That’s a valid argument. There are a lot of fads in nutrition - as with anything regarding health, really. This said, there are also numerous facts and arguments against over-processed food, from a nutrition as well as an environmental standpoint. And it is hard to keep a rational mindset within all the noise surrounding food.
Because people constantly post radical sounding things and then leave the burden of proof to someone else. No, if someone is going to claim this or that is truly unhealthy, or make accusations or statements like “grocery store food is poison”, they should back them up and not just say “prove me wrong”, this isn’t louder with Crowder. I know I keep quoting the same statement but that statement is the embodiment of the exact fear I spoke about. I never said processed food is better, or whole food is better, I simply asked for people to post their opinions and back them up with some research so I could actually analyze it for myself. Some did, most didn’t. I have a lot to read this weekend 
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this perfectly sums up the so called “appeal to nature fallacy” 
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The problem with this subject (and pretty much every other subject, especially on the internet) is that it has become so polarised and tribal. People feel pressured or are convinced it to thinking that you have to “choose a side”.
The world of nutrition can’t even agree on whether low fat or low carb (using whole foods) is best, let alone adding “man-made” food in to the equation.
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As far as “fear” or “safety” goes, my approach is to assume that freshly prepared stuff (especially fruit, veg and fish) is good and highly processed stuff is potentially bad.
So I eat the former a lot and the latter in moderation.
Usually the latter is for when I don’t have time to prepare the former. S’life, innit? 
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We should talk about pesticides and mercury poisoning then 
I’m a guy who is known for the catch phrase ‘organic is a scam’ when it comes to nutrition…so I’m no stranger to nutritional provocation! But let me humbly submit that all of us on this forum probably have more ground for consensus on this issue than disagreement. So rather than devolve into the hackneyed debate about whether or not a loaf of Wonder White Bread is cake or something other than cake…let me suggest this: let’s switch up the vocabulary a bit.
Rather than ‘man-made’ foods, let’s explore ‘highly processed’ foods. Now, I highly processed food is a little bit like a pornographic image. It’s hard to come up with an all-encompassing definition but we all kind of know it when we see it. Apple? NOT highly processed. McRib sandwich? IS highly processed.
So, look, from a nutritional perspective & except in cases of famine I think we can all agree we’re better off never eating a McRib sandwich. I don’t know what the hell a McRib sandwich is made out of but it’s certainly highly processed. It’s freakin’ sculpted, for goodness sakes.
Ok, so, another example. Let’s say you just banged out Mary Austin (as we do, for the sake of entertainment) and you’re looking to refuel. You’re in college so all you have in the house are two slim jims, two oranges, and half a cup of fresh blueberries. (I know it stretches the imagination that a college student would have two oranges and a half cup of fresh blueberries…but this is my story: do you want to read it or not?) You can eat the two slim jims or you can eat the two oranges & the blueberries. The latter is highly processed the former is not.
Which is likely to make you faster? I say the fruit & probably your intuition tells you the same. I think we all have a lot of room to agree on this example. The fruit is a better nutritional choice and it’s probably going to leave you feeling satiated longer.
That’s the only point I want to make. Probably we all agree we’re better off choosing fruit and veg over slim jims and mcribs. Doesn’t mean I’m advocating a complete prohibition gastronomic hedonism. Just saying we probably all agree it’s better to pick the oranges & blueberries most of the time instead of the slim jims.
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Life is about choices. Convenience food is a part of most lives due to the rhythm that people want in their lives. If they want more time to watch tv, play video games or spend time with their families then they turn to convenience food instead of marinating a good steak with wonderful fresh asparagus and a baked potato glistening with butter (but I digress).
My grandmother said one thing that has stayed with me my entire life " you can eat anything you want in moderation. You can eat sand, if you like, but if you eat to much of anything there are consequences." She passed at 92 and was still a force of nature
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Whilst this isn’t wrong, it doesn’t actually answer the question. No one is arguing that this type of food isn’t processed. The argument is whether the fact that it is processed is actually a problem and, if so, why?
Again, maybe. But why do you think the fruit would make you faster? Also, I wouldn’t say there’s much, if anything, in fruit that satiates particularly effectively. In fact, and I don’t know much about Slim Jims because I’m from the UK, but there’s probably a higher content of fat and protein in these compared to fruit, and therefore much more likely to be satiating, for a similar amount of calories compared to the blueberries
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It’s ok with me if you want to eat the Slim Jims! Because I’ll be eating the oranges & the blueberries. 
We’ll both be happy.
If you think the Slim Jims are better, let’s start with your hypothesis. Why are the Slim Jims better than the oranges and the blueberries? For sure, I can be influenced!
I think they are like pepperami
I didn’t say they were better. I just pointed out that, contrary to your point, fat and protein are known for their satiating qualities whereas carbs (fruit) are not. Hence, there’s a decent chance that the Slim Jims are more satiating.
Yeah I thought the same. Had to google it!
As much as ive read online that Matt Fitzgeralds “The Endurance Diet” is flawed…at least it doesn’t push any kind of agenda of the sort vs a certain food group. It’s got a realistic approach to people’s lives and different cultural backgrounds.
A little bit like @Brennus mentioned, we have some common sense as endurance athletes, all food isn’t black or white, it’s full of diversity, whether it be nature/whole foods or man made. Too much of anything in the end isn’t good for you. You can see/feel differences when you switch up regimens
On one hand we could say most fruit and veg we have today is man-made as it’s been crossed through grafts/inosculation etc to get what we have today. Some are just made closer to a natural process than others. Does that mean the others will kill us? Maybe, if we don’t balance it out. Let’s find a balance and eat to the best of the knowledge that’s out there. I think we all want the best healthy lives to be able to practice our crazy hobbies longer
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I think that there is a huge amount of snobbery buried in the discourse about food, and the whole “clean eating” phenomenon is built on it. It’s common to hear that people should cook their beautiful healthy meals for their family from scratch and if only we shouted at them a bit more maybe they would understand the error of their ways and stop feeding their kids fish fingers and chips and give them baked salmon and couscous.
As someone who got home from work at 6.15, and had fish fingers and chips on the table at 6.40 I resemble that remark! The thing is, we all have to balance our choices. Oven chips are 95% potato and 5% olive oil. Listen to the popular press, and it sounds like if I peeled the potato and doused it in olive oil myself then it would be great, but getting it out of the freezer is somehow bad.
I really like this blog - I think it demonstrates why much of the media hype about “processed food” is just that - hype. https://angry-chef.com/blog/an-unfashionable-defence-of-convenience It also explains why much of what you buy in the grocery store, rather than being poison is actually carefully thought through in order to avoid poisoning people (with actual bacteria). If you have the time, cash, and inclination then making your own food is great. I don’t think we should be demonising those who don’t (and the companies that provide for these people).
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Just when things were about to escalate to the point of someone throwing out that meme with the screaming woman and the smiling cat eating salad, you go and post some reasonable comment.
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As someone that the OP was originally targeting, I actually agree with that blog that you posted. I don’t have anything against “processed” food in most cases, since generally it boils down to nutrition content. I’m simply trying to avoid added sugar as much as possible within reason.
What does this mean in practice for me?
- Buying the no-sugar added bacon (which I prefer the taste of anyway)
- Getting plain Greek yogurt instead of flavored
- Picking Skratch energy bars over Clif bars
- Using bananas in place of Gu when possible
- Stocking up on frozen veg so I can easily put them in an omelette or egg scramble
- Double checking the bread at the store and picking a whole grain version without any added sugar
- Getting regular whole milk or unsweetened almond milk for chia seed pudding
- Buying more pure whey protein powders
I have a hard time imagining that I’m somehow being irrational or snobby for wanting to make these choices, when the products are exactly the same cost and same convenience factor.
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Which products do this out of curiosity? My diet is pretty simple these days but I’m always on the look for people doing stuff like that so I can be aware of it, or just make an active choice.