Well, I couldn’t make ice cream, because I lack an icecream machine. Would your icecream brought to my kitchen then count as processed? 😉

Yes, I agree. It is that whole picture that counts. People make choices that seem sensible to them, no matter how preposterous they seem to a bystander, and simply condemning these choices in isolation of circumstances won’t get us further.

Definitely there are some rules of thumb that can benefit anyone’s endeavors to eating healtheir; low salt, more veggies in proportion to others, etc.

I think, however, that is an appeal to common sense which ignores the pith of the problem; on the one hand, time and stress management in an increasingly arduous schedule, and leisure and purchasing power that can be devoted to “healthy eating”. Couple that with the fact that food technicians and marketing have mastered the art of understanding demands, which only goes hand in hand with stress – the convenience and “pleasurably relaxing” effects of sipping that coca-cola while delving into that sumptuous big mac, at low cost passed right into your lap in the car.

I think simply saying that, hey, people are eating salty foods and shouldn’t, is describing the symptoms of the problem. We should be rather exploring why people make the decisions they do. We have it to the point where people argue that apples taste better before than they do today. That’s like saying the taste of water has suddenly lost its flavor since the later 20th cenutry – it is no doubt that our neurological standard for sugar and salt has sky rocketed. It’s a similar process with alcohol levels or pills for sleeping (even melatonin).

At their basis, yes, these ideas have some merit. It just seems they have evolved to humongous doctrines leaving those in the most dire need of understanding nutrition far behind.

Yes, there is some truth to that.

Heavily processed foods such as readymeals tend to contain a lot more salt, sugar and sat/trans fats than the same homemade meals as far as I can tell.

Likewise Michael Pollan’s major food rule “eat food, mostly vegetables, not too much” is a decent rule of thumb that if followed by the average obese westerner would likely result in weightloss and better health.

Hah, reminds of that South Park episode “Smug Alert”. I just drive my Prius since I’m so concerned about the environment unlike most people – Good for youuuuu! – Thaaaanks!