What is Spam?
https://www.livescience.com/32813-hormel-spam-no-mystery-mea... Ingredients: Pork with ham meat added, salt, water, potato starch, sugar and sodium nitrite. The pork is shoulder meat.
What is in that list that is highly objectionable? Its mixed together, canned and boiled so that its preserved and ready to eat out of the can cold.
Same with Vienna Sausage: MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN, WATER, SALT, CORN SYRUP. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: BEEF, PORK, DEXTROSE, NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM NITRITE, GARLIC POWDER. BROTH: CHICKEN BROTH.
I dont like the sugar in there but whatever. What is in there that is objectionable?
I'm not saying that these aren't calorie dense and high in salt, but that was the POINT.
My non-expert impression is that there’s a growing body of research that suggests that preservatives generally aren’t great for your gut microbiome. Which kind of makes sense, they’re meant to kill microbiota that would be eating your food before you do, it seems likely that it’d put selective pressure on those in your gut once you eat it, and maybe the ones that are most adapted to surviving that aren’t the ones you want a lot of.
So I answered your question. Can you answer mine?
I find the process used to make spam objectionable. You know, as in processed foods? And ham, which is itself a processed ingredient.
It’s fully cured and cooked pork. I don’t understand how that’s not highly processed. The only level below that is ultraprocessed foods like cheetohs and dorritos.
I find it strange that you say people should prepare home meals, but are against historically common ways of having food TO eat.
Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Blood Sausages, Hakarl. Pickles, Smoked Fish, Canned Veggies, Yogurt, Cheese, Ham are all processed products, made with lots of chemicals and designed to store for months or years without cold. Are all of these historically important foods objectionable to you?
Would SPAM be OK if it removed the ham? Its literally pork, salt and potato starch. I could make SPAM at home with a 5 minute grocery store run to buy salt, pork and starch, and sodium nitrate (or celery)
So once, again, what is your objection to this processing? Do you consider boiled pork mince, salt, celery juice, and starch excessive processing?
You were the one arguing that SPAM isn't highly processed food in a can, that's what my objection was. I consider every one of those foods you listed processed in some way as is most of the food we eat because cooking is processing. Grinding is processing. Chopping is processing. All of them have tradeoffs in nutrition, texture, taste, and preservation.
You seem to have taken it personally, as if I'm making some sort of judgement on your diet. I don't care, I'm done with this nonsense.