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There is a spectrum of processing, from minimal chopping or boiling that you might do at home, to more involved processes that significantly transform the food,

There is a spectrum of processing, from minimal chopping or boiling that you might do at home, to more involved processes that significantly transform the food, which changes how your body processes it. Meal replacement shakes like Huel would be considered “ultra processed” because they contain various industrially produced ingredients (artificial sweeteners, gums, extracts etc). The evidence seems to suggest that less processed are healthier, particularly when it comes to these ultra-processed items, not just boiling/frying/cutting etc. Personally I see these meal shakes being marketed as healthy/for athletes and think of how everyone 50 years ago though margarine was so much healthier than butter.

withinboredom 3y ago
Because people want to eat unprocessed bread? /s
- bartonfink 3y ago
  They do, to a certain extent. It's called whole wheat.
  - withinboredom 3y ago
    people eat plain wheat seeds?
- macNchz 3y ago
  Well there’s bread (flour, water, yeast, salt) and there’s bread (Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Yeast, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Soybean Oil, Salt, Monoglycerides, Calcium Propionate And Sorbic Acid To Extend Freshness, Malted Barley Flour, Whey, Soy Lecithin, Datem, Wheat Gluten).
  - vintermann 3y ago
    My point is that you should worry about specific ingredients, and specific types of processing. What do you think is bad here? I don't know much about enriching ingredients in the US, but where it's done, it's to prevent diseases you can get from missing them, or which can cause other health problems. Folic acid, which is in your list, is well known as a recommended supplement for pregnant women, since it dramatically reduces incidence of spina bifida in newborns. Niacin is better known as vitamin B, and it's a similar story.
    - macNchz 3y ago
      How do we determine which specific ingredients to worry about? I can’t keep up with all of the various additives in highly processed products–it’s simpler to reduce the number of ultra processed products I buy. In this case the enriched flour in the commercial bread presumably isn’t concerning, but I would prefer bread without added sugar and all of the various preservatives and emulsifiers. Research is ongoing but shows some potential impact re emulsifiers and their impact on the gut: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9331555/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9331555/ And some indication that one of the preservatives can have behavioral effects in kids: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12173999/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12173999/
      - withinboredom 3y ago
        You realize you need "sugar" for the yeast so that the bread can rise, right? This isn't the middle ages and people like fluffy bread.
        macNchz 3y ago
        Bread will rise just fine without sugar! There are plenty of commercial loaves sold with no sugar, and I’ve been making bread for like 15 years and have only ever used sugar to make something like brioche. https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/45587/how-did-people-make-bread-before-sugar-was-discovered https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/45587/how-did-pe...
tboughen 3y ago
Fair point about the gums. But my Huel Unflavoured and Unsweetened powder does not have any artificial sweetener in it. It’s not very palatable on its own, but half a banana and a little peanut butter and it’s great. I don’t pretend huel is perfect, but it’s definitely a meal. I feel good after eating it. Also, I alway have time at work to eat it, even if it’s only 7 minutes (which is quite often), and time to make it in the morning. For me, huel is definitely better than the meals it replaced, and the other things that I could make/consume with the time and budget available.

withinboredom 3y ago

Because people want to eat unprocessed bread? /s

bartonfink 3y ago
They do, to a certain extent. It's called whole wheat.
- withinboredom 3y ago
  people eat plain wheat seeds?
macNchz 3y ago
Well there’s bread (flour, water, yeast, salt) and there’s bread (Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Yeast, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Soybean Oil, Salt, Monoglycerides, Calcium Propionate And Sorbic Acid To Extend Freshness, Malted Barley Flour, Whey, Soy Lecithin, Datem, Wheat Gluten).
- vintermann 3y ago
  My point is that you should worry about specific ingredients, and specific types of processing. What do you think is bad here? I don't know much about enriching ingredients in the US, but where it's done, it's to prevent diseases you can get from missing them, or which can cause other health problems. Folic acid, which is in your list, is well known as a recommended supplement for pregnant women, since it dramatically reduces incidence of spina bifida in newborns. Niacin is better known as vitamin B, and it's a similar story.
  - macNchz 3y ago
    How do we determine which specific ingredients to worry about? I can’t keep up with all of the various additives in highly processed products–it’s simpler to reduce the number of ultra processed products I buy. In this case the enriched flour in the commercial bread presumably isn’t concerning, but I would prefer bread without added sugar and all of the various preservatives and emulsifiers. Research is ongoing but shows some potential impact re emulsifiers and their impact on the gut: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9331555/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9331555/ And some indication that one of the preservatives can have behavioral effects in kids: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12173999/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12173999/
    - withinboredom 3y ago
      You realize you need "sugar" for the yeast so that the bread can rise, right? This isn't the middle ages and people like fluffy bread.
      - macNchz 3y ago
        Bread will rise just fine without sugar! There are plenty of commercial loaves sold with no sugar, and I’ve been making bread for like 15 years and have only ever used sugar to make something like brioche. https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/45587/how-did-people-make-bread-before-sugar-was-discovered https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/45587/how-did-pe...

tboughen 3y ago

Fair point about the gums. But my Huel Unflavoured and Unsweetened powder does not have any artificial sweetener in it. It’s not very palatable on its own, but half a banana and a little peanut butter and it’s great. I don’t pretend huel is perfect, but it’s definitely a meal. I feel good after eating it. Also, I alway have time at work to eat it, even if it’s only 7 minutes (which is quite often), and time to make it in the morning. For me, huel is definitely better than the meals it replaced, and the other things that I could make/consume with the time and budget available.