Packaged Salads Are Minimally Processed

Any food that has been altered in some way during preparation, such as freezing, canning, baking, cleaning, or drying. So, not all processed foods are unhealthy, but you should avoid processed foods with high levels of salt, sugar, and fat. There is so much ambiguity in what processed means, there are actually many minimally processed foods that are high in nutritional value and increase the availability for a steady intake of seasonal foods that you should eat.

Even foods labeled natural or organic can be processed. Processes such as pasteurizing milk, canning fruits and vegetables, and vacuum packing meats help prevent spoilage and increase overall food safety. If you have limited access to fresh foods where you live, processed food products can allow you to consume vegetables and fruits that may not grow in your region during cold weather. Many of these foods provide valuable nutrients and also taste great.

Many minimally processed foods help simplify preparing meals. While most highly processed foods should be limited, here are some food products that deserve a spot in your kitchen:

• Packaged Salads or Vegetables – Minimal processing is often used to make shopping the produce aisle easier and more convenient for you at home. Cleaned and pre-cut veggies are ready to eat raw, add to a soup, or microwave as a tasty side dish.
• Rotisserie Chicken – Check the food label as some rotisserie chicken sold in major food chains have been injected with a solution to enhance flavor and keep the meat moist. Shop around as there are markets that sell organic and non-organic rotisserie chickens that have not been injected.
• Plant Based Pastas – Maybe you make your pasta from scratch where you control all of the ingredients, but for most people a healthy option for the standard store-bought noodles are plant-based pastas made from chickpeas, lentils, or other legumes.
• Cereal – Although some cereals are highly processed, most are fortified with minerals and vitamins to add to the nutritional content. However, you have to read the nutrition facts list and select processed cereals that are low in added sugars.
• Protein Rich Cottage Cheese – Since protein accounts for about seventy percent of the calories, cottage cheese can help with weight control as it stimulates feelings of fullness and delivers a good amount of calcium. Nonetheless, read the food labels and select products that are lower in sodium.
• Matcha Powder – Studies have linked green tea to a variety of health benefits, like helping to prevent heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Matcha is high in a catechin called epigallocatechin gallate, which is believed to lower risks for certain cancers.
• Canned Tomatoes – Whether you are using tomatoes for a sauce or stew, canned tomatoes are more densely packed, have a higher concentration of flavor, and will stand up to the heat better than fresh tomatoes. Canned tomatoes provide beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E, which are three major antioxidants that help protect against cellular damage.

The primary role of food labels is to inform consumers of the food’s nutritional value and the weight of each major ingredient in descending order. This data can help you make a more informed decision about any processed food. Heart disease occurs when a person’s arteries are clogged by a build-up of fatty deposits on the artery walls. Although food labels are required on processed and pre-packaged foods, the information is wasted if you fail to read the nutrition facts label.

This includes compound ingredients. For example, the chocolate chip in a bag of cookies shows the cocoa, butter and sugar used to make the chocolate, in addition to the cookie’s other ingredients. Perhaps the most confusing aspect of the nutrition facts label is the percent daily value. Percent daily value tells you what percentage of your daily requirement you’ll consume of each nutrient per serving you eat. So, remember to check the serving size, too.