Say NO to ultra-processed foods

 

Green bowl with arugula, avocado, Padrón peppers, olives, pea penne, and chicken. A salad with lots of vegetables, sprouts, and fresh cheese. A green bowl with salmon and a poached egg. What I have just mentioned are just three examples of healthy dishes to enjoy eating and feel good at the same time, ideas to help you say NO to ultra-processed foods.

 

Say NO to ultra-processed products.

 

Taking care of yourself does not mean suffering, taking care of yourself means enjoying, and achieving this is much easier than it seems.

Any day is the perfect day to do it, prepare a green bowl, a healthy dish with all the nutrients you need, change the ingredients, make your own combinations.

Let your imagination run wild, choose your favorite foods, try to consume seasonal products, control your diet and you will get results, you will not feel heavy, your digestion will be light and you you will satisfy.

 

Prepare a healthy, varied plate, with lots of vegetables and the protein of your choice, you can make your vegan version.

 

Sometimes I feel like preparing a bowl based on green products, as you know, colors are very important, depending on the color, foods have some nutrients or others, other times I choose to create a rainbow on the plate.

A plate full of color is very attractive and encourages you to consume it, I like to add different proteins, sometimes chicken, other times salmon, cod, egg, there are many options.

 

 

Prepare your green bowl and enjoy eating, making a dish like these has several purposes, the main one is to eat healthy, but we use this term a lot without saying exactly what we are referring to.

Eating healthy means eating real foods that are not processed, and if they are, let them be simply processed (I’ll explain later).

If you can get organic products, all the better, if not, it’s okay, don’t think that if your lettuce doesn’t have the organic seal it’s bad, because it isn’t.

Don’t think that if you don’t have the fridge full of organic vegetables it is better to eat any ultra-processed “bio”, absolutely NO.

 

Organic products are very good, but make sure it is real food, say NO to ultra-processed “bio” products.

 

It is always better to eat foods without any type of processing than to eat processed foods of any type and you should always avoid ultra-processed foods.

Which foods are processed, but are healthy:

Nuts are the best example, why are nuts considered processed? We normally consume nuts already peeled and, in some cases, shelled. Removing the shell from almonds or walnuts is considered a first processing step. If they have to be peeled, that is, removing the brown skin that is attached to the kernel, is another process. Pasteurization is also a step and if they are cut into slices, cubes or flour, the same is true. Olives are also processed. From the moment they are picked from the tree until they reach our table, they undergo a series of necessary processes in order to be consumed. Yogurts and cheeses have also been processed, and that does not mean we consider them unhealthy, as long as they do not contain added sugars or have undergone other more aggressive processes. Canned legumes are processed, but if you wash them well to remove any possible additives to the preservation liquid, are a healthy option for a quick meal.

 

Nuts, legumes, whole grains, have undergone some necessary processes to make their consumption easy and safe, and yet they are still healthy.

 

These are just four examples, but there are many more, it is about understanding that there are processes that the food industry carries out in order to improve the characteristics of that food and sometimes, simply so that it can be consumed.

These types of processes are characterized by not changing the nutritional characteristics of that food, they are usually done to improve the safety and hygiene of those products when they are consumed.

 

 

What foods are ultra-processed:

Sausages, processed meats such as sausages, hamburgers, meatballs, marinades, etc.

Some dairy products, such as processed cheeses, custard, “yogurts”, smoothies or vegetable drinks.

Industrial pastries, which include buns, both sweet and savory, cookies, biscuits.

All types of snacks, both fried and baked, potato chips, corn snacks, extruded foods, etc.

 

Snacks and pre-cooked meals are ultra-processed products that contain trans fats, always avoid them.

 

Pre-cooked products, any fresh or frozen pre-cooked dish, lasagnas, cannelloni, croquettes, nuggets, canned soups and creams, sauces, tomato sauce too, etc.

Ultra-processed cereals, rich in sugars.

Margarines, this product that They have tried to sell it as healthy, it is composed of hydrogenated fats and trans fats that are very harmful to our health, so the best thing for your toast is a good splash of extra virgin olive oil.

If you are a big fan of butter, consume it in moderation. Forget about margarine forever.

 

Avoid consuming margarines, they are the result of the hydrogenation of vegetable oils, (polyunsaturated fatty acids), the result is an ultra-processed product that contains trans fats and other compounds harmful to your health.

 

Conclusion:

• Buy fresh meats and cook them yourself.

 

• As snacks, the best are nuts and homemade dips. On my page you will find several options. Use fresh raw vegetables or sweet potatoes, even potatoes, baked by you.

 

• Avoid pre-cooked dishes, cook on the weekend or whenever it suits you and store portions in Tupperware, freeze what you can, get organized.

 

• For breakfast there are also many options, you don’t have to resort to industrial pastries, if you like cereals, eat them unprocessed, buy cereals without added sugars at the herbalist’s, add nuts, raisins, blueberries, dates, fresh fruit.

 

• Eat quality dairy products, natural yogurts, or Greek yogurt (its advantage is that it is very filling), pasteurized or UHT quality milk, but without additives. Eat cheeses that are as unprocessed as possible. Read the labels.

 

• Avoid frozen foods at all costs, such as nuggets, croquettes, chips and all kinds of pre-cooked dishes, they are rich in trans fats, which are very harmful to your health.

 

• As a final tip, I just tell you to buy foods as they come from the fields, fresh meats and fish, and legumes and cereals that are minimally or not at all processed. Cook at home, prepare, organize, freeze, do everything in your power to control the ingredients and know what you are eating, it is the best way to take care of yourself and those around you.