Rather than “unprocessed,” I like to use the term “first-order foods,” which means any food that comes to you in its original form. Examples are things like dried beans and lentils, fruits and veggies from the produce section, etc.

The other category I call “second-order foods”–these are foods made from first-order foods by applying energy, processing, branding and advertising, etc. And because of these extra steps, second-order foods are almost always much more expensive–and of course it’s always the consumer who ends up bearing the cost of any branding or added process steps.

My solution is to bias my diet toward first-order foods and away from second-order foods. It’s a helpful framework to help me make my diet healthier AND less expensive!

Dan
Casual Kitchen