When you think of processed foods, you probably immediately start to think about the foods you'll find in the little TV dinner trays from the frozen food aisle at the grocery store.
Some of these foods can be very unhealthy for you; they include additives like additional sodium, and some chemicals that you've never even heard of. These are preservatives, and they keep the shelf life of these prepared foods as long as possible.
On the other hand, "processed" food is a very broad term. Even pasteurized drinks are considered "processed," and pasteurization is a good thing because without it, we could get sick.
For that reason, we have to stop and consider what the difference is between processed foods and ultra-processed foods. Those that are ultra-processed are foods that have been processed beyond their natural form, while a simple process to make other foods more edible can actually have a positive impact on your life.
That doesn't mean TV dinners are healthy for you, it just means that more foods than you might think, healthy or not, are processed in some way or another.
