"Processed" Meat?

SirenSongWoman

SirenSongWoman

Cathlete
I get that deli meat like salami and pepperoni is considered "processed" but what about super lean meats like turkey, ham, and roast beef? Many are low in fat and salt and the certainly don't LOOK processed but I've always wondered exactly what is the distinction.
 
I always thought they were considered "processed" because, for example, they aren't actually sliced from a turkey breast. However, if your deli does that...yummy!!! I think they are still healthy choices but probably aren't the cleanest.

Carrie
 
Hm. I thought processed meats were the ones you got pre-packaged so have a lot of preservatives in them, as opposed to deli meats which are fresh.

Or processed meats are baloney or hot dogs or SCRAPPLE, I'm not sure exactly what's in them. :eek:
 
I think the definition of "processed food" is food that it altered from their natural state. I don't think that everything processed is automatically unhealthy. For example freezing is technically processing the food but freezing vegetables doesn't necessarily make them unhealthy (unless other ingredients are added).

I think the problem with most of the deli meats is that they are packed for longer term shelf life and that most of them contain sodium nitrites which has been liked to cancer, migraines, etc. Even most of the meat that we get at the deli counter in our supermarkets contain sodium nitrites.

I thought this is an interesting article
http://www.naturalnews.com/011148.html
 
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That was what I was thinking as well Carola.

For example, in the WW (former) Core Plan, which is very close to clean eating, you can eat turkey breast but not deli turkey. My thought was that somehow the turkey is "processed" or altered from its natural breast state to get to the deli. I assume it is somehow ground up and reprocessed. I have never seen a turkey breast that looks like some of that deli turkey...but it is yummy!

Carrie
 
I buy Natural Choice lunchmeats-no nitrates/nitrites. You can get them prepackaged or at the deli-even uncured salami and bacon. And I think Boar's Head lunchmeats are minimally processed, too.
 
kgalas said:
I buy Natural Choice lunchmeats-no nitrates/nitrites. You can get them prepackaged or at the deli-even uncured salami and bacon. And I think Boar's Head lunchmeats are minimally processed, too.
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Can you get Natural Choice at a regular grocer or do you have to get it at a place like Whole Foods?
 
I would go for a good artisanal salami like the kind you can get at Whole Foods over deli chicken or turkey any day. I've had homemade salami (not made by me) and it's to die for. And yes, in the technical sense salami is processed but if made in the traditional way it's actually a simple, ancient technique for conserving food through drying. One could do it at home. I think deli turkey and chicken are made for what's called mechanically separated meat. Something that would be impossible to make at home. I recently saw a picture of the stuff on of all places totallylookslike.com. It looks just like soft serve ice-cream. It was so gross I could never eat the stuff again. So in my opinion good salami falls into the category of 'food' i.e. something my grandmother would recognize and deli chicken and turkey do not. On the other hand I don't like deli chicken and turkey so I may be biased.
 
Jesus is there anything we can eat these days that hasn't been touched or processed. I believe eveything we eat is processed in some form or another..
 
ITA!! I buy most of my meat from a local grass-fed beef and pig farm who also makes its own sausage, kielbasa, and franks. Their stuff is awesome and SOOOOO unlike most of what you get in the grocery store. The ingredient list is just meat and seasonings.

Jaffas said:
I would go for a good artisanal salami like the kind you can get at Whole Foods over deli chicken or turkey any day. I've had homemade salami (not made by me) and it's to die for. And yes, in the technical sense salami is processed but if made in the traditional way it's actually a simple, ancient technique for conserving food through drying. One could do it at home. I think deli turkey and chicken are made for what's called mechanically separated meat. Something that would be impossible to make at home. I recently saw a picture of the stuff on of all places totallylookslike.com. It looks just like soft serve ice-cream. It was so gross I could never eat the stuff again. So in my opinion good salami falls into the category of 'food' i.e. something my grandmother would recognize and deli chicken and turkey do not. On the other hand I don't like deli chicken and turkey so I may be biased.
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hiitdogs said:
I think the definition of "processed food" is food that it altered from their natural state. I don't think that everything processed is automatically unhealthy. For example freezing is technically processing the food but freezing vegetables doesn't necessarily make them unhealthy (unless other ingredients are added).
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I agree. All meat is processed. It's not like it naturally comes in parts. The process of making even non-deli meats has its own health risks.
 
I always buy Boar's Head chicken or turkey from my deli counter, I figure that is about the best I can realistically do.
 
I am so glad I asked this question. And I'm glad people seem as confused as I've been. I agree that everything is "processed" and trying to get something that's clean without having to rob a bank to pay for it is... frustrating. I can tell you I've had many brands of deli turkey that look like the meat has been sliced straight off the bird but I got totally grossed-out by Jennie-O. I knew it was garbage when I looked closely at it and it looked like a cellulose sponge. Ew.
 
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