Eating processed foodsProcessed foods aren't just microwave meals and other ready meals. The term 'processed food' applies to any food that has been altered from its natural state in some way, either for safety reasons or convenience. This means you may be eating more processed food than you realise. Processed foods aren't necessarily unhealthy, but anything that’s been processed may contain added salt, sugar and fat. One advantage of cooking food from scratch at home is that you know exactly what is going into it, including the amount of added salt or sugar. However, even homemade food sometimes uses processed ingredients. Read on to find out how you can eat processed foods as part of a healthy diet. What counts as processed food? Most shop-bought foods will have been processed in some way. Examples of common processed foods include: breakfast cereals cheese tinned vegetables bread savoury snacks, such as crisps meat products, such as bacon "convenience foods", such as microwave meals or ready meals drinks, such as milk or soft drinks Food processing techniques include freezing, canning, baking, drying and pasteurising products. Dietitian Sian Porter says: "Not all processed food is a bad choice. Some foods need processing to make them safe, such as milk, which needs to be pasteurised to remove harmful bacteria. Other foods need processing to make them suitable for use, such as pressing seeds to make oil. "Freezing fruit and veg preserves most vitamins, while tinned produce (choose those without added sugar and salt) can mean convenient storage, cooking and choice to eat all year round, with less waste and cost than fresh."