1. existing in or formed by nature (opposed to artificial ): a natural bridge.
2. based on the state of things in nature; constituted by nature: Growth is a natural process.
3. of or pertaining to nature or the universe: natural beauty.
4. of, pertaining to, or occupied with the study of natural science: conducting natural experiments.
5. in a state of nature; uncultivated, as land.
What part of processed, mutilated, plastic-bottled products on the shelves of our grocery stores constitute as "formed by nature" is beyond me, but it seems that lots of words have been hijacked by advertising companies. For instance, I was recently told by the televsion that my "imagination" could be furthered by a Fiat and that I needed some super-processed granola bars to curb my craving for sweets in a healthy way. Needless to say advertisements lie to us all the time (historically speaking, look at the advertisements of cigarettes throughout the 20th century) but I think it's high time that we take back the concrete meaning of words. For instance:
1. "probiotic" - a completely made up word to replace "bacteria" in yogurt advertising
2. "fresh" - fast food companies get away with selling you sandwiches of mass-produced, factory-chopped ingredients because they are recently assembled
3. "healthy" - something might be low fat but chucked full of sugars and preservatives, something else might be high in fiber but covered in salt and fat
I could go on and on but the basic point of the matter is we need to focus on keeping it real. Eating foods that we can pronounce, that have ingredients like "potatoes, salt, [non-GMO] sunflower oil" and not "high fructose corn syrup" or "carboxymenthyl cellulose". A good rule of thumb that I live by is: everything in moderation, including moderation - every once in a while you just need to go nuts. So don't make certain foods "forbidden" to your dietary intake, that will just make you want it more (that's at least what happens in my brain, being somewhat of a contrarian). I like a taste of salty, fatty, sugary, fried, super-processed food as much as the next guy. Just ask my roommates, this is what I look like before I shower in the morning: