Processed Food ~ Good or Bad for You?

Yes, if you think sugar is the culprit you are right but processed food is another one to watch out for. Processed food is made for convenience, safety reasons, to prolong the life of food, and even to alter the appearance or taste of food. The methods range from simple refrigeration, to freezing, dehydration, canning, chemical processing, meat processing, and genetically modifying food.

Did you know that even fresh food suffers from the act/art of 'processing'; the process of getting it to you and your table. For instance, fresh food is handled by people and equipment, it is often picked early, stored and then transported long distances. 

Its really difficult to get away from using processed food especially since using them is easy and fresh foods have a short shelf/fridge life. In Europe, people shop daily because there are more local shops and open air markets year round that make daily shopping for fresh food easier than here in the US. But, its not impossible in America to shop daily and wisely.

The Brain Gourmet has always recommended the basic pantry list which contains items that allow you to build meals daily. Some of those non-processed foods listed have longer shelf/fridge life than others but knowing how long you can keep any those without loosing freshness helps you to know what extras to buy daily regarding meal preparation; i.e meat/fish and salad greens.

Eggs
Butter
Cheese
Apples
Lemons
Tomatoes
Pasta/Rice
Fresh Herbs
Heavy Cream
Bread Crumbs
Garlic & Onions
Chicken/Beef Stock
Yellow Gold Potatoes

The world is not perfect and neither is the Brainy Gourmet. But, we can try to do our best to be fast, fresh and frugal in the kitchen. You will notice that the only processed foods listed here are pasta/rice. You can make pasta from scratch but its time consuming. There are fresher brands which can be bought in the refrigerator sections of your supermarket. And, you can buy 'organic' varieties as well as gluten free.

What is not listed on the basic list is meat/fish. That is because they should be bought daily from the butcher or fish monger. It is tempting to buy them packaged or frozen but consider finding a good butcher and fish monger and become a regular customer which usually works to your benefit in terms of quality and price per pound. In the meaning, that your butcher can come to appreciate your desire for quality and respect for your budget.

*Source ~ http://www.naturallifeenergy.com/what-are-processed-foods-good-bad/