And why should you care?
Processed food is food that’s been….
… wait for it….
… processed!
(Ok, ok, I know. But when else was I going to get to make that silly joke?)
Processed food is any edible matter that’s been changed from it’s original natural state and cooked or altered in some way.
For example taking a tomato off the vine (it’s natural state) and cooking it and turning it into tomato sauce.
Usually processed foods are marketed as a convience for you. The idea given is that it is faster and easier for you to buy that jar of sauce than to buy tomatoes and make it yourself.