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Resources > Food > Key Definitions

 
 
3-D Healthy food - food that tends to promote personal, community, and environmental health
  

Diet - what we eat and drink
  

GMOs (genetically modified organisms) - plants or animals that have had genes from one or more other organisms
     inserted into their DNA, altering how they grow and what they contain
     •  Examples: the vast majority of corn, soy, cotton, and canola grown in the U.S.
     •  Exceptions: most other whole foods and those that are certified organic
  

Made with Respect - produced with appreciation for how people, animals, soil, and other resources are treated
  

Quality fat
- fat from nuts, seeds, and unrefined oils, most notably extra virgin olive oil
  

Refined carbohydrates - flour and sugar that has been processed in ways removing fiber or other key parts
     •  Examples: enriched wheat flour, wheat flour, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, corn sugar
     •  Exceptions: whole rolled oats, whole wheat flour, other whole flours
  

Refined oils - oils produced using chemicals or heat, prolonging "shelf life" by changing chemical structures or
     removing useful nutrients
     •  Examples: Canola, palm, cottonseed, soybean, or vegetable oil, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils
     •  Exceptions: extra virgin olive oil, oils labeled "unrefined" or "cold-pressed"
 

Whole foods - foods that are themselves typically the only ingredient and are minimally processed
     •  Examples: fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, unprocessed meats, beans, whole rolled oats
     •  Exceptions: most packaged foods, pastries, fried foods, foods marked "reduced fat" or "reduced calorie"