4 ms·

My working definition, taken from Michael Greger, is "nothing bad added, nothing good taken away".

vel0city 3y ago
So then freshly picked vegetables steamed is ultra-processed, as some of the nutrients got washed away in the steam (good taken away). Cooking a freshly caught fish in a pan or on a grill is ultra-processed because its potentially charring meat proteins which is potentially cancerous (something bad added). I dunno about you, but this definition doesn't seem to work for me.
- darkclouds 3y ago
  Alot of the fruit and veg that is sold in supermarkets today is not the same stuff from the 70's. Orange juice has gotten sweeter, even shop bought blackberries are noticeably worse than wild blackberries so I just dont buy the fruit and veg now. Naturally ripened bananas taste so much better than the artificially ripened bananas and you can taste the gas used to ripen the bananas even though they claim you shouldn't be able to. Carrots today are horse stock carrots, big, bland and no taste. Spuds, you cant get a decent baker with a decent skin on it any more, come back Spud U like, all is forgiven. The mince meat from supermarkets is just gristle that leaves feeling worse for wear. Yoghurts, massed produced sludge, designed to forced through pipework for automated containerisation. Successive Govts have allowed this to occur in the UK and then they wonder why the NHS cant cope. Thing is, for most people they havent noticed this decline in quality food so they think you are nutter when you complain about the decline, which probably explains the rise of the influencer. Cheap crap food masks the costs to your health.
  - ungruntled 3y ago
    Having lived in a few countries globally, I’ve had the chance to observe the decline in food in multiple regions. Some local industries decline at different rates likely due to locals not tolerating it. Bread and milk are good indicators in my opinion. Whole milk fat content is lower in US vs Europe, and in the middle east, milk fat is replaced with coconut fat or others non bovine sources.
    - vel0city 3y ago
      The standard "whole milk" in the US and EU are both 3.5% milkfat. If your whole milk is less than 3.5% in the US, report them to the USDA.
- hrnnnnnn 3y ago
  The parent comment mentioned "processed foods", and that's what I was attempting to define, not "ultra processed", which doesn't really seem to mean anything coherent. I think you're right about steaming though, if you're going for maximum nutrition you're better off eating some vegetables raw.

So then freshly picked vegetables steamed is ultra-processed, as some of the nutrients got washed away in the steam (good taken away). Cooking a freshly caught fish in a pan or on a grill is ultra-processed because its potentially charring meat proteins which is potentially cancerous (something bad added). I dunno about you, but this definition doesn't seem to work for me.

darkclouds 3y ago
Alot of the fruit and veg that is sold in supermarkets today is not the same stuff from the 70's. Orange juice has gotten sweeter, even shop bought blackberries are noticeably worse than wild blackberries so I just dont buy the fruit and veg now. Naturally ripened bananas taste so much better than the artificially ripened bananas and you can taste the gas used to ripen the bananas even though they claim you shouldn't be able to. Carrots today are horse stock carrots, big, bland and no taste. Spuds, you cant get a decent baker with a decent skin on it any more, come back Spud U like, all is forgiven. The mince meat from supermarkets is just gristle that leaves feeling worse for wear. Yoghurts, massed produced sludge, designed to forced through pipework for automated containerisation. Successive Govts have allowed this to occur in the UK and then they wonder why the NHS cant cope. Thing is, for most people they havent noticed this decline in quality food so they think you are nutter when you complain about the decline, which probably explains the rise of the influencer. Cheap crap food masks the costs to your health.
- ungruntled 3y ago
  Having lived in a few countries globally, I’ve had the chance to observe the decline in food in multiple regions. Some local industries decline at different rates likely due to locals not tolerating it. Bread and milk are good indicators in my opinion. Whole milk fat content is lower in US vs Europe, and in the middle east, milk fat is replaced with coconut fat or others non bovine sources.
  - vel0city 3y ago
    The standard "whole milk" in the US and EU are both 3.5% milkfat. If your whole milk is less than 3.5% in the US, report them to the USDA.
hrnnnnnn 3y ago
The parent comment mentioned "processed foods", and that's what I was attempting to define, not "ultra processed", which doesn't really seem to mean anything coherent. I think you're right about steaming though, if you're going for maximum nutrition you're better off eating some vegetables raw.