My understanding with processed food is that the main problem is much much less about how “healthy” the artificial ingredients are, and more about how the processing is usually designed around making the food more addictive (so you, say, crave a Cheeto more than you crave a carrot), and as a byproduct of the former, making it more calorie-dense, so you can consume more calories before you start to feel full.
Maybe better definitions on specific type of processing or their effects are needed than an unspecific term with a hazy borderline that lacks the precision of science.
My understanding with processed food is that the main problem is much much less about how “healthy” the artificial ingredients are, and more about how the processing is usually designed around making the food more addictive (so you, say, crave a Cheeto more than you crave a carrot), and as a byproduct of the former, making it more calorie-dense, so you can consume more calories before you start to feel full.
Maybe better definitions on specific type of processing or their effects are needed than an unspecific term with a hazy borderline that lacks the precision of science.