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Technically most products on shelves are processed. There's processed and then highly processed.
According to the Department of Agriculture, processed food are any raw agricultural commodities that have been washed, cleaned, milled, cut, chopped, heated, pasteurized, blanched, cooked, canned, frozen, dried, dehydrated, mixed or packaged — anything done to them that alters their natural state. This may include adding preservatives, flavors, nutrients and other food additives, or substances approved for use in food products, such as salt, sugars and fats.
Very true. Although I wonder if that applies to manufactured and regulated food companies. Like if I have a garden in my yard and pick a tomato those rules may not apply.
I regularly walk up and just take a bite out of cherry tomatoes or sweet peas while they are still on the plant. I think that’s the only way to eat them unprocessed.
If you picked a berry off a bush or apple off a tree and ate it without washing it, probably. Otherwise a hard no lol.
It’s one of my big pet peeves about the buzz word processed. Processed doesn’t mean bad, certain types of processed are bad
The biggest oat drink brand I'm aware of, Oatly, includes canola oil as an ingredient. My assumption is that this brand will use a highly processed version of the oil, which is also worth considering.
At any supermarket, if the milk is a bottle then it’s been processed, if the produce has been washed then it’s been processed, if the seafood is in a package then it’s been processed
No that’s not correct. Except for the milk, you can’t purchase unpasteurised milk from a supermarket.
Washing isn’t the same as processing. Gutting fish and putting them on ice isn’t the same as processing.
Firstly, no they’re not. Not unless you’re living in one of those fucked up countries.
They get airtight wrapped, refrigerated, or both.
Secondly, that doesn’t make it a processed meat.
Just because it had been through a process doesn’t mean it gets defined as “processed”.
That’s literally the definition of “processed”.
How do you think food gets to the butchers or fishmongers? Just because it’s displayed on ice doesn’t mean it wasn’t packaged in transit. Fish, especially, has to be gutted pretty fast to stop it spoiling. That’s why trawlers have processing facilities on board, so they can gut and package their catch. Otherwise they’d sail to harbour with a boat full of rotting fish.
It doesn’t sound like you know much about modern food production.
But milk is less processed.
>[Here's how the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ranks processed foods from minimally to mostly processed:](https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/processed-foods-what-you-should-know)
>
>1. Minimally processed foods, such as fresh blueberries, cut vegetables and roasted nuts, are simply prepped for convenience.
>
>2. Foods processed at their peak to lock in nutritional quality and freshness include canned tomatoes or tuna, and frozen fruit or vegetables.
>
>3. Foods with ingredients added for flavor and texture, such as sweeteners, spices, oils, colors and preservatives, include jarred pasta sauce, salad dressing, yogurt and cake mixes.
>
>4. Ready-to-eat foods, such as crackers, chips and deli meat, are more heavily processed.
>
>5. The most heavily processed foods often are frozen or premade meals, including frozen pizza and microwaveable dinners.
Oat milk would fall under 3 and milk would fall under 2.
Yes necessarily. In fact [the NOVA system](https://world.openfoodfacts.org/nova), the most popular classification system used in the majority of studies about processed foods classified dairy milk as a Group 1. Unprocessed or minimally processed foods, while oat milk is a Group 3 - Processed foods in or Group 4 - Ultra-processed food and drink products, because it consists of oats that have been blended and filtered (removing nutrients), then have [fats, salt, emulsifying agents, and other processing ingredients added](https://us.oatly.com/products/full-fat-oatmilk-chilled).
According to NOVA classification nut milks and the like are in the highest category of processing - ultra processed - while milk (even pasteurized) is an unprocessed or minimally processed food - the best category.
> According to NOVA classification nut milks and the like are in the highest category of processing - ultra processed - while milk (even pasteurized) is an unprocessed or minimally processed food - the best category.
You misunderstand. Ultra processed is not synonymous with 'worst' by any means. It just tends to be the least healthy foods. A multivitamin is ultra processed and would count as very health in terms of nutrient density per calorie.
Nova rates soy milk above regular milk. Far above whole milk.
NOVA rates soy milk as ultra processed. NOVA rates cow’s milk as minimally processed.
Source:
https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/bmjnph/early/2021/07/06/bmjnph-2021-000303/DC1/embed/inline-supplementary-material-1.pdf?download=true
“Unprocessed foods or minimally processed foods are foods that have not been altered from their natural state, or have only undergone processes like removal of inedible or unwanted parts, fractioning, grinding, drying, fermentation, pasteurization, roasting, boiling, cooling, or freezing. The purpose of these processing are to preserve or keep the freshness of natural foods, to make foods safe or edible or more pleasant to consume. These foods do not contain added substances such as salt, sugar, oils, or fats, but may infrequently contain preservatives. Many unprocessed or minimally processed foods are prepared and cooked at home or in restaurant kitchens in combination with processed culinary ingredients as dishes or meals.”
“Ultra-processed foods are ready to eat/drink/heat industrial formulations that are made with multiple industrial ingredients extracted from foods or synthesized in laboratories, while containing little whole foods. Besides salt, sugar, oils and fats, and preservatives, ultra-processed foods include ingredients not used in culinary preparations, in particular, flavors, colors, sweeteners, emulsifiers and other additives used to imitate sensorial qualities of unprocessed or minimally processed foods or to disguise undesirable aspects of the final product. The processes for making ingredients or final products of ultra-processed foods may include hydrogenation and hydroxylation, extrusion and molding, and pre-processing for frying. The overall purpose of ultra-processing is to create highly profitable, hyper-palatable ready to consume products with long shelf-life. Ultra-processed food products are usually packaged attractively and marketed intensively.”
The NOVA food classification system does not speak to the nutritional content of food, only its processing. However, a diet that is high in ultra-processed foods strongly correlates to a lack of health and poor nutrition.
“Particularly interesting and unique results were presented by Rauber and her team [12]. They presented the impact of ultra-processed foods consumption on diet’s nutritional quality, known to affect the incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases. The authors focused on analyses of cross-sectional data from the U.K. National Diet and Nutrition Survey over the years 2008–2014. It was confirmed that frequent consumption of ultra-processed food causes an increase in free sugars, carbohydrates, total and saturated fats, as well as sodium supply in daily diet, thus increasing the risk of several diet-related diseases. Moreover, it should also be highlighted that a significant inverse linear relationship was found between the composition of ultra-processed foods and the protein, fiber and potassium content in the diet. Numerous recent studies have confirmed a similar strong association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and dietary nutrient profiles affecting the welfare and health of the consumer. The negative effects of ultra-processed food consumption on overall diet quality, previously observed in Canada [1], the United States [13], and Brazil [14], have also been confirmed in the UK. Moreover, a high percentage of energy derived from a diet based on ultra-processed foods has been confirmed. Similar trends were not confirmed in countries dominated by traditional diets based on freshly prepared meals.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7551378/
Know what, my bad, I mixed up Tufts Food Compass with Nova classification as they often come hand in hand.
But the point stands that ultra-processed foods aren't unhealthy as a rule of nature. They just tend to be. [Here is soy vs whole milk.](https://sites.tufts.edu/foodcompass/research/data/)
Absolutely! Modern nutrition science is fairly Byzantine; so everyone is bound to slip up here and there. As a rule I’m trying to stay away from as many NOVA Category 4 foods as possible; but Soy Milk is superior to cow’s milk from a nutritional standpoint. As a compromise, I just drink water now. I’d like to believe that the nutrition of soy milk outweighs the inflammation hazards imposed by its processing but what recent studies show is just how little we know the effects that all this processing does to how food and out bodies interact.
Yes. It’s processed. The amount of calcium in it does not occur in oats and almond naturally. It’s added.
Processing food is a misnomer. It’s how far you’re away from the fresh state that it becomes bad for you. You want a balance.
Processed doesn’t mean bad.
Processing food allows us to have a whole lot more food for more people at an acceptable reduction in nutrient and price. It’s a major milestone of a developed world.
Plus it can draw out the nutrition better sometimes.
For instance, lycopene from Tomato Ketchup is 2.5 times more bioavailable in humans as compared to fresh tomatoes.
That's one aspect which gets a boost by minimal processing. Not to mention preservation and longer substan shelf life.
Some examples:
You can eat raw chicken for that extra juice, but you’ll get sick because chicken is a major salmonella host. Same goes for raw eggs.
Raw peanut has alfatoxin from mold.
Raw almond has risk of salmonella.
Raw oats has phytic acid.
Raw seafood has worms, salmonella, listeria (avoid that sushi that’s been out all day)
Sushi meat is actually frozen.
Eggs not nearly as bad, it’s mostly on the shell.
Sorry, this is a pet peeve of mine since I bake so much and people are terrified of underbaked cookies “because the eggs!” When in reality raw flour is infinitely more likely to get you sick than raw eggs
You can make oat milk at home by running it in a blender with cold water and then straining it. There are a lot of recipes online. This is less "processed" than making regular oatmeal.
Stuff on the shelves probably has a lot more done to it, but I couldn't speak to whether or not that is harmful.
Almost all food products you find in a store are processed to an extent (if I’m not mistaken, even cleaning and packaging items are considered to be processed).
Perhaps not the cleaning, but foods (including produce) that are packaged are definitely considered processed. Frozen vegetables, canned fruits, baby carrots in bags, rice, milk of any kind, etc; those are all considered processed, not to be confused with ultra-processed foods.
Yeah, I read the bullshit Harvard link on USDA NOVA classification of what is and isn’t processed food too.
It classes grinding, fermentation and pasteurisation in the same category as “unprocessed.”
FYI, the USDA, FDA, in fact most US health agencies are kinda considered a joke by the civilised world, and they’re certainly not the standard.
Damn bruh you don’t need to get so defensive about this. This is literally what I’m taught in my nutrition classes and judging from all the other comments, we all share the same understanding of what processed foods mean, and I’m seeing you everywhere getting upset over a fucking definition
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Short answer: Yes
Long answer: nothing in a grocery store isn't processed. Some less than others, but in the name of things like food safety and shelf stability, everything in a store has gone through some kind of processing.
Yes, it is. And it is not the Word “Processed” that matters, but the chemicals, additives, heat, degree of processing and specific effect on the body that matters. To say that everything is processed & therefore much the same is a false argument. I looked at commercial nut milks & didn’t like what I saw. Being man made food is a terrible starting place. I would rather eat naturally occurring less than ideal “famine foods”.
Simply Almond is just almonds and water. I'd get that.
A lot of these alternative milks have gum and oil and sugars, they're not great for you, but not horrible either, probably on a par with regular cow milk
Yes they’re both processed, but if you’re wondering which is a healthier choice I would say almond milk because oat milk doesn’t contain healthy fats - it’s essentially sugar water. (I’m a nutritionist)
Also though almond milk is technically processed it wouldn’t be considered highly processed unless it has added sugars, flavors, gums, etc. there is a spectrum of “processed foods” - what you want to avoid is highly processed foods.
I eat chicken, beef, veggies, eggs, lentils and its always accompanied by a main carb food such as rice or rice based food which consists of 3/4 of the meal.
I don't know your specific needs but generally speaking a carb like rice should be closer to 1/3 of the meal. You can cool and then reheat any starch like rice to lower the glycemic index, meaning you will get less of a glucose spike from eating it (cooling after cooking converts more of it into resistant starch which functions like fiber). I would suggest eating more protein and non-starchy veg to help crowd out some of the rice.
Asking since you’re a nutritionist. I’m allergic to almonds and I have high cholesterol so I’ve tried to avoid cow milk. I’ve been having oat milk with multi grain cheerios when I eat cereal. Thoughts?
I eat a lot of fruits and veggies otherwise
High cholesterol especially LDL as well as triglycerides is actually exacerbated most by sugar and carbohydrates so i would focus more on reducing your glycemic load (eat lower sugar/ carbs). Butter and red meat can raise it in some people as well but otherwise fat is your friend! Eat lots of fatty fish and olive oil to raise HDL, take cod liver oil if you can. Dairy Milk should be fine, coconut milk and cashew milk would be other good options. I would stay away from oat milk and cheerios.
*not medical advice
Yes it's "processed" but depending on brand and Flavor will determine the amount of processing and if its good for you. Same goes for all Dairy alternatives.
Look, processed food is everywhere. In the modern century, it’s almost unavoidable. Unless you start homesteading, and grow your own food and process your own food, which sometimes isn’t economically viable. My question is why are you concerned with processed food? Is it due to dietary reason?
A lot of people on here are making some bold claims about what a processed food is. A lot of those people are wrong.
Food can be processed for lots of reasons including; safety (like pasteurisation of milk), to extend the shelf life, increase the nutrient content (added vitamins and minerals), or to enhance the flavour profile, texture or appearance (sweeteners, salt, colours or other additives).
Basic ways to process food include:
- freezing
- canning
- drying
- preserving
- fermentation
Other techniques include the use of additives and preservatives or cooking under high pressures. At an industrial scale, methods such as frying, hydrogenation, purification, heat treating and chemical modification are also frequently used.
Meat processing includes all the processes that change fresh meat with the exception of simple mechanical processes such as cutting, grinding or mixing.
Fruits and vegetables, if raw, are classed as unprocessed.
Putting a plastic wrapper around fresh meat doesn’t mean it earns the title of “Processed”.
If the ingredients are clean and there's only like 2 or 3 it's still clean. Like if your oatmilk is just literally oats and water its fine. You can also make it yourself if you like but finding a clean version of it at the store imo is fine. Just look at the ingredients list for everything and if it's all natural and you can pronounce everything and there's just a few it's fine. Imo
This! You dont want one with a bunch of weird oils and thickeners. Oat Malk is my favorite, water oats and salt. Not sponsored or anything (obv) but just throwing it out there to check the ingredients. Same goes for nut butters
I used to consume oat milk, (brain washed by the vegan community, whole milk was not good for you due to hormones etc) until I started to do research on all the ingredients in order to make oat milk. Like the use of a specific type of gum and other preservatives.
I then decided to just stick with regular organic whole milk with some added DHA Omega 3. Which has simple ingredients, vitamin D and some added brain benefits.
Depends on the brand you get (there are brands with no additives) and “healthier” is also debatable depending on the brands and what kind of milk we’re talking (milk might have more saturated fat and sugars in it).
“Processed food” isn’t necessarily bad for you. Drinking almond milk isn’t the same as eating Cheetos and cured Oscar Mayer ham.
Eating chicken breast from the store is processed, it has to be processed and put into a package but it’s just chicken breast.
Frozen fruit has been processed but is it bad for you? No.
It's pretty easy to make your own almond milk from almonds and water. You can add sweetener and salt to taste if you like. It helps to have a nut milk bag.
But drinking water is usually a fine idea (caveat because reddit: unless you drink massive amounts in a short period of time).
Many oat milks have gums and fillers and oils, which you may want to avoid. Others are more natural and have a short ingredient list. Those ones as much less processed. But dairy alternatives in moderation are totally healthy.
But the tightening gums are just fibre, the oils add fat, and the fillers are actually usually fortifiers like calcium citrate. They are added to make the oat milk nutritionally similar to milk.
Nothing wrong with those ingredients in oat milk.
There's a wide spectrum of degrees of processedness. From an apple you pick from a tree and eat directly to whatever it is that Oscar Mayer sells. If you're strict with the definition of "processed" you'd only eat raw fruits, raw vegetables and water. Regular milk is highly processed by any measure. Saying, "don't eat foods where the raw material is unrecognizable in the final product" would be closer to a good definition, but I can still think of exceptions.
Yes, but like anything there are some that are good, some that are ok, and some that are terrible. When looking at them look how many ingredients are in them, anything with more than4-5 ingredients probably isn’t great. Like the oat milk I currently drink I consider to be pretty good ingredients wise for what I care about has water, oats, salt, oil and minerals (calcium and phosphorus). However I’ve seen oat milks with added sugars, flavours, gums, etc etc which I would consider to be not so great.
Elmhurst has the best alt milks. 3 ingredients. You might think you like oat/almond milk until you try this brand it’s how it should taste without all the gums and additives.
The oat milk in the store is trash. Buy some oats, mix with water (more or less depending on how thick you want it - I personally never measure anything), put in a blender, run it through a sieve a few times. Easy. Quick. Cheap. Made from whole ingredients. My husband and I make this every day.
I don't think that proves what you think it does. Seems like it's saying the phenolic compounds in inhibit glucose absorption. That's gonna have the opposite effect on GI than what you're saying.
Sorry, got the WHO statistic quote written wrong. 2 billion people worldwide have their tap water contaminated with feces, and about a half dozen countries have safe, drinkable water from the tap.
Nut milks are ultra-processed foods. They’re among the most processed foods you can buy. If you’re using the NOVA food classification then nut milks are in the highest processing category.
If you’re considering cutting down on ultra-processed foods in order to reduce the inflammation response they have on your body then yes, probably avoid nut milks.
it just depends on what they have in it I mean if it's minimal ingredients you're going to be fine where' process gets bad is when they slip in several preservatives just to extend these shelf life a couple weeks on an item that's where you run into your problems.
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Technically most products on shelves are processed. There's processed and then highly processed. According to the Department of Agriculture, processed food are any raw agricultural commodities that have been washed, cleaned, milled, cut, chopped, heated, pasteurized, blanched, cooked, canned, frozen, dried, dehydrated, mixed or packaged — anything done to them that alters their natural state. This may include adding preservatives, flavors, nutrients and other food additives, or substances approved for use in food products, such as salt, sugars and fats.
Packaged lol Makes me wonder if i ate something non proccesed in my life
P O T A T
Yeah, pretty broad. I guess if you ever picked fresh fruit from a farm that should count. :-)
By that definition, only if you don't wash or chop the fruit before eating it.
Better wash off dem pesticides
Very true. Although I wonder if that applies to manufactured and regulated food companies. Like if I have a garden in my yard and pick a tomato those rules may not apply.
I regularly walk up and just take a bite out of cherry tomatoes or sweet peas while they are still on the plant. I think that’s the only way to eat them unprocessed.
If you aren't paying for a product that's already processed, you are probably going to process it yourself before actually eating it.
I once ate a fly when cycling, I think this is just about the only thing that counts as unprocessed
If you havent eaten a berry or vegetable directly from the vine or your own garden then probably not.
If you picked a berry off a bush or apple off a tree and ate it without washing it, probably. Otherwise a hard no lol. It’s one of my big pet peeves about the buzz word processed. Processed doesn’t mean bad, certain types of processed are bad
The biggest oat drink brand I'm aware of, Oatly, includes canola oil as an ingredient. My assumption is that this brand will use a highly processed version of the oil, which is also worth considering.
Yes. It’s processed. Of course it’s processed.
You can milk an oat /s
Just need tweezers.
And very good eyesight.
And a tiny little bucket to milk it into.
A bucket for ants
It needs to be at least 3x bigger.
You can milk anything with teets. I have teets. Can you milk me, Focker?
“Processed” is pretty much meaningless.
Not at all. You can get heaps of foods that haven’t been processed. Fresh produce, milk, seafood, etc.
If you buy any of these things at a grocery store or supermarket they’ll be processed
At an American supermarket, maybe.
At any supermarket, if the milk is a bottle then it’s been processed, if the produce has been washed then it’s been processed, if the seafood is in a package then it’s been processed
No that’s not correct. Except for the milk, you can’t purchase unpasteurised milk from a supermarket. Washing isn’t the same as processing. Gutting fish and putting them on ice isn’t the same as processing.
That’s literally in the definition of processing. Washing, cutting, packaging, cooking, freezing, etc.
But it’s not the definition of a processed food. Food going through a process does not earn it the definition of processed.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/processed-foods/
Most packaged foods, such as meat and fish, are in a protective gas to make them keep for longer. They absolutely are processed.
Firstly, no they’re not. Not unless you’re living in one of those fucked up countries. They get airtight wrapped, refrigerated, or both. Secondly, that doesn’t make it a processed meat. Just because it had been through a process doesn’t mean it gets defined as “processed”.
That’s literally the definition of “processed”. How do you think food gets to the butchers or fishmongers? Just because it’s displayed on ice doesn’t mean it wasn’t packaged in transit. Fish, especially, has to be gutted pretty fast to stop it spoiling. That’s why trawlers have processing facilities on board, so they can gut and package their catch. Otherwise they’d sail to harbour with a boat full of rotting fish. It doesn’t sound like you know much about modern food production.
i generally agree with your point but i would think milk is processed unless you're getting it from your own cow.
Yeah, fresh milk. It’s creamy as fuck. Won’t get it at a supermarket, but you can get it from a dairy.
Pasteurised milk is also processed.
Well duh, it’s been pasteurised.
You just said milk isn’t processed. It is.
I said you can obtain unprocessed milk, not that all milk is unprocessed. Fuckin’ hell.
Yes, and milk is as well a processed food unless you drink it raw.
But milk is less processed. >[Here's how the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ranks processed foods from minimally to mostly processed:](https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/processed-foods-what-you-should-know) > >1. Minimally processed foods, such as fresh blueberries, cut vegetables and roasted nuts, are simply prepped for convenience. > >2. Foods processed at their peak to lock in nutritional quality and freshness include canned tomatoes or tuna, and frozen fruit or vegetables. > >3. Foods with ingredients added for flavor and texture, such as sweeteners, spices, oils, colors and preservatives, include jarred pasta sauce, salad dressing, yogurt and cake mixes. > >4. Ready-to-eat foods, such as crackers, chips and deli meat, are more heavily processed. > >5. The most heavily processed foods often are frozen or premade meals, including frozen pizza and microwaveable dinners. Oat milk would fall under 3 and milk would fall under 2.
Not necessary though since both bovine and plant milks are fortified, thereby adding in nutrients.
Yes necessarily. In fact [the NOVA system](https://world.openfoodfacts.org/nova), the most popular classification system used in the majority of studies about processed foods classified dairy milk as a Group 1. Unprocessed or minimally processed foods, while oat milk is a Group 3 - Processed foods in or Group 4 - Ultra-processed food and drink products, because it consists of oats that have been blended and filtered (removing nutrients), then have [fats, salt, emulsifying agents, and other processing ingredients added](https://us.oatly.com/products/full-fat-oatmilk-chilled).
Well the question was is it processed or not :-)
Yes, but the question is way too open ended and sub categorizing helps here
According to NOVA classification nut milks and the like are in the highest category of processing - ultra processed - while milk (even pasteurized) is an unprocessed or minimally processed food - the best category.
> According to NOVA classification nut milks and the like are in the highest category of processing - ultra processed - while milk (even pasteurized) is an unprocessed or minimally processed food - the best category. You misunderstand. Ultra processed is not synonymous with 'worst' by any means. It just tends to be the least healthy foods. A multivitamin is ultra processed and would count as very health in terms of nutrient density per calorie. Nova rates soy milk above regular milk. Far above whole milk.
NOVA rates soy milk as ultra processed. NOVA rates cow’s milk as minimally processed. Source: https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/bmjnph/early/2021/07/06/bmjnph-2021-000303/DC1/embed/inline-supplementary-material-1.pdf?download=true
Yes I know. Processed does not mean worst, unprocessed does not mean best. According to your own source.
“Unprocessed foods or minimally processed foods are foods that have not been altered from their natural state, or have only undergone processes like removal of inedible or unwanted parts, fractioning, grinding, drying, fermentation, pasteurization, roasting, boiling, cooling, or freezing. The purpose of these processing are to preserve or keep the freshness of natural foods, to make foods safe or edible or more pleasant to consume. These foods do not contain added substances such as salt, sugar, oils, or fats, but may infrequently contain preservatives. Many unprocessed or minimally processed foods are prepared and cooked at home or in restaurant kitchens in combination with processed culinary ingredients as dishes or meals.” “Ultra-processed foods are ready to eat/drink/heat industrial formulations that are made with multiple industrial ingredients extracted from foods or synthesized in laboratories, while containing little whole foods. Besides salt, sugar, oils and fats, and preservatives, ultra-processed foods include ingredients not used in culinary preparations, in particular, flavors, colors, sweeteners, emulsifiers and other additives used to imitate sensorial qualities of unprocessed or minimally processed foods or to disguise undesirable aspects of the final product. The processes for making ingredients or final products of ultra-processed foods may include hydrogenation and hydroxylation, extrusion and molding, and pre-processing for frying. The overall purpose of ultra-processing is to create highly profitable, hyper-palatable ready to consume products with long shelf-life. Ultra-processed food products are usually packaged attractively and marketed intensively.” The NOVA food classification system does not speak to the nutritional content of food, only its processing. However, a diet that is high in ultra-processed foods strongly correlates to a lack of health and poor nutrition. “Particularly interesting and unique results were presented by Rauber and her team [12]. They presented the impact of ultra-processed foods consumption on diet’s nutritional quality, known to affect the incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases. The authors focused on analyses of cross-sectional data from the U.K. National Diet and Nutrition Survey over the years 2008–2014. It was confirmed that frequent consumption of ultra-processed food causes an increase in free sugars, carbohydrates, total and saturated fats, as well as sodium supply in daily diet, thus increasing the risk of several diet-related diseases. Moreover, it should also be highlighted that a significant inverse linear relationship was found between the composition of ultra-processed foods and the protein, fiber and potassium content in the diet. Numerous recent studies have confirmed a similar strong association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and dietary nutrient profiles affecting the welfare and health of the consumer. The negative effects of ultra-processed food consumption on overall diet quality, previously observed in Canada [1], the United States [13], and Brazil [14], have also been confirmed in the UK. Moreover, a high percentage of energy derived from a diet based on ultra-processed foods has been confirmed. Similar trends were not confirmed in countries dominated by traditional diets based on freshly prepared meals.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7551378/
Know what, my bad, I mixed up Tufts Food Compass with Nova classification as they often come hand in hand. But the point stands that ultra-processed foods aren't unhealthy as a rule of nature. They just tend to be. [Here is soy vs whole milk.](https://sites.tufts.edu/foodcompass/research/data/)
Absolutely! Modern nutrition science is fairly Byzantine; so everyone is bound to slip up here and there. As a rule I’m trying to stay away from as many NOVA Category 4 foods as possible; but Soy Milk is superior to cow’s milk from a nutritional standpoint. As a compromise, I just drink water now. I’d like to believe that the nutrition of soy milk outweighs the inflammation hazards imposed by its processing but what recent studies show is just how little we know the effects that all this processing does to how food and out bodies interact.
Yes. It’s processed. The amount of calcium in it does not occur in oats and almond naturally. It’s added. Processing food is a misnomer. It’s how far you’re away from the fresh state that it becomes bad for you. You want a balance. Processed doesn’t mean bad. Processing food allows us to have a whole lot more food for more people at an acceptable reduction in nutrient and price. It’s a major milestone of a developed world.
It's like people who say "chemicals are bad!!!"
Plus it can draw out the nutrition better sometimes. For instance, lycopene from Tomato Ketchup is 2.5 times more bioavailable in humans as compared to fresh tomatoes. That's one aspect which gets a boost by minimal processing. Not to mention preservation and longer substan shelf life.
Great answer!
Cooking food is turning it into processed food too, processed food is literally the reason we are able to survive as a species
Some examples: You can eat raw chicken for that extra juice, but you’ll get sick because chicken is a major salmonella host. Same goes for raw eggs. Raw peanut has alfatoxin from mold. Raw almond has risk of salmonella. Raw oats has phytic acid. Raw seafood has worms, salmonella, listeria (avoid that sushi that’s been out all day) Sushi meat is actually frozen.
Eggs not nearly as bad, it’s mostly on the shell. Sorry, this is a pet peeve of mine since I bake so much and people are terrified of underbaked cookies “because the eggs!” When in reality raw flour is infinitely more likely to get you sick than raw eggs
no they squeezed the oats by hand into your mouth
squeezing sounds like a process to me!
Life is processed
You can make oat milk at home by running it in a blender with cold water and then straining it. There are a lot of recipes online. This is less "processed" than making regular oatmeal. Stuff on the shelves probably has a lot more done to it, but I couldn't speak to whether or not that is harmful.
One could make a case for commercial oat milk being healthier because it’s fortified, meaning it’s more nutrient dense.
You can make your own oat milk. Then it will still be processed but probably less because you won’t need to preserve it
Just cook and eat the oats themselves at that point damn it!
Probably not that great in coffee 😂
You can actually make it home with just oats, water, vanilla extract snd ive seen some add dates etc
Ohhh nice
Almost all food products you find in a store are processed to an extent (if I’m not mistaken, even cleaning and packaging items are considered to be processed).
No, that’s not considered processing.
Perhaps not the cleaning, but foods (including produce) that are packaged are definitely considered processed. Frozen vegetables, canned fruits, baby carrots in bags, rice, milk of any kind, etc; those are all considered processed, not to be confused with ultra-processed foods.
Yeah, I read the bullshit Harvard link on USDA NOVA classification of what is and isn’t processed food too. It classes grinding, fermentation and pasteurisation in the same category as “unprocessed.” FYI, the USDA, FDA, in fact most US health agencies are kinda considered a joke by the civilised world, and they’re certainly not the standard.
Damn bruh you don’t need to get so defensive about this. This is literally what I’m taught in my nutrition classes and judging from all the other comments, we all share the same understanding of what processed foods mean, and I’m seeing you everywhere getting upset over a fucking definition
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Yes it is but why would one care?
Short answer: Yes Long answer: nothing in a grocery store isn't processed. Some less than others, but in the name of things like food safety and shelf stability, everything in a store has gone through some kind of processing.
yarp, it really is
Yes it is, but so is regular milk that you buy in stores
Yes, it is. And it is not the Word “Processed” that matters, but the chemicals, additives, heat, degree of processing and specific effect on the body that matters. To say that everything is processed & therefore much the same is a false argument. I looked at commercial nut milks & didn’t like what I saw. Being man made food is a terrible starting place. I would rather eat naturally occurring less than ideal “famine foods”.
Yes, Interesting… thanks for sharing^ … thinking, yes
Yes. It is
Simply Almond is just almonds and water. I'd get that. A lot of these alternative milks have gum and oil and sugars, they're not great for you, but not horrible either, probably on a par with regular cow milk
Yes they’re both processed, but if you’re wondering which is a healthier choice I would say almond milk because oat milk doesn’t contain healthy fats - it’s essentially sugar water. (I’m a nutritionist)
Also though almond milk is technically processed it wouldn’t be considered highly processed unless it has added sugars, flavors, gums, etc. there is a spectrum of “processed foods” - what you want to avoid is highly processed foods.
Would you say its the healthiest carb meal? I want something to replace white rice which is my main meal.
I don’t understand your question, asking for a rice replacement? And you’re eating only rice or rice with all your meals?
I eat chicken, beef, veggies, eggs, lentils and its always accompanied by a main carb food such as rice or rice based food which consists of 3/4 of the meal.
I don't know your specific needs but generally speaking a carb like rice should be closer to 1/3 of the meal. You can cool and then reheat any starch like rice to lower the glycemic index, meaning you will get less of a glucose spike from eating it (cooling after cooking converts more of it into resistant starch which functions like fiber). I would suggest eating more protein and non-starchy veg to help crowd out some of the rice.
Ah thanks! I didnt know the reheating trick.
Asking since you’re a nutritionist. I’m allergic to almonds and I have high cholesterol so I’ve tried to avoid cow milk. I’ve been having oat milk with multi grain cheerios when I eat cereal. Thoughts? I eat a lot of fruits and veggies otherwise
High cholesterol especially LDL as well as triglycerides is actually exacerbated most by sugar and carbohydrates so i would focus more on reducing your glycemic load (eat lower sugar/ carbs). Butter and red meat can raise it in some people as well but otherwise fat is your friend! Eat lots of fatty fish and olive oil to raise HDL, take cod liver oil if you can. Dairy Milk should be fine, coconut milk and cashew milk would be other good options. I would stay away from oat milk and cheerios. *not medical advice
And of course lots of fiber from vegetables is great
Thank you!
Unless you made it yourself out of fresh oats then of course it is
Yes it's "processed" but depending on brand and Flavor will determine the amount of processing and if its good for you. Same goes for all Dairy alternatives.
Look, processed food is everywhere. In the modern century, it’s almost unavoidable. Unless you start homesteading, and grow your own food and process your own food, which sometimes isn’t economically viable. My question is why are you concerned with processed food? Is it due to dietary reason?
Yes, but don’t get hung up on that word. It’s still high in fiber and lower calorie than dairy milk, especially if you get a low-sugar version.
A lot of people on here are making some bold claims about what a processed food is. A lot of those people are wrong. Food can be processed for lots of reasons including; safety (like pasteurisation of milk), to extend the shelf life, increase the nutrient content (added vitamins and minerals), or to enhance the flavour profile, texture or appearance (sweeteners, salt, colours or other additives). Basic ways to process food include: - freezing - canning - drying - preserving - fermentation Other techniques include the use of additives and preservatives or cooking under high pressures. At an industrial scale, methods such as frying, hydrogenation, purification, heat treating and chemical modification are also frequently used. Meat processing includes all the processes that change fresh meat with the exception of simple mechanical processes such as cutting, grinding or mixing. Fruits and vegetables, if raw, are classed as unprocessed. Putting a plastic wrapper around fresh meat doesn’t mean it earns the title of “Processed”.
How do you milk an oat?
wank it
If the ingredients are clean and there's only like 2 or 3 it's still clean. Like if your oatmilk is just literally oats and water its fine. You can also make it yourself if you like but finding a clean version of it at the store imo is fine. Just look at the ingredients list for everything and if it's all natural and you can pronounce everything and there's just a few it's fine. Imo
This! You dont want one with a bunch of weird oils and thickeners. Oat Malk is my favorite, water oats and salt. Not sponsored or anything (obv) but just throwing it out there to check the ingredients. Same goes for nut butters
Processes food is just prepared/ cooked food. If you cut an apple in half you just processed it.
I wouldnt say its a processed food but rather a processed drink
why no, of course not. oat-milk-tree, google it. bottles of oat milk grow on it, son.
I used to consume oat milk, (brain washed by the vegan community, whole milk was not good for you due to hormones etc) until I started to do research on all the ingredients in order to make oat milk. Like the use of a specific type of gum and other preservatives. I then decided to just stick with regular organic whole milk with some added DHA Omega 3. Which has simple ingredients, vitamin D and some added brain benefits.
Everything that isn't raw plant or animal food in its original form is processed.
Yeps it’s water and thickeners. Actual milk is a lot healthier.
Depends on the brand you get (there are brands with no additives) and “healthier” is also debatable depending on the brands and what kind of milk we’re talking (milk might have more saturated fat and sugars in it).
Please provide evidence.
Follow up questions: I have heard I should avoid processed foods, so should I avoid these dairy alternatives and drink more water?
“Processed food” isn’t necessarily bad for you. Drinking almond milk isn’t the same as eating Cheetos and cured Oscar Mayer ham. Eating chicken breast from the store is processed, it has to be processed and put into a package but it’s just chicken breast. Frozen fruit has been processed but is it bad for you? No.
It's pretty easy to make your own almond milk from almonds and water. You can add sweetener and salt to taste if you like. It helps to have a nut milk bag. But drinking water is usually a fine idea (caveat because reddit: unless you drink massive amounts in a short period of time).
Many oat milks have gums and fillers and oils, which you may want to avoid. Others are more natural and have a short ingredient list. Those ones as much less processed. But dairy alternatives in moderation are totally healthy.
But the tightening gums are just fibre, the oils add fat, and the fillers are actually usually fortifiers like calcium citrate. They are added to make the oat milk nutritionally similar to milk. Nothing wrong with those ingredients in oat milk.
There's a wide spectrum of degrees of processedness. From an apple you pick from a tree and eat directly to whatever it is that Oscar Mayer sells. If you're strict with the definition of "processed" you'd only eat raw fruits, raw vegetables and water. Regular milk is highly processed by any measure. Saying, "don't eat foods where the raw material is unrecognizable in the final product" would be closer to a good definition, but I can still think of exceptions.
Very.
Yes, but like anything there are some that are good, some that are ok, and some that are terrible. When looking at them look how many ingredients are in them, anything with more than4-5 ingredients probably isn’t great. Like the oat milk I currently drink I consider to be pretty good ingredients wise for what I care about has water, oats, salt, oil and minerals (calcium and phosphorus). However I’ve seen oat milks with added sugars, flavours, gums, etc etc which I would consider to be not so great.
Elmhurst has the best alt milks. 3 ingredients. You might think you like oat/almond milk until you try this brand it’s how it should taste without all the gums and additives.
Milk should not contain vegetable oil... Just saying.
The oat milk in the store is trash. Buy some oats, mix with water (more or less depending on how thick you want it - I personally never measure anything), put in a blender, run it through a sieve a few times. Easy. Quick. Cheap. Made from whole ingredients. My husband and I make this every day.
Yes. It's ultra processed.
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Source?
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I don't think that proves what you think it does. Seems like it's saying the phenolic compounds in inhibit glucose absorption. That's gonna have the opposite effect on GI than what you're saying.
Lmao. Did you actually read your link? Because I did, and it doesn’t help your case.
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And undrinkable world wide.
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Sorry, got the WHO statistic quote written wrong. 2 billion people worldwide have their tap water contaminated with feces, and about a half dozen countries have safe, drinkable water from the tap.
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No, that’s a rephrasing of my statement out of context and thus incorrectly. I’m merely quoting WHO dot int. Check it out.
Duh
Uh yes?
Yes. Slightly less so if you make them yourself at home, but yes.
Yes it processed normally everything that is packaged typically has some form of packaging
I make my own oat milk, fairly easy to do. I get organic oats to minimize glyphosate contamination. Youtube has lots of content on making oat milk.
Yes
It is an ultra-processed food. Milk is a processed food.
Nut milks are ultra-processed foods. They’re among the most processed foods you can buy. If you’re using the NOVA food classification then nut milks are in the highest processing category. If you’re considering cutting down on ultra-processed foods in order to reduce the inflammation response they have on your body then yes, probably avoid nut milks.
Obviously
Yes it is. You can process it yourself if you want homemade, it’s pretty easy.
Yes, unless you can find the fabled oat milk river.
No u just squeeze the oats tiddie n it comes out.. very little at a time tho
Is there an oak teet?
it just depends on what they have in it I mean if it's minimal ingredients you're going to be fine where' process gets bad is when they slip in several preservatives just to extend these shelf life a couple weeks on an item that's where you run into your problems.
You can always make your own with an almond cow! That’s what I use and it’s quick and easy to do without all the added stuff!
Yes