Processed Food

written by runnergirl training

What does the term processed food mean? It can be confusing when reading information online. Definitions seem to vary here & there. Processed food defines any food that has been changed in order to preserve it. This can include freezing, drying, baking and canning. Meat is considered processed if it is smoked, has preservatives, salted and cured. See more below!

By that definition most of us are probably consuming way more processed foods than we think. They are not necessarily bad food but they can contain a high amount of salt, fat, and sugar.

Examples of processed foods:

Canned fruit & vegetables

Fast food choices

Prepackaged food at grocery store (cereal, crackers, bread, cookies, baked goods)

Lunch meat

A way to reduce the amount of processed foods is to cook at home. However, even that method can still use a high amount of food that is processed. Most store bought prepackaged foods are considered processed.

Another way to reduce processed foods is to read food labels. That information explains if the food is a highly processed food.

The following are guidelines to gauge the information shown on food labels.

High sodium content: above 1g sodium/100g

Low sodium content: below 0.3g sodium /100g

High saturated fat content: above 5g saturated fat/100g

Low saturated fat content: below 1g saturated fat/100g

High fat content: above 17g fat/100g

Low fat content: below 3g fat/100g

High sugar content: above 22g sugar/100g

Low sugar content: below 5g sugar/100g