Hacker News Reader

Comment by chithanh | Hacker News Reader

> Why is bread not considered ulta-processed?

Even traditional bread is certainly highly processed, undergoing mechanical (milling), biochemical (fermentation), and thermal (baking) processing. It doesn't quite meet the definition of ultra-processed though as all these technologies are readily available to unsophisticated producers.

I think ultra-processed is some sort of proxy for hyperpalatable here.

View on HN

Indeed, there's a definition but this just adds the the starting comment's point that "ultra-processed" barely means anything in relation to how healthy something is to eat (and at what quantities).

Wouldn't most supermarket bread flour by itself meet the definition of ultra-processed, because it is bleached and enriched with micronutrients in a way that almost no consumer can do in the kitchen?

> because it is bleached and enriched with micronutrients in a way that almost no consumer can do in the kitchen?

What gave you that idea?

Bleached flour and various additives (such as ascorbic acid) are routinely used in home kitchens:

https://thebreadguide.com/using-ascorbic-acid-when-baking/

What, exactly, do you think goes into making a loaf of mass-produced bread?

The bleaching is what makes the flour, and by extension the bread made from it, ultra-processed, even if the bread is baked in a home setting. You misread.

Yes, I 100% did misread! My bad!

Reply on news.ycombinator.com