Every time processed foods come up online someone makes this argument. I will assume you're being genuine but a lot of times it's done in an annoying "gotcha" way and it drives me crazy. Regardless, the NOVA classification system is helpful for talking about this topic: https://regulatory.mxns.com/en/ultra-processed-foods-nova-cl...
When people use the term "processed foods" colloquially they are generally referring to NOVA group 4, ultra-processed foods. It seems that that group is implicated in worse health outcomes and it is also that group that has proliferated the most significantly over the past 40 years in tandem with rising rates of obesity and poor health outcomes.
When people use the term "processed foods" colloquially they are generally referring to NOVA group 4, ultra-processed foods. It seems that that group is implicated in worse health outcomes and it is also that group that has proliferated the most significantly over the past 40 years in tandem with rising rates of obesity and poor health outcomes.