5 healthy homemade swaps for ultra-processed foods

A study says that you have a 14 per cent higher risk of dying early with each 10 per cent increase in the amount of ultra-processed food you eat. Time to ditch all the ultra-processed foods!

A French study has revealed that we face a 14 per cent higher risk of early death with each 10 per cent increase in the amount of ultra-processed food we eat. The authors of the study wrote in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine that ultra-processed foods are manufactured industrially from multiple ingredients that usually include additives used for technological and/or cosmetic purposes, reported CNN. They added, "Ultra-processed foods are mostly consumed in the form of snacks, desserts, or ready-to-eat or -heat meals," and their consumption "has largely increased during the past several decades."This trend may drive an increase of early deaths due to chronic illnesses, including cancer and cardiovascular disease, they say. In the study, the researchers observed that ultra-processed food consumption was associated with younger age, lower income, lower educational level, living alone, higher BMI and lower physical activity level. The authors speculate that the additives, the packaging (chemicals leech into the food during storage) and the processing itself, including high-temperature processing, may be the factors that negatively affect health.

With this study, it is very clear that there is an urgent need to drastically reduce the consumption of ultra-processed foods and up the intake of fresh vegetables and fruits, which have long been associated with good health. If you think it is difficult to do so, you have got to try out these healthier swaps for ultra-processed foods.

Ditch white bread: When white bread is manufactured, the bran and wheat germ are removed from the wheat flour and compounds such as potassium bromate, benzoyl peroxide and chlorine dioxide gas are added. These spell trouble for your health and up your risk of diseases like diabetes and obesity.

Make wholewheat bread: Mix salt and baking powder in 2 cups flour and sift the mixture. Whisk eggs in a bowl and pour them in the flour mix with oil and water to make the dough and bake it.

Ditch cookies: Store-bought cookies have refined flour, lots of sugar, preservatives and other additives that make them extremely unhealthy.

Make multigrain cookies: Preheat your oven at 180 degrees Celsius. In a pan, sift whole wheat flour, flaxseed powder, oatmeal, ragi powder and bajra flour. Add the salt and baking soda. Add ghee, honey/ jaggery and milk. Mix to make it a dough. Lay out the dough and roll it till its about half an inch thick on all sides. Using a cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and line it up on the cookies sheet. Let it sit for five minutes so that it can rise. Bake it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

Ditch pasta and noodles: Made with refined flour and other additives, the store-bought pasta has no fibre and hardly any nutrients.

Make vegetables pasta: Slice the ends of your zucchini or carrots off. Use a spiralizer to make your zucchini or carrot noodles or pasta.

Ditch French fries: French fries in popular fast food restaurants can be deadly to your health because they are deep fried in reheated oil, have excess salt and other additives.

Make sweet potato chips: Cut the vegetables into thin slices and spread them on a baking sheet. Season them and then spread olive oil on them and bake till they are crispy.

Ditch ketchup: Ketchup is loaded with preservatives, artificial colours, food adulterants and generally have excess salt, sugar and other chemicals to make it tastier and last longer.

Make tomato ketchup: Caramelise sugar in a pan. Cook pumpkin puree and tomato puree in a deep pan till it thickens. Add the caramel, vinegar and peppercorns, cloves, chilli flakes, onion powder, garlic powder and about a cup of water. Continue to cook till it thickens. Strain through a fine strainer. Allow to cool and store in a bottle.

With inputs from ANI