CHRIS VAN TULLEKEN: My 6 Easy Swaps for Popular Ultra-Processed Foods That Can Save You 500 Calories

From ready-made meals and frozen pizzas to flavored yogurt, ultra-processed foods are hard to avoid.

But according to Dr Chris Van Tulleken, BBC presenter, infectious disease doctor and author of the popular book Ultra Processed People, there are easy choices to make.

Not only will they save you from ingesting additional chemicals added to food, they can also cut 500 calories from your daily diet.

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) include snack foods, industrially made breads and other packaged meals that contain ingredients such as preservatives, emulsifiers, artificial colors and flavors that are not normally used when people cook from scratch.

According to recent data, UPFs now make up around half of the calories consumed by the average British adult, and two-thirds of the calories consumed by children in Britain.

Yet studies have consistently shown that eating too many of the processed substances can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Now, in a new documentary, Dr. Van Tulleken will reveal why UPFs are so hard to resist — and how you can easily swap them for something healthier.

Here are the six alternatives he recommends:

According to Dr. Chris Van Tulleken, author of Ultra Processed People (photo), there are much healthier alternatives to these ready-made meals.

Swap the jars of pasta sauce for a can

Instead of using a pre-made tomato sauce straight from a jar to mix into your pasta, try making a simple sauce from scratch.

It may sound intimidating, but Dr Van Tulleken insists it only takes a few extra minutes and can be made with two ingredients: a can of tomatoes and some salt.

“If you really want to keep it simple, even a can of tomatoes with a little salt is fine,” he told the newspaper. BBC.

However, if you have a little more time, he suggests sauteing some garlic and onions before adding the canned tomatoes, a little salt and some vinegar to make it “better than anything store-bought.”

Some pasta sauce jars are only minimally processed, but others, which have a longer shelf life, are extensively processed.

Although the main ingredients, such as tomatoes, are healthy, these sauces are sometimes packed with extra salt and sugar.

A typical jar of tomato pasta sauce flavored with garlic and basil contains about 130 calories per serving.

But a can of tomatoes contains only 50 calories per serving, which means you can save 80 calories by making this swap.

Instead of using a pre-made tomato sauce straight from a jar to mix into your pasta, try making a simple sauce from scratch using a can of tomatoes.

Homemade stir-fry sauces on a packet

Ready-made sauces for stir-fries are a time-saving option often promoted on supermarket shelves, but Dr Van Tulleken offers a recipe idea that he claims takes a minute to make – about the same time as opening a a box. package.

Instead of using a premixed bag on your noodles, he recommends making a quick sauce with one-third water, two-thirds soy sauce, some sugar, sesame oil and a dash of vinegar.

If you have a little more time, you can also choose to add spices such as star anise, he adds.

Buying a pre-mixed Chinese-style stir-fry sauce costs about 75 calories, but making your own at home only costs 50 – saving you about 25 calories without the added chemicals.

Tea and coffee are better than energy drinks

You don’t have to give up caffeine if you choose to ditch UPFs, but don’t chug sugary energy drinks, Dr. Van Tulleken warns.

An energy drink contains around 110 calories and around 30 grams of sugar per 250ml can, while a cup of coffee, with a dash of semi-skimmed milk, contains around 20 calories – that’s 90 calories less.

Because coffee consists of just beans and water, even if you add two spoons of sugar, it is much better for you than energy drinks, he claims.

“The only advice I would give to everyone is that people should only drink water, or, if your culture allows it, milk,” said Dr. Van Tulleken.

Some experts suspect that drinking too many energy drinks may increase the risk of colon cancer, due to the drink’s high sugar and taurine content – ​​an amino acid commonly found in meat, fish and eggs and added to many energy drinks, including Red Bull.

Scientists have suggested that the ingredient could partly explain the increase in colon cancer among young people, who tend to drink more energy drinks than other groups in particular.

It has also been suggested that it ‘feeds’ harmful bacteria found in the intestines of people with colorectal cancer, encouraging the growth of the disease.

An energy drink contains about 110 calories and about 30 grams of sugar per 250 ml can, while a cup of coffee with a splash of semi-skimmed milk contains about 20 calories.

Frozen fruit and yogurt instead of ice cream

Instead of eating a few scoops of ice cream with about 20 grams of sugar and 200 calories, Dr. Van Tulleken simply eats some frozen fruit mixed with a little yogurt.

Making this swap out of ice cream can save you about 70 calories.

He even admits to adding a small amount of sugar to the fruit if necessary, but he always opts for natural yogurt over flavored yogurt.

That’s because flavored, sugar-free and low-fat yogurts are ultra-processed, as they contain artificial substances to enhance the taste, color and overall appeal.

Some also contain stabilizers and preservatives, which are designed to keep them fresher for longer on supermarket shelves.

Snack on nuts instead of chips

If you find yourself craving a salty snack, instead of opening a packet of chips, try raw nuts with a pinch of salt.

A 25 gram packet of chips contains 0.34 grams of salt and 130 calories, while a packet of salted roasted nuts of the same weight contains about 160 calories and 0.14 grams of salt.

However, a healthier snack is just a handful of raw nuts, which contain about 150 calories and less than 0.1 g of salt.

Dr. Van Tulleken admits that with a bowl of salted nuts he could eat the whole thing in one sitting, but with regular raw nuts he will eat half as much.

If plain nuts don’t hit the spot, he suggests taking a small bowl of salt to dip in.

Both homemade and frozen chips contain about 200 calories per serving, but frozen chips contain added preservatives

Oven-cooked wedges over frozen fries

Chopping a potato and cooking it in a little oil, salt and pepper is much better than putting a container of frozen chips in the oven.

Even though both methods contain about 200 calories in a serving, cooking from scratch avoids added preservatives.

Dr. Van Tulleken explains that frozen chips are not just a potato and a little oil; many bags of chips are coated with the additive maltodextrin and flavorings.

Maltodextrin is a powder made from corn, rice, potato starch or wheat, but which is highly processed.

It has a high glycemic index (GI), which means it can cause a spike in your blood sugar levels.

The chemical is safe to consume in very small amounts, but people with diabetes should be especially aware of the amount they consume, experts say.