This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. n January of 2012, Megan Kimble was a city-dwelling 26-year-old—busy and broke, living in a small apartment without so much as a garden plot to her name. But she cared about food: where it came from, how it was made, and what it did to her body. So she set herself a challenge: She would go an entire year without eating processed foods. In this talk, she discusses what makes a food processed and how those processes impact our bodies and communities. Megan Kimble is the managing editor of Edible Baja Arizona, a local food magazine serving Tucson and the borderlands, and is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times. Her book, Unprocessed, about her year of eating only whole, unprocessed food, is forthcoming from William Morrow in 2015. Follow along at megankimble.com. About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)