Eating food that is closest to its original form is always best when the desire is to get the most nutritional value.  For instance, eating an apple, fresh from the tree provides us with living enzymes to digest the apple, vitamins and minerals in their freshest form from the skin of the apple and the inside and even from the seeds! I eat the whole apple, after I take off the stem…
In contrast, we can look at apple sauce.  The apple has been boiled which kills the enzymes and breaks down the vitamins.  Then we add sugar, as we know, sugar suppresses the immune system… Beyond this, we wonder just who was making this applesauce?  Were they in a bad mood?  Did they sneeze in the mix?  How many people actually had to touch the apples before they got to you?  From the grower, to the picker, to the distributor, to the food processing plant, to the distributor again, to the grocery store people, to the checker, to you!  That’s a lot of energy put into your food. 
  I find it interesting to look at the chain of events that have occurred to the food that I eat.  Looking at eating in restaurants is a whole nother story.  Having worked in many restaurants over the years, even 5 star joints, I’ve seen many things happen in the kitchen that would make you never want to dine out again… But that’s another topic.
So, I would suggest, try to eat fresh fruits and vegetables as often as possible.  Processed foods lends itself to excess salt and sugar, not to mention rancid oils.  (Oils go rancid quickly due to three things: oxygen, light and heat.  Best to eat fruit oils such as olive oil as they don’t go rancid as quickly. You can eat your nuts raw, that’s the best!)
Letting go of sugar and processed foods will make a remarkable difference in your health and weight.  It takes about a week to kick the sugar habit and then you won’t crave it anymore!  Use carrots or fruit to kick your habit, they are sweet and the fructose they contain is natural and easy to assimilate in the body.
Happy Eating!