Fresh vs. Processed vs. Highly Processed Foods

**Luckybustert** · 09-13-2010, 09:34 AM

In a perfect world, we'd all eat fresh foods all the time. But it's not a perfect world, so we have to rely on foods that have been processed too. The word "processed" has gotten a bit of a bad rep and that's unfortunate because some processing can be good. For example, freezing fruits and vegetables allow us to enjoy a wide variety of foods well past the harvest. At the other end of the spectrum are the "highly processed" foods which are little more than a box full of chemicals. Many people are trying to get away from the highly processed foods for health reasons, but economic concerns pull them back in that direction because some of the least expensive foods (read that least costly to produce?) are the highly processed ones. Is this a dilemma you deal with too? How are you balancing the health concerns with the economic ones?

**dancemommy** · 09-13-2010, 01:02 PM

I've quit buying the highly processed. I pass up a box of Hamburger Helper even if I can get it for 25 cents. A year ago, I would have bought it because we were in a worse financial situation. Things have improved, but I want to be intelligent about shopping as well. So, I still buy things like packaged pasta, but only the whole grain. Or boxed cereal, but without colors or tons of sugar. I mixed our flour with wheat flour and have started doing some baking, but I'm not making all of our bread or anything. so yes, I think we live in American and most people are going to eat a chip or cookie from a box now and then, but I've tried to improve and avoid the worst of the unhealthy and not buy stuff just because it is cheap. I'd love to do all organic meats, dairy and fruits/vegis, but it is cost prohibitive.

**Momto5RN** · 09-13-2010, 01:05 PM

actually in iorder for me to make a hamburger helper type of meal with the processed stuff for my size family i would need 3.5 boxes. and i would still need to add meat .

its actually cheaper to make it from scratch for me just using whatver pasta i have bought on sale maybe 1.5 boxes - adding some tomato sauce bought on sae and in my pantry ( can be in a jar seasonbed -or plain tomato sauce in a can i flavor) and adding some sliced peppers and onions .

not to mention i hate the taste of the store stuff lol

the main idea to do this is to buy the things you use on sale and stock up.

even with coupons if i walked in to get hamb helper and bought the ground beef that day ( as ooposed to buying in bulk when on sale ) it would be more $$$.

**Darlene** · 09-13-2010, 01:21 PM

I think you can eat healthy, cheaply if you plan and know your ingredients. I stay away from canned veggies because of taste, texture, freshness and sodium, frozen or fresh for me. Many frozen veggies can be had for les than $1 a lb.
We now make our own bread in the bread machine so not much fuss there. With so many recipes in books or all over the net you can make just about anything from scratch at home it really doesn't take loads of time to make them either. Make it yourself & you know your ingredients. I do buy some convenience items like mayo, pasta etc but I read labels, buy in season & on sale.

**craftypam** · 09-13-2010, 04:54 PM

I have also stopped buying highly processed foods. I can go to the produce stand and get bags full of fresh fruit and vegetables for a portion of the price to go to the grocery store and get the same amount of bags.

**Momto5RN** · 09-13-2010, 07:20 PM

i figured out the costs of my dinner tonight frozen potatoes and canned corn were the only thing processed in anyway and i really dont consider them processed like hamb helper poptarts etc

pork chops ( 12 of them ) - got 2 fam packs that were 5.45 loss leader sale price i think was 1.88 a lb - but these had 2$ off coupons on them for quick sale so 6.90 for the 2 packs

corn ( 2 cans ) 1$
tator tots ( 1/2 a bag that was 3$ on sale ) = 1.50

fed 7 of us for 9.40 or 1.35 each person
i will have a pork chop left for lunch tomorrow too .

**Palooka** · 09-13-2010, 11:12 PM

I've cut back on buying a ton of canned goods. I only buy a few things and only frozen or fresh veggies. I always have about 3 or 4 different kinds of fresh fruits for the week and raw veggies to munch on and some type of bagged salad. I cook my beans in the slow cooker or pressure cooker. I still keep just a few canned on hand for those quick meals.

I've really cut out on boxed stuff, but still keep things like mac and cheese for the kids. Dh would live on hamburger helper and I buy that sometimes, but I don't eat that stuff.

The most processed things I eat are cereal or crackers. I use whole wheat pasta sometimes, but will eat the regular, only brown rice though.

And, what Darlene said.

**frugalfranny** · 09-14-2010, 12:56 AM

Funny that you just posted that...........as I usually don't buy..........and don't like..........hamburger helper. (most of it has msg!) I bought the whole grain one last week...........no msg! Just to try it.

I buy very few processed foods/meals. But I will buy some things...........crackers with no msg, reg. pasta, etc.

I am still getting rid of some stuff that has msg in it.........but that is my main concern and I won't buy anything with msg in it. I am totally amazed at what it is in...........loads of crackers......broth.......lots of boxed food.

**NikoSan999** · 09-15-2010, 03:31 PM

I buy fresh fruit and veggies but still also buy the various processed bags, boxes, cans.
Lot of it is time, it's what they want. While I think it's somewhat important it's not something I'm going to freak out about.
Know I'm definitely in the minority here but I think alot of it's hype, especially organic. Done my reading also. It just all depends on who is hot at the moment and is being listened to. Big business in organic with it being in all the news, magazines, TV. It's like it's being thrown in everyones faces. Not saying it's bad, just don't think it's all it's cracked up to be in the media. Just me and not to start an arguement.
Processed may not be the 'perfect' food but in moderation I don't think it's bad either. Anything can kill you in excess.

**frugal is fun** · 09-15-2010, 03:53 PM

I do buy alot of canned things like beans, corn, diced tomatoes etc. those are my staples it seems. I've gotten away from the "boxed" stuff. I think I have one box of shells & cheddar which is a last minute, no time to fuss, no money kind of back up that I got on sale (and yes, I confess, I love the stuff).

I'm just trying to think of the aisles I go to in the grocery store and its produce, milk & dairy, bread, cereal & crackers and then the canned food aisle and paper products.

**Luckybustert** · 09-18-2010, 11:09 AM

One of the things I have a hard time with is that we have a lot of processed foods in our stockpile. I don't like most of them, and I wouldn't eat most of them unless I absolutely had to. So my concern is that I'm eventually going to end up just throwing them out, which is so wasteful. I've told DH we need to look at giving some of it away to food drives. I'd keep the canned veggies but some of those boxes of chemicals need to go. But then I start feeling guilty that I'd be offloading something I don't feel is healthy onto someone else who may not have as much choice in what they eat. And if things were to get bad, I'd also feel guilty that I turned up my nose at something that was edible.

**kita** · 09-27-2010, 02:19 AM

Luckybustert...
Don't feel bad about processed food for a food drive. For a food drive you need shelf stable, easy to fix things. So often that is the more highly processed things. Include some of the simpler things like tuna, peanut butter, and pasta but remmber that a boxed mac and cheese can be an instant meal with just milk and butter. Yes, a steady diet of this is not so great but it can be helpful.

**KimZ** · 09-27-2010, 08:00 AM

I think this is why I don't stockpile... The only things with a shelf life I buy are:

Flour
Oatmeal
Pasta
occasionally canned fruit

That's it..... The rest I buy fresh and I do have a little higher grocery bill.

I make almost everything from scratch from Bread, to make n cheese, to Mock Rice a Roni, etc.

My DD and I both have issues with artificial colors and flavors.. and we both follow the Feingold eating plan.

I will buy things like chocolate during the Holidays but everything else is made from scratch.

I buy seasonally or on sale Meat/Poultry/Fish.

My Biggest draw back and my worst fault is Diet Soda

and my Challenge to myself is to quit it totally once and for all buy 12/31/2010! Hummm I wonder if anyone would like to get in on that challenge

**Saule** · 09-27-2010, 08:32 AM

I don't buy mixes much (except brownies! and a couple of cake mixes for work emergencies), a lot of frozen veggies are better than fresh and I know they won't spoil, which is sometimes a problem for us. I buy canned tomatoes as I am just not up to canning right now and have low sodium broth because I run out of homemade. Hubby sneaks in some pork and beans, blech, I do buy canned black beans and chickpeas. Rinse rinse rinse to remove some of the salt. Not always time to soak and cook.

Canned tuna, of course, although again frozen fish is great and have quite a bit of that. Frozen fish is often better than fresh - at my market some fresh fish is really just thawed.

The most highly processed stuff I regularly buy is sauces = hoisin, ketchup, chili, bbq.

Buy waaay too many cookies. I just don't have time to bake those, and while I don't eat that many, sometimes I think my husband could live off them! I bake most of our bread, buy only a couple specific rye breads as I cannot bake those as well, and also some decent white from time to time for french toast.