, turning the apple into apple juice is processing it.

Agreed, mostly anything is considered 'processed' once its turned from its natural state into anything else; the term 'processed' is a very vague/non-specific term.

Taking raw peanuts and turning it into peanut butter can be done without the addition of anything else, and without changing the nutrient profile of the food. But you are literally using a food processor to 'process' the nuts --> nut butter.

[71Avido]

That is selective breeding, not genetic modification as we think of it in terms of GMO.

Selective breeding IS a form of genetic manipulation.

I can agree though that when most people think of genetic modification they think laboratory.

[Mdenatale]

This is how i feel about this thread:

Good example of processed meat. Yummm brains.