"We
have to determine what processed really means when we're talking about
processed food," says Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD, past spokesperson of the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For example, Giancoli considers white bread
refined since most of the healthy fiber has been removed during the processing.
"It's also processed, but keep in mind, that as a cook you're doing
processing yourself. Have you ever heard of something called a food processor?
I think we get really caught up in the word processed without realizing what it
truly means."
Processed
food falls on a spectrum from minimally to heavily processed:
Minimally
processed foods — such as bagged spinach, cut vegetables and roasted nuts — are
often simply pre-prepped for convenience.
Foods
processed at their peak to lock in nutritional quality and freshness include
canned beans, tomatoes, frozen fruit and vegetables, and canned tuna.Foods with
ingredients added for flavor and texture (sweeteners, spices, oils, colors and
preservatives) include jarred pasta sauce, salad dressing, yogurt and cake
mixes Ready-to-eat foods — such as crackers, granola and deli meat — are more
heavily processed.
The most
heavily processed foods often are frozen or pre-made meals including frozen pizza
and microwaveable dinners.
Processed
food can be beneficial to your diet. Milk and juices are sometimes fortified
with calcium and vitamin D, and breakfast cereal may have added fiber. Canned
fruit (packed in water or its own juice) is a good option when fresh fruit is
not available. Some minimally processed food such as pre-cut vegetables are
quality convenience foods for busy people.
"Bagged
vegetables and salads are helping people eat more vegetables," says
Giancoli. "They're more expensive, but if your choice is between paying
less and chopping it when you know you're not going to do that, and paying a
little more for the bagged vegetable you know you're going to eat, the [bagged
vegetable] is a better choice." So if you are interested to buy processed
food visit Allindiayellowpage.com
to get detail information about processed food available shops and stores in
your area.