Ultra-processed foods and the corporate capture of nutrition
People throwing out &quot;processed food&quot; as some catch-all term for packaged stuff that is bad for you is a major pet peeve of mine.<p>Yes, foods that are pre-packaged tend not to be good for you. You _should_ eat fresh foods and vegetables.<p>But saying that all &quot;processed&quot; foods are bad for you is a gross oversimplifcation that promotes ignorance about nutrition.<p>In the many conversations I&#x27;ve had about processed foods, people never seem to be talking about things like milk, yogurt, or cheese, all of which undergo _heavy_ processing.<p>And to provide a direct comparison, generally speaking, a glass of Soylent is going to be way more beneficial to you nutritionally than a plate of crappy iceberg lettuce with a little salad dressing on it. Although you could make the case that if you&#x27;re extremely overweight, maybe the iceberg lettuce is better just for the lower calorie content.<p>Not all things that come in packages are created equal. Some &quot;processed&quot; foods are better for you than some vegetables. But like anything else, moderation is key. Your diet needs to be diverse.<p>Instead of telling people &quot;processed foods bad hurr durr&quot;, teach them about the major nutrients the body needs and where you can get those. Then, consider that person&#x27;s individual circumstances to offer them specific advice. Not all bodies are the same. Some people are going to need more of one food or another. Some people will tolerate certain foods less well than others.<p>Nutrition is complex. Indicting &quot;processed foods&quot;, whatever that means (their definition does little to reduce ambiguity), is as egregious as the corporate capture of nutrition that they claim to be shining a light on.