[chii]

> where the line is

high salt and/or sugar content foods, whether processed or not, is probably not great for you.

It's just that "processed foods" usually have extra flavourings added (such as salt) to enhance it, for sale purposes.

So instead of targeting processed foods, the targeting for healthy eating should be portion size and amount, followed by freshness.

[dragontamer]

Canned or frozen can contain more nutrients because of the preservation process though. Fresh foods lose nutrients as they are shipped around.

The vitamins may have leached into the water, but toss that water into a soup and you're good.

I don't think freshness matters much at all. Flour certainly doesn't need to be fresh to make good bread.

[bobobob420]

Fresh pasta vs store bought? Worlds of difference. When I lived in Europe the quality of produce and dairy blew me away compared to what we were eating in America. Tons of flavor in fresh natural produce.

[orwin]

There is a difference between fresh in producer market and fresh in a supermarket. Supermarket canned tomatoes (with no added salt, i got surprised once) are better, more ripe than supermarket fresh tomatoes. This extend to a lot of canned food (as long as the process is just food+water in bain-marie or similar).

[dragontamer]

Indeed. And plenty of frozen options too, if that's your preference.

People underrate canned veggies in regards to healthy eating. They're really not bad at all from a health perspective, and can often taste very fresh.

Pineapples, pears, peaches are great canned. Artichoke, corn, beans, string beans, spinach, and tomatoes are also good canned products in my experience.

I'm not hating on fresh: big leafy Romaine Lettuce is best fresh, as are onions. But certain foods hold really well in a can, and its extremely convenient to mix-and-match storage strategies. (Ex: Use that Romaine Lettuce for salads this week, and canned corn next week)

[dragontamer]

What is "fresh pasta"? That flour's been sitting in my pantry for months!

Yes, fresh eggs taste better. But fresh flour? Not really. grains, beans, flour, rice... these "preserved" foods can last months or even well into a year or longer.

[ubercow13]

If by store bought you mean dry, dry pasta is not ‘worse’ than fresh pasta, it is just suited to different dishes