1 week Ago By [email protected] (Steffan Rhys)
I decided to cut out certain types of food in 2024 — mainly, these were all ultra-processed foods and those that were high in added sugar. Research has shown that eating ultra-processed food (UPF) can increase your risk of dying, with these foods in particular shown to have the highest risk . But UPF makes up a huge percentage of many people's diet in countries like the UK and USA.
So having decided to cut them out of mine, the question became "What do I replace them with?" This is not a simple question to answer for people who are used to compiling a very similar looking shopping list week after week and relying on pre-packaged supermarket foods for the sake of convenience and time. To show the extent of what would need to change, here are just some examples of UPFs that I was eating regularly, like many of us: supermarket packaged bread breakfast cereals and granola flavoured yoghurt chocolate, biscuits and crisps energy and granola bars shop-bought pizzas and ready meals supermarket sausages It's a lot isn't it? But it took very little time to replace all these foods comfortably and (mostly) inexpensively. Ten months later, my diet is permanently changed, I've lost at least a stone in weight (going from 11.
5 stone to 10 stone) and I don't really crave any of the UPFs I used to eat a lot of. But how do you cut such "staple" foods from a diet while still being able to eat simple and cheap meals. Well, it was easy and relied on these three foods: legumes (that's chickpeas, lentils and beans) nuts Greek yoghurt Of course, I've added more foods too — in fact, finding out about new foods and new food combinations has been one of the main joys of this entire experience — but these three foods are ones I now eat every day.
They are perfect as a main meal or snack. Other more obvious things involved increasing my fruit and vegetable intake, and varying the types I bought (eg I now buy a lot more avocados, aubergines and courgettes than I used to). Typical breakfast, lunch and dinner based on legumes, nuts and Greek yoghurt Breakfast: nuts (usually one or two from cashews, almonds, walnuts or Brazil nuts) with Greek yoghurt and fruit.
Seeds (like chia seeds, sesame seeds or flaxseeds are also great additions) Lunch: In the office, a lentil-based salad from a nearby stall. At home, homemade hummus (made from chickpeas or butter beans — see recipe here ) or an omelette with onions and peppers. Dinner: Fish with legumes, courgettes and chilli.
What are ultra-processed foods and which ones do we most commonly eat? Ultra-processed foods are highly altered, contain many chemical additives and are made using both industrial processes and industrial processes. You can spot them on the back of packets you buy — words like "gum" or "emuslifier" a big giveaways but they are just two examples. They are made this way so that they last longer, make more profits for the companies that make them, and encourage us to eat more of them because of how tasty they are.
They are also typically high in added salt, sugar and fat. Dr Chris Van Tulleken, an infectious diseases doctor at University College London and author of the best-selling book Ultra-Processed People says : "If it's wrapped in plastic and it contains at least one ingredient that you don't typically find in a domestic kitchen, then it's ultra-processed food." It doesn't have to be expensive to eat this way One of the best things about this is cost.
It's common to assume that eating healthier is more expensive. But a tin of beans (cannellini, black, kidney etc) at Asda costs 49p. A cabbage costs 50p and results in a lot of food once you've chopped it all up (try frying it with hazelnuts or cashews).
A bag of carrots costs 35p. A pineapple costs 90p, an avocado costs 95p. You can also use frozen fruit and veg without compromising on the nutrient value and quality of their fresh equivalent.
It's cheaper and lasts longer. Nuts are more expensive, there's no getting around that. But plants are also high in protein and fibre so they fill you up for longer so you don't need to eat so much or so often.
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