Processed foods: why and how to limit them

We recently came across some new research on processed foods.

What does processed foods even mean?

The term “processed foods” includes a huge variety of products, but the level of processing can vary immensely.

A food has been processed when its original state has been manually altered.

This could mean anything, from freezing to steaming, canning or a series of more manipulations on one product.

The foods we want to focus on are the ones that fall into this last category as this is where 50% of our calories come from, on average.

These foods include soft drinks, fries, chicken nuggets, ready soups and lots more. These are foods that have gone through lots of processes, and have more added ingredients, colourants and other substances used to increase their shelf life.

That piece of research seems to establish a link between high consumption of these overly manipulated foods and cancer (in particular, brain and ovarian).

Our goal here is not to scare you, but to bring you awareness.

We are not completely against processed foods as we do firmly believe they can be part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. We preach the 80/20 rule – this rule applies to all aspects of life, but in regards to nutrition it means that 80% of your diet should be made up of wholesome, unprocessed foods leaving 20% to more palatable and “fun” foods.

We also rely on some lightly processed foods quite regularly as they are extremely convenient and are not detrimental to our health. Frozen fruit and vegetables, canned beans, pulses, tuna and cheese.

However, we want to challenge you to be more aware of where your meals come from and why.

Ultra-processed foods can be really tempting for two main reasons: they generally taste great and are very cheap (not to mention the time they can save).

They taste so good since they normally contain more sugar, salt and fats than what you’d use at home, making them more palatable. This also explains why we tend to consume more calories from these foods: since they taste so great, it’s easier to overeat them. And given the extra added ingredients, they tend to be more calorie-dense (more calories per same portion size) than a homemade alternative.

Given the cost of living crisis, we also understand why their prices can be so appealing. It’s cheaper to buy a ready-made ragu than buy the individual ingredients and make your own.

But the question we want to you to ask yourself when reaching out for these commodities regularly is this:

Are the potential health risks connected with buying this product too often worth the money and time I could save?

We hope that the answer will be “no” most of the time and that you’ll put that food back.

But here are some practical tips to help you lean towards making your own food more often:

• Batch cook: we know that cooking a fresh meal from scratch every day can be daunting and just unattainable for some people, so try and carve yourself some time out to batch cook. Going back to the ragu example, buying bigger packs of meat and chopped tomatoes will save you some money. Cook two or three times the amount you normally would and freeze your portioned leftovers.
• Use frozen fruit and vegetables: yes, these products are processed, but not in a way that’s harmful to our health. They can be fresher than what you find on the counter, cheaper and can save you lots of prepping time.
• Tinned products are also great, but watch out: we are talking of things like beans, pulses, corn, tuna… Foods that have been washed, prepared and cooked with minimal ingredients (usually, just salt but you can find some in water only too). Again, these have been processed but not in a harmful way and simply take away a big chunk of the cooking and planning. Of course, you can buy dried beans and chickpeas, but it’s very convenient to have to skip the overnight soaking and long boiling times.
• Look for less processed snacks and cereals: we have made a post just on cereal lately and you’ll find it here. When looking for great snacks, quickly look at the ingredients list and try to pick some with the shortest one.
• Have a rough meal plan: We, just like most of you, are extremely busy between work, kids, house chores and all the rest. We’ve got plenty of mouths to feed between us and we just haven’t got the time to plan a new meal every single day. That’s why our lunches are always the same, and the dinners follow a similar pattern week in and week out. Make sure to check our Instagram account for plenty of easy, cheap and quick recipes to feed the whole family!

Does your diet need some improvement?

Get in touch as we have plenty more tips we can share! Our email is info@ace-lifestyle.com or just reach out over Instagram or Facebook!