Defining “Unprocessed”
Sep 28, 2010, Updated Sep 12, 2020
With just a few days to go before we start our month of no processed foods whatsoever, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the definition of “unprocessed” — and whether specific foods are or are not okay during this challenge.
Before I go any further, let me reiterate that you need to do what’s right for you. No one is watching over your shoulder, and just as all food is intensely personal, so too is this challenge.
Likewise, if you feel you need to make any exceptions, by all means feel free to do so. Just make sure it’s a deliberate choice whenever possible.
My definition may not match your definition — and that’s okay. In fact, I encourage disagreement and discussion, since that’s the best way for us to learn together.
I also recognize that my definition isn’t perfect. My goal here isn’t “perfection” — it’s more to help spark a dialogue, increasing awareness about how our food is made, what we’re putting into our bodies, and how we relate to our food. (I’m also hoping to shed that last bit of pudge and finally get my six-pack abs, but that’s another story.)
Having said all that, here’s my working definition of unprocessed. I call it The Kitchen Test:
Unprocessed food is any food that could be made by a person with reasonable skill in a home kitchen with readily available, whole-food ingredients.
It doesn’t mean that you have to be able to make the food — but that the food could be made in a home kitchen by someone who knows what they’re doing. If it needs high-powered, industrial equipment, or could only be made in a laboratory, then it’s out.
Here’s a good example. Look at the ingredients for a PowerBar Triple Threat® Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisp:
CORN SYRUP, SOY CRISPS (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, RICE FLOUR, ALKALIZED COCOA), CHOCOLATEY COATING (SUGAR, FRACTIONATED PALM KERNEL OIL, COCOA, WHEY, NONFAT MILK, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR), WHOLE OATS, DRY ROASTED PEANUTS, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, INULIN (FROM CHICORY), NATURAL FLAVORS (CONTAINS PEANUT, MILK, SOY LECITHIN), RICE CRISPS (MILLED RICE, SUGAR, SALT, BARLEY MALT), SALTED PEANUT BUTTER, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, AND LESS THAN 2% OF PEANUT FLOUR, ALMOND BUTTER, SALT, SOY LECITHIN, MINERALS: CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, FERROUS FUMARATE (IRON), VITAMINS: ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN B6 HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1).
I’ve bolded any ingredients that I’m pretty sure you can’t make at home (or without some sort of industrial process). Compare that to the ingredients of a Cashew Cookie Lara Bar:
CASHEWS, DATES.
I’m absolutely certain that a cook with average skills could make something comparable to the Lara bar in your kitchen. But the PowerBar? Not so much.
Okay, so let me toss out a few other specific foods that I’ve been asked about:
Chocolate. Yup, it’s okay, because it’s possible to make chocolate at home. However, if the store-bought chocolate contains extra emulsifiers, flavorings, or other additives that you wouldn’t use if you were make it at home, it’s off the list.
Coffee. Yup. Try this fun project: Buy some green coffee beans (they’ve already been cleaned for you), and toast them in your popcorn air popper. (Skip the little yellow, blue, or pink packets and the powdered creamer.) Or you could grow your own coffee plant, and then wet-process the beans yourself. Totally doable at home (how much time do you have?)
Beer. Yup, I’ve got quite a few friends who make beer at home (one even grows his own hops — he makes truly incredible beers. Just saying.)
Wine. Yes, I’ve got quite a few friends who make wine at home. There is the question of sulfites, though. My winemaker friends usually add sulfites (sourced from winemaking suppliers, not from your regular grocery story, I believe) — so you’ll need to decide for yourself if you’ll seek out sulfite-free wines.
[Wine Update: Please read Dave’s clarification in the comments.]
Vodka, Gin, and other Spirits. Although I don’t recommend distilling your own (and it may be illegal), it’s certainly possible to do this at home. Just skip the gimmicky flavored ones and I’m sure you’ll be fine. Of course, it depends on how picky you want to be. You may wish to consider what sugars/starches are being used to feed the fermentation process. If you want to research this some more, please report back!
Bacon and Sausage. As long as there are no additives (nitrates, flavorings, etc.), and it’s a high-quality product, you’re probably okay here. Maybe this is a good opportunity to get to know a local butcher.
“Veggie Burgers “and “Fake Meats.” Most of these should be avoided, as they usually contain a lot of textured vegetable protein (which I’m almost certain you couldn’t make at home). But if you are in a pinch, you can probably find something that’ll work. You’ll really need to read the ingredient list: An All-American Flame-Grilled Boca Burger is definitely out. Dr. Praeger’s Gluten Free California Veggie Burger is certainly better, though it’s got a couple of ingredients that are questionable. (Personally, I’m going to do my best to avoid these).
Cooking Oils. It is possible to press your own oils at home, though it would be a rather inefficient process. I would expect that nut oils would be easier (just grind them up and let them separate, like your jar of peanut butter, right?). Also, these old oil press instructions and drawings are fun.
Salt. Depending on how refined it is, this may or may not be okay. Stick with the natural, unprocessed salts such as the fabulous Fleur De Sel.
Sugar. Usually, the term “sugar” refers to bleached table sugar, those fine-white granulated crystals that come from sugar cane or sugar beets. The bleaching is done with sulfur dioxide, an ingredient that hopefully isn’t in your pantry. Next!
Turbinado Sugar (“Raw” Sugar) is the same stuff — but it hasn’t been bleached. I think it would be possible to make turbinado sugar crystals at home, if you had some sugar cane stalks ready to go. Although there are a couple of steps in the commercial process that you couldn’t do, I’m guessing you could still get the crystals if you’re patient enough (perhaps a countertop food dehydrator would help evaporation).
[Sugar Update: Please read MrJackHonky’s thoughts on sugar in the comments.]
Honey. Good to go; in fact, this is probably the most “unprocessed” sweetener available.
Agave Nectar. You’re probably okay with this one. Some agave is simply heated (at relatively low temperatures). It may also be enzymatically processed. Any agave experts out there want to weigh in?
Corn Syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup. Both of these are too complicated to make at home. Off the list.
Flour. As long as it’s 100% whole grain flour, it’s okay. You could certainly grind whole grains in your kitchen. As Bob’s Red Mill says, one pound in, one pound out. Refined flours, however, have had the germ and bran removed (leaving just the fluffy endosperm) — and are likely bleached or brominated, and may be enriched with nutrients that had been previously removed.
[Flour Update: Refined flour, as long as it’s un-bleached and un-enriched, actually would pass the Kitchen Test. Check out this flour followup in the forums.]
Corn Meal and Masa. Again, if these are made with the whole grain, then it’s all good.
Butter. Yup, you could certainly make real butter at home, if you’re so inclined.
Cheese. Yup. In fact, I already make cheese at home. Skip the “pasteurized processed” cheeses, or “cheese foods,” of course.
Nut Butters. Look at the ingredient list. If it’s just “Nuts & Salt” (or better yet, just Nuts), then it’s great. But if it’s got stabilizers, sweeteners, and oils, it’s a no-no (Skippy, I’m looking at you!)
Spices. Yup, these are okay. You could certainly grow them at home, dry them, and then grind them as needed.
Breads. Again, it’s all about the ingredient list. The best option, of course, is to make it at home. But if it’s store-bought, read the ingredient list. The flour should be whole grain (avoid these pitfalls), and there shouldn’t be fillers, preservatives, artificial sweeteners (yes, they sometimes add those to 100% whole wheat breads. Oroweat, I’m looking at you and your acesulfame potassium!)
Okay, I think that covers most of the biggies. I’m sure I’ve missed some, so please ask in the comments. Also, if you disagree with any of my conclusions, or can add any other bits of advice, we’d all love to hear about it!
—
If you haven’t taken the October: Unprocessed pledge yet, now’s the time!
Image from homedistiller.org.
great post I know I’m coming in too late for the challenge but I really enjoy everyone’s ideas. I will probably try this myself. We were just not made to eat all of this junk or manufactured food… I will try natural vanilla flavoring for baking
You’re too late for last year’s challenge, but we’re doing it again this year! Check it: http://www.eatingrules.com/2011/09/october-unprocessed-2011
Ummm, natural vanilla flavoring can certainly be easily made at home. Just put the whole vanilla beans into a jar with some raw sugar, mild flavored honey (like orange blossom, one that won’t compete too much) or agave syrup. Or you could steep them in whatever liquid you will be using, or split open the pods and use the insides (the vanilla bean specks you see in some ice cream, yogurt, etc) You could concievably grow your own vanilla orchids depending on your climate or if you have a greenhouse.
Hi Jodi,
Thanks for the vanilla ideas! I actually got in touch with Nielsen-Massey Vanillas a little while back, and they sent me some literature on how they create “Vanilla Extract.” Apparently it’s always extracted using alcohol — so what you’re talking about doing isn’t exactly the same — but it sure sounds delicious! 🙂
I have been diagnosed with sulfite intolerance and have to go whole foods – what is the best way to go from a processed drivethru life style – I can not figure out how to do it! any ideas or a sample menu plan would be helpful – thanks again.
Hi Lynel, Sorry to hear about your sulfite intolerance, but it’s a blessing in disguise. Once you figure out how to fill your diet with real foods, you’ll be feeling significantly better! My first advice would be to ease into it, if at all possible. If you haven’t cooked before, I’d suggest taking a cooking class, or looking for websites that teach basic cooking skills. Earlier this month we had a handful of posts on how to get started; here are a few you might want to check out if you didn’t see them yet — and maybe take a look at the list of all the October Unprocessed posts in the sidebar of every page for a few others (a lot have recipes, too!). http://www.eatingrules.com/2010/10/getting-started-with-unprocessed-eating/ http://www.eatingrules.com/2010/10/keeping-unprocessed-easy/ http://www.eatingrules.com/2010/10/eat-more-whole-grains/ http://www.eatingrules.com/2010/10/five-ways-to-make-unprocessed-eating-easier/ Also, stay tuned for tomorrow’s guest post – I think it may be helpful for you, and the author actually has… Read more »
Two days into ‘unprocessed’ (joined late) and confirm this is mainly how I eat anyway….EXCEPT for my vegetarian protein sources: cheeses and tofu. Had some Tillamook sharp cheddar for lunch yesterday, which I know can be made at home, but I don’t have time to do it. Quite a basic food, except that it contains ANNATTO for coloring. Don’t know if one would find that in a foods or spice catalog or not? It seems to be a pretty easy-to-make food coloring: “the orange-red pulp that covers the seed is used…to produce a yellow to orange commercial food coloring. The achiote dye is prepared by stirring the seeds in water or oil.” The Wildwood Savory Baked Tofu is more complicated. The most suspect ingredient is Calcium sulfate. (Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_sulfate). Not sure it really qualifies as an edible item, being a rock in it’s natural form. Just can’t quite… Read more »
Hi Cynthe, First, my apologies for the late reply! It’s interesting you raise the point about Annatto. It’s completely unnecessary in cheesemaking, though it has been used for many decades as a cheese additive, particularly to give cheddar an orange color. In my own home cheesemaking, I tried it once (I bought a small bottle of annatto from New England Cheesemaking Supply). Oddly, it didn’t have much impact on the final color of the cheese. It’s still sitting in my fridge, but I’ve opted not to use it any more, preferring to simply make white cheddar. (I usually use red wax to seal the cheese for aging, so that should be enough color…and I don’t have to eat it!). As for the calcium sulfate — it’s a common coagulant used in most commercial tofu production. I decided, for me personally, that it was okay to make Tofu a deliberate exception… Read more »
I know this comment is old, so I hope you’ll see this. Annatto is a red seed that grows in tropical places. I picked them with my husband’s family in Guam. Grows in a pod on a tree! If you want the whole seeds, they are easy to find in Asian markets. Look for
“Achiote” seeds. In Guam, they make a fiesta dish with them called “red rice”. It’s basically rice and veggies cooked in water that has been dyed red by soaking the annatto seeds for hours.
for real un processed just try simple Indian ‘Daals’ and ‘chapati’s and vegetables cooked in very little oil….’daals’ are lentils cooked in water and spices which are beneficial for health….and ‘chapati’s are wholewheat ‘tortilla’s made fresh…i relly do not understand the kind of synthetic ‘blitzkrieg’ in food is happening in American as well as European markets…and making everybody so sick….
Hi Malvinder,
Sorry for my overly-delayed response!
I love Indian cuisine! I do find, though, that when I eat at Indian restaurants, it’s hard to find dishes that are “cooked in very little oil.” Most things seemed to be drenched in either unidentified oils, or perhaps cream-based sauces. Or, there’s a lot of butter. I guess I need to keep searching for that perfect Indian restaurant in Los Angeles… any suggestions? 🙂
Best,
Andrew
From what I understand about Agave is that it’s made from the starchy root and is very similar in processing to high fructose corn syrup.
Here is a quick article I found:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2008/11/17/agave_nectar_the_high_fructose_health_food_fraud.htm
I appreciate your challenge and hope y’all enjoy. I try to eat as much “whole food” as possible. Sometimes it can be tricky. Good luck!
Hi Shane,
First, my apologies for my overly-delayed response!
Although I don’t necessarily buy all of the alarmist rhetoric that’s in the post you linked to, from what I have been reading about Agave, you’re essentially right — it can contain high amounts of fructose (rather than glucose), which is also one of the reasons why it’s sweeter than regular table sugar. And yes, Agave “Nectar” (nectar = marketing) is, at the very least, no better for us than regular table sugar.
My personal preference is to use sweeteners that are as close to possible as nature intended. Honey and Maple Syrup are my favorites, as they require the least amount of transformative processing.
I think it’s time I put together a post on the various types of sugars, and their pros and cons… then again, that could be an entire dissertation! Stay tuned…
Best,
Andrew
Well, I’m assuming that most boxed cereals don’t fit the bill (e.g., Barbara’s Bakery Puffins). But what about boxed granola (since theoretically you could make your own granola at home)? Or a cereal like Uncle Sam’s Original? Ingredients are: whole wheat kernels, whole flaxseed, salt, barley malt, niacin, riboflavin (Vitamin B2), thiamin mononitrate (Vitamin B1). See http://www.usmillsinc.com/usmills/productview_description.php?id=124.
Hi Thaispice,
Ack! My apologies for not replying sooner. Your comment slipped through the cracks of my overflowing inbox…Even though we’re now in November, I owe you a reply:
Anyway, regarding the Uncle Sam’s original ingredients — except for the added vitamins, it sure seems like you could make that at home. Considering that added vitamins aren’t really a bad thing (if they’re extra, not “instead of”), then I don’t see the harm in making an allowance for this particular food.
By the way, “barley malt” means sugar.
I’m planning on going back to doing my “Menu Monday” posts again soon — and have had several questions about which are the best store-bought breakfast cereals. I’m planning on wandering through my grocery aisle and reading lots of ingredient lists and coming back with some recommendations — so stay tuned!
Best,
Andrew
Andrew: What about cereal?
What kind of cereal? Are you talking about cereals in general? (meaning: grains) Or a specific product? Can you post the ingredient list?
seitan is totally simple to make at home! if you don’t want to buy the vital wheat gluten you certainly can make it, there are plenty of sites on the internet on how to make it. i have a recipe for seitan on my website. it really is a versatile product and super easy to make.
Joey’s Recipe: http://plopfizz.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/baked-seitan/
I notice you started with store-bought “vital wheat gluten.” I’ve actually been wondering if that fits within my definition of “unprocessed” — especially because a lot of 100% whole wheat bread recipes call for it. (I’ve also been wondering if adding that defeats some of the purpose of making a 100% whole wheat bread? Is that sort of like using some refined flour?).
Curious to know what people think on this.
Darlene – I’m pretty sure it should be in most libraries by now. Definitely worth checking out. Their original book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day, is good too — but only has one good whole wheat recipe… so if you can track that one down, you can definitely start there. Carol – We had a package of store-bought Seitan in the fridge; I just threw it in the freezer this morning (it can come back out in November). Definitely has a ton of added wheat gluten — and sodium… Please let us know what you find about making your own; that sounds fantastic! Diana – Great insights about how much better you feel with unprocessed food! It’s amazing what a difference it makes, isn’t it! Kudos! (Instead of using coffee creamer, how about regular cream… of course, lower-fat milk would be better, but perhaps it’s better to use… Read more »
@Andrew – Thank you for your suggestion, but I try and stay away from dairy whenever possible, so I use non-dairy creamer. I was able to find an alternative at Trader Joe’s that has no hydrogenated oils and far less unpronouncable chemicals 🙂 If I’m feeling especially adventurous as the month goes on, I may end up switching to green tea with honey and almond milk, which is very tasty 🙂
I’m just having a hard time giving up my morning coffee LOL
The alternative creamer at TJ’s sounds like a great way to go.
I moved away from coffee a few years ago. I still love the stuff, and have a cup every so often as a treat, but I didn’t like what it did to me (When I cut it out, my acne got better and I stopped having so much Road Rage. Seriously.)
Instead, I drink a dark Gunpowder Green tea most mornings. I find it’s strong enough in flavor (and a bit of caffeine) to help get me going. Davidson’s Organic Gunpowder Green is my go-to breakfast tea, both for flavor and price. 🙂