This article in GoAnimal.com suggests that a diet high in real food and low in "food products" (heavily processed foods) will leave you much healthier. It points to the development of hydrogenation and trans fats, and high fructose corn syrup, as the "twin horsemen of our metabolic apocalypse."

How do You Tell the Difference?

They suggest that food can be identified because it is:

* Grown
* Messy
* Variable quality
* Goes bad fast
* Requires preparation
* Vibrant colors, rich textures
* Authentically flavorful
* Strong connection to land and culture

While "food products" are:

* Produced, manufactured
* Neat, convenient
* Always the same
* Keeps forever
* Instant results
* Dull, bland
* Artificially flavorful
* No connection to land or culture



They also make a number of further suggestions to help you make the distinction:

* If it didn't exist until after 1903 (when the hydrogenation process was
invented), it's probably not food.
* If it's wrapped in layers of plastic, cardboard and foil, it's probably not
food.
* If it requires heavy advertising to sell it, it's probably not food.



http://www.goanimal.com/newsletters/2005/food_food_product/food_products.html