I've read claims that processed foods are responsible for alot of inflammation, among other claims that they're generally awful for you.

So I looked up the definition of processed(being that it means any transformation from the food's natural state) and it seems like such a broad label that any one health claim about all foods in that category would stretch belief.

Now, obviously there are foods out there that are WAY more processed than other foods. Synthesizing Cheese Whiz in a lab is going to be very different from slicing a carrot and the cheese whiz is going to be way less healthy for reasons that are likely related to it being more processed but that doesnt really help my understanding.

Hope my question's clear, please let me know if I need to be more specific.