Who Said Processed Foods Aren’t Good For You?

December 28, 2016

Despite what you may hear, processed foods can be part of a healthy diet! Thanks to the food processing techniques enrichment and fortification, Americans are better at meeting nutrient goals for vitamins A, C, D, and E, thiamin, folate, calcium, magnesium, and iron.

Processed Foods Are More Than Cheetos

On the flip side, we can’t deny that processed foods negatively impact our diets and account for 57 percent of American’s caloric intake, 75 percent of Americans added sugar intake and 57 percent of Americans sodium intake (1). Despite these dismal statistics, should the goal be to avoid all processed foods?

Processed food is a bag of Cheetos, but it is also a bag of pre-washed chopped kale. Food historian and author Rachel Laudan, who counters the claim that food is less nutritious and safe says, farm products are not food; they are raw materials for food. Very few of our calories come from raw, unprocessed food. Human food is processed food. Overall, processed foods are easier to eat and digest, more nutritious, tastier, safer and longer lasting. The idea that any change made in the raw material is detrimental is flat out wrong (2). Avoiding processed foods means eliminating bags of salad greens, cans of beans, rolled oats, whole grain bread, yogurt, cartons of milk with vitamins A and D, frozen fruit and vegetables, popcorn, cocoa or chocolate.

Is Avoiding Processed Foods the Best Message for People Struggling With Weight?

Thirty-five percent of consumers are currently attempting to omit packaged foods. The top three reasons begin with they contain artificial ingredients or preservatives, have extra sugar, fat and salt and end with they are not considered healthy (3).

On the one hand, I am excited to hear consumers wanting to eat healthier foods. On the other hand, I can’t help but wonder if this anti-processed food sentiment is the best messaging for the 67 percent of American’s who are struggling with their weight. Or what about the 30-40 percent of estimated individuals seeking weight loss therapies that have undiagnosed Binge Eating Disorder, the most common eating disorder in the United States (4)?

I question if telling these groups to avoid processed food would help or hinder their goal of binge abstinence or inadvertently trigger more eating. I understand from client experiences, and my well-versed background in eating junk food, that denying yourself a treat can set you up to want more. Many of my clients share how their parents restricted what they ate and how this later led to them to making up for the loss of not being able to eat that forbidden food.

In my adolescence, I remember finishing off large bags of Doritos and sleeves of Oreo cookies. I understand how hard it is to stop. I remember telling myself just one more handful or after this show finishes, I will stop. Now as a professional working with bariatric surgery folks and compulsive overeaters like my old self, I hear all too often the shame that overweight individuals have around consuming a savory or sugary treat.

Using Processed Foods

Highly Processed Preportioned Sweet Treats

I will say I have some happy clients who are losing or maintaining their weight losses despite eating sugary or savory treats. They have learned to incorporate some highly processed preportioned packaged sweet treats like: Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Carmel Wedges 70 percent Cacoa (2 wedges) Trader Joe’s Lite Kettle Corn (1 ounce portion), Yasso's Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars (1 bar), Vitamuffin's VitaTops (1 muffin top), or Dole’s Banana Dippers Banana Slices Covered in Dark Chocolate (1.55 ounces). The fact that these treats are in measured packages helps control the sugar, total calorie intake and ability to stop. Yes, I understand consuming just one package is not always possible. However, packaged treats can significantly deter over-consumption.

It should not shock you to learn that most people consume more food when offered larger sized portions, larger packages, and tableware than when offered smaller sized versions, according to the 2015 Cochrane Review analyzing 69 studies from 1978-2013. In fact, the authors of this review estimate that if US adults were to eat off smaller plates and consume foods from smaller packages, 22 to 29 percent of our calories could be saved daily, likely making a dent in our nation’s obesity epidemic (5). I think it is fair to say that packaged foods exceed our ability to measure and consume foods in the recommended portions, something that as American’s we need help with.

Earlier this year a study published in the journal Obesity revealed that adults who consumed prepackaged, portion-controlled meals twice daily for three months lost more weight than those who selected their own meals (6). In my practice, I see this strategy working firsthand. If you are new to this concept, just ask yourself which is easier to manage; a pre-portioned HMR Mushroom Risotto entree totaling 250 calories or a homemade Jamie Oliver’s Oozy Zucchini Risotto with Mozzarella and Fresh Basil yielding four portions each 558 calories?

Lastly, what about the 64 percent of Americans who consider convenience when deciding what foods and beverages to purchase (3)? Will they be willing to consume less processed foods? According to the 2015 Washington’s Post article, The Slow Death of the Home Cooked Meal, less than 60 percent of the dinners served at home were actually cooked at home, compared to 75 percent 30 years ago. The Post’s article explains women are spending less time cooking at home because they are working more (7). Who has time to make their own whey protein powder for their smoothie base, let alone make your own peanut butter when we can’t even get it together to cook dinner every night?

Your Thoughts?

So what do you think? Is avoiding processed foods altogether really advantageous? Or should our goal as Americans be to spend more time defining which processed foods make the most sense for our weight and health?

References

(1) http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/99/6/1525.long
(2) http://www.soundbitesrd.com/podcast-episode-017-a-historians-take-on-food-and-food-politics-interview-with-rachel-laudan/
(3) http://www.foodinsight.org/articles/2016-food-and-health-survey-food-decision-2016-impact-growing-national-food-dialogue
(4) http://bedaonline.com/binge-eating-disorder-treatment/
(5) http://www.cochrane.org/CD011045/PUBHLTH_portion-package-or-tableware-size-changing-selection-and-consumption-food-alcohol-and-tobacco
(6) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.21481/abstract
(7) https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/03/05/the-slow-death-of-the-home-cooked

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jennifer Arussi MS, RDN is a Registered Dietitian and obesity expert in delivering medically based weight loss interventions. In launching CHANGE MY EATING, Jenny brings with her a wealth of clinical experience from treating thousands of patients at Cedars-Sinai's Center for Weight Loss and The Diabetes Outpatient Treatment and Education Center. She is one of Cedar's top level dietitians for over 10 years. Read more articles by Jennifer!

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