Processed Foods: Is It Ever OK to Break the Rules?
Are all processed foods on the no-no list? Or are there times when it’s OK to break the processed food prohibition?
Are all processed foods on the no-no list? Or are there times when it’s OK to break the processed food prohibition?
If there’s a reliable dietary culprit, “processed food” would be it. In fact, “processed foods” has become practically synonymous with bad-for-you food. However, most of the foods we eat are “processed,” subjected to some kind of “process” from simple cooking, grinding and fermenting to complex hydrogenating, modifying and refining. So in a practical sense, how do we implement the experts’ advice to eliminate processed foods? Instead of an either/or definition, I use the far more helpful “Tree to Test Tube Continuum” to sort out good from bad and when it’s OK to break the rules.
It’s understandable that we want something to blame for the disappointing way meals often unfold, but is Cooking really the problem?
It’s a mystery: How can we have good recipes, but they don’t show up on the table? Maybe because we are playing the game with only a half (or quarter) of the kitchen, not a Whole Kitchen. Find out what you might be missing.
How can I justify wasting 10 minutes picking worms from certain death by pavement dehydration? I think this is the crux of Earth Day: Our Precious Time.
What’s going on under all the leaves, debris and snow? Is the winter garden just a dead zone. . . or a place of active resting?
It may be a while before those in formal leadership roles become healthy lifestyle leaders as well. In the meantime, and before we die of heart attacks, why not head back to the grassroots? Put yourself on a pedestal, honor every good choice you make and vow to be more like that person! That kind of crazy behavior can start a wild fire.
Maybe cooking was never meant to be an exact science, subject to one-dimensional assessment on a good/bad scale. Taking this perspective eliminates the pressure to achieve absolute “rightness” in the kitchen, replacing it with a no-pressure opportunity to just make things better.
It’s an understandable question that anyone might ask. But do I answer it or step back and ask where that question comes from in the first place?
With yet another food scare, maybe it’s time to start relying on our own wits to ensure the safety of what goes in our mouths. Here are some quick guidelines to begin regaining a sense of control and comfort when it comes to eating.