So, when you say "frankenfoods"...

[JaneDough]

...what do you mean, exactly? When I got here, I took it to mean stuff that's not food at all - like junk food and its LC equivalents - but some seem to apply the term to anything not homemade. Is there a uniform understanding of the term, is it under debate, or does it mean different things to different posters?

[Ayustar]

I think basically anything like carb reduced things and protein bars and meal replacement shakes. Crap that you really don't need lol. Whole foods are key! But I am sure you know that. Even me, I eat some of them, only protein shakes or protein waters and stuff. I don't eat the bars unless I am in a pinch where I am going to die or not on the meat and egg fast.

I wouldn't say it's things that aren't homemade. I mean, I can go to the supermarket and get a cooked chicken but that doesn't mean it is Frankenfood, lol. I just say it is when it is something that HAD to be altered to be Low Carb.

[tamarian]

I don't think their's a uniform definition of the term. I understand it to mean highly processed food.

Just found this: ")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenfood

Wa'il

[Dodger]

Different folks define frankenfoods differently. At one time the term referred to only genetically engineered foods. Since then it has expanded to include highly processed food items.

[JaneDough]

I don't think their's a uniform definition of the term. I understand it to mean highly processed food.

Just found this: ")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenfood

Wa'il
HA! Wikipedia strikes again; thanks. :D

[Ayustar]

Wiki rocks!! I love it. So helpful.

[Mandra]

My personal definition: Anything that the list of chemicals is longer than the list of food.....

[Nancy LC]

Personally I don't use the term. I always sided with Frankenstein. Poor persecuted, misunderstood monster. Mean, stupid villagers! Fire Bad!

[ysabella]

Heh, Nancy.
Plus, maybe Frankenstein liked to eat whole foods, not chemical snacks. Maybe he'd be very insulted by the term!

[Mandra]

LOL, Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster....;)
I didn't see the movies, but I read the book, you can't help but feel sorry for the creature.

[ysabella]

Of course, I just think of the movie Young Frankenstein. *clomp clomp* Puttin' on the Ritz!

[potatofree]

Nah... Ritz are too carby. ;)

[ysabella]

Snerk! :lol:

[JaneDough]

Personally I don't use the term. I always sided with Frankenstein. Poor persecuted, misunderstood monster. Mean, stupid villagers! Fire Bad!
You know what? I think you're right. Mr. Monster Man would've accepted a low carb tortilla slathered with Hellman's, American cheese and bacon (oozing of nitrate) with gratitude. GRATITUDE, I SAY! None of that snarky "Ooooh - you mean, you didn't butcher and cure the piggy yourself?" from the villagers, and all would've been swell. But noOOooooO...

[Nancy LC]

LOL! You're killing me here!

[ItsTheWooo]

...what do you mean, exactly? When I got here, I took it to mean stuff that's not food at all - like junk food and its LC equivalents - but some seem to apply the term to anything not homemade. Is there a uniform understanding of the term, is it under debate, or does it mean different things to different posters?

The label frankenfood can be applied to anything "unnatural". Seeing as what one considers an "unnatural food" (or a "natural food" for that matter) is highly subjective with no real clear meaning, it's mainly used liberally to fit the users personal prejudices.

One person might considered cooked foods "frankenfoods", another might consider soy a "frankenfood" but not splenda, a third might consider anything sweet & prepacked that they have a hard time portion controlling "frankenfood", etc. So yes, frankenfood is different things to different people. Almost all will agree processed (as in packaged junk) food is frankenfood, but from there it gets murky. Some people (like me) really don't like the term "frankenfood". I use it time to time but IMO there's nothing wrong with processed foods. I actually think stuff like protein bars are healthier than a lot of foods LCers consider "good", because protein bars (if you buy a quality one) will have a nice dose of vitamins, mineral, potassium and sodium, good quality fats and good quality proteins. For the same calories you could eat a "non-frankenfood" item, like a bit of cheese and a bit of meat, and that's not nearly as well balanced.

[JaneDough]

The label frankenfood can be applied to anything "unnatural". Seeing as what one considers an "unnatural food" (or a "natural food" for that matter) is highly subjective with no real clear meaning, it's mainly used liberally to fit the users personal prejudices.

Well thank you, as that certainly makes sense.

Can I please get some buy-in that brussel sprouts are, in fact, a "franken food"? C'mon - who's with me?!

[Nancy LC]

No! Brussel sprouts are definitely not to be marginalized them. I luvs thems.

Lima beans however....

Does anyone consider "cashew" to be a frankenfood? Man, you have to process the heck out of those buggers to not get poisoned by them.

My personal giggle is how some people who are horrified at processed food take lots of vitamins and supplements. Ever look at the ingredient list on those?

[Lisa N]

For the same calories you could eat a "non-frankenfood" item, like a bit of cheese and a bit of meat, and that's not nearly as well balanced.

Or...for the same amount of calories, you could eat a few ounces of meat and a bit of a couple of veggies and maybe even a bit of fruit and be just as balanced (if not more so since I have yet to see a bar that contains more than 25-30% RDA of anything). ;)

Mmmmmmm...roasted brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar. :thup:

[ysabella]

Actually I love brussels sprouts, too. Although they are often picked when they are way too large, around here. In the Netherlands you could get these tiny ones...spruitjes!

Mmmmmm. :yum:

JaneDough, they can be your Frankenfood, and I'll have your share. Deal?

[Ayustar]

Speaking of brussle spouts...

What do they taste like, in comparison to something else that has a similar taste? Just curious.

[hdyhouse]

It has been awhile since I had any. However, I seem to remember them as tasting to me like a cross between cabbage and broccoli.

[Ayustar]

Well, I like both of them. So maybe one day I would be brave and try them out lol. Since I like pretty much every food now, which is odd.

[potatofree]

Well, I like both of them. So maybe one day I would be brave and try them out lol. Since I like pretty much every food now, which is odd.

Just don't overcook them. I had a nasty first experience with them due to the cook trying to kill them... :help: Boiled to a boogery consistency is NOT a good thing.

[Nancy LC]

I used to make brussel sprouts cooked in beef stock with roasted chestnuts for thanksgiving. But it was a pain in the butt to peel chestnuts. Totally yum though.

There's a bitterness to brussel sprouts that probably some people don't like. I adore it though. Kind of nutty flavor too.

[Ayustar]

Sorta like how I used to hate asparagus because no one could cook it right, then I had it at a resturant that just blanched it and then cooked it lightly in olive oil, holy crap it was tastey!! So I am sure brussle spouts are the same way, if you cook them too much I would think they would be 'muddy' tasting.

[ysabella]

In the Netherlands, brussels sprouts are usually boiled with some onions, and then you put butter on them. And that's good, but they respond well to some sauteeing too.

I also came to love endive there. Chopped raw in a salad with some apple and vinaigrette, or a winter dish where you boil them, wrap them in ham, and bake them in cheese sauce. :yum:

[JaneDough]

Speaking of brussle spouts...

What do they taste like, in comparison to something else that has a similar taste? Just curious.

Cholera. Mixed with fetid cat poo. Topped with just a sprinkle of sewer gas.

[Ayustar]

LOL OMG, lol sounds good, I gotta try that lol.

[Mandra]

LOL, Jane, that's my opinion too. But then again, I don't like cabbage either (love broccoli, tho).

[ysabella]

Weirdly enough, I don't like cabbage. I do like broccoli, though.

[ItsTheWooo]

Or...for the same amount of calories, you could eat a few ounces of meat and a bit of a couple of veggies and maybe even a bit of fruit and be just as balanced (if not more so since I have yet to see a bar that contains more than 25-30% RDA of anything). ;)

Mmmmmmm...roasted brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar. :thup:
That certainly would be ideal, Lisa :)
But that takes time and we don't always have it...
Whenever I enter my meals into fitday, unless I make them much higher calorie than the equivalent bar, the bar usually beats the meal (nutrition-wise) hands down. Plus, ironically, they're usually lower in carbs than my meals are and therefore keep my blood sugar more stable (...and I count all the sugar in a bar. I do this as an estimate by first subtracting fat & protein cals, and from there I consider any cals left as sugar/carb calories, divide it by 4, and that is the carbohydrate count I use).
So it's not really fair to compare a meal with 400+ cals to a little bar with 200 and expect the nutrition to be the same. You could always eat 2 bars :)

Like today I grabbed a bar for lunch because I was job hunting. Better and more balanced than just grabbing a slice of cheese and some nuts like I also do time to time in a rush. I agree when time allows it's better to eat whole foods, even if for no other reason but to teach you how to prepare healthy food for the rest of your life, and not depend on manufactured food.

[AZDweller]

Balance is good. Not the bars (which I dislike), but balance in all things. DANDR says don't go 6 hours awake without eating. (I don't want to set off that tangent, however). So I will grab a bar here and then to keep my metabolism going when I can't stop for eggs and bacon. I'm not crazy about sugar free, sugar-alcohol enriched candy, but it beats the sugar-filled equivalent when I get a craving. Probably 80% of what I eat is meats, veggies and cheese.

And I'll take anyone's brussels sprouts, mmmm. I haven't roasted them yet. My DS will eat any extras. He's been eating green veggies since he was a "sprout" himself, LOL. "Little trees and little cabbages." I used to take him to the store and let him pick out the veggies he wanted. He still loves to grow things and taste what fresh from the garden really is.

[CindySue48]

I mean any food that is loaded with chemicals.

Remember the commercial for the icecream....Breyer's?? A little kid trying to read the label on his ice cream, loaded with chemicals....then the other kid reading his....cream, sugar, etc....all "natural" ingredients. :lol:

IF it's got chemicals and is highly processed, it's a frankenfood. ;)

[Kaizan]

Jane - I soo agree. We even grew them fresh in our garden this year and I thought, they can't be so bad cause hubby gobbles them up. Ugh. Even the guinea pigs wouldn't eat them...lol

[deirdra]

You can buy frozen "baby" brussel sprouts & if you don't overcook them, they have a buttery taste even without butter.

1/2 cup (raw/uncooked) have 3.937g carbs - 1.67g fiber or 2.267g net carbs.

[Batipton]

I think I have some Frankenfoods lurking in the back of the fridge. They have been in there for years.

. . . IT'S ALIVE!!! . . .

Just kidding.

How about a top 10 list. Top 10 ways to know your food is "Frankenfood".

10. You need a degree in biochemistry to read the label.
9. Induction refers to electricity instead of ketosis.
8. After ingesting you get a rash around the bolts in your neck.
7. After eating you can't stop throwing little girls into the lake.
6. The label reads, "Manufactured at Frankenfood, Inc."
5. Warning label on package says "Do not put in microwave."
4. Food featured prominently on new FDA food pyramid.
3. You open the fridge and your house is surrounded by villagers with torches.
2. Commercials feature tall, pale guy in green sport coat.
1. TASTES LIKE CHICKEN!

I hope that clears things up for everyone.

Brett