Processed Food… part of a healthy diet?
Yes or No? Which ones?
These are common questions that I get asked.
As a nutrition coach and a wellness practitioner, My number one recommendation for healthy nutrition is to eat whole food. Whole food is food in its natural state. It is food as it exists in nature and has undergone very little or no refining, or processing, and does not contain any additives or preservatives. The ingredient is simply itself.
In contrast, Processed Food are types of food that yes, as the name implies, has undergone processing or refining.
However, not all processed food are created equal. Not all processed food are unhealthy!
According to the Nova Classification, there are 4 group of processed food.
Group 1 – unprocessed or minimally processed food
Group 2 – Processed Culinary Ingredients
Group 3 – combination of Group 1 and 2
Group 4 – highly or ultra processed food with many added ingredients aside from group 1 and 2
Many of the food items in Group 4 contain preservatives, additives and a lot of added sugar. Added sugar is a problem on its own and we talked about the evils of added sugar in this blog post
While it is best practice to only consume Whole food, practically speaking, we can’t always have access to them. So, the next best thing? Processed food from Group 3. They can be used for emergency, convenience and add ons to whole food ingredients.
Processed food under Group 3 can be a good addition to a healthy diet. Food in this group are a combination of ingredients from Group 1 and 2 only.
Many of the canned, bottled or packaged food under Group 3 are healthy, budget friendly and readily available in stores or groceries. They can have quality macronutrients, vitamins and minerals. The secret to choosing the best processed food is checking the nutritional label.
Basically, what you need to avoid like a plague? The highly processed or ultra processed ones from Group 4. One of the most common examples of this food group? Chips, cookies, candy, cakes, and soft drinks. Any food item that has a lot of added sugar and other ingredients also belong to Group 4.
How to tell if the processed food is from Group 3 (allowed) and not from Group 4 (avoid)?
The secret is reading and understanding the Nutritional Label. This is found on the package of processed food items. The label should list down all the ingredients.
One good example of Processed food from Group 3 is canned tuna. Choose the one with only 2 or 3 ingredients aside from the tuna itself.
Sharing with you examples on how you can turn canned tuna into healthy and delicious meals from Max Lugavere
We at TMB Wellness have created this 70-20-10 Clean Eating Plan as a guide to how much processed food you can incorporate to your weekly meal plan and still keep it healthy.
Processed Food …part of a healthy diet?
The short answer is…YES!
Be safe and well,
